Hope Alohalani Cermelj

Office: House District 8

Party: Republican

Hawaiʻi’s affordability challenges affect nearly every aspect of daily life, from housing and education to healthcare, transportation, and childcare.
What are your personal experiences with the high cost of living in Hawaiʻi?

when my hanai ohana must leave their homelands , to get work, better schools, housing that is affordable to ohana, these politricksters who keep talking and NO ACTIONS.........promises around voting time, not delivering actions, IMUA

Many local residents leave or are considering leaving Hawaiʻi because they can no longer afford to stay, or because they seek greater economic opportunity, and according to the 2020 Census, approximately 55% of Native Hawaiians now live outside of Hawaiʻi.
With negative net migration continuing to drain Hawaiʻi of its local population, how can we restore optimism and convince local working families and young professionals that they have a viable economic future in the islands?

vote out joshua green and politricksters who lie, deceive and cheat the voters, taxpayers, keiki, kupuna. VOTE GARY CORDERY WHO TALKS SOLUTIONS< NOT LIES

legislation to cap/ stop excise tax to go up until reviewed in 2030. use state property and county owned properties to build tiny homes, 12x12 foot tiny homes, build state and county senior housing units starting in 2027, break ground on 10+ locations for new senior housing residences . legislation to request OHA to independent audit asap, then the funds that were abused, pocketed, hidden by trustees, at-large trustees and chair Kai Kahele as well, use to build ohana homes with OHA FUNDING. AUDIT DHHL IMMEDIATELY also

Many employers report difficulty finding qualified workers, while many residents struggle to access career pathways that provide long-term financial stability. It is estimated that in the next decade, 170,000 keiki will enter the workforce, but only 100,000 living wage jobs will be available for them.
What are ways the State can improve workforce development efforts and ensure that enough living wage jobs will be available for youth entering the workforce?

legislate from senators and reps to create a state =run employment service for kids in 11th and senior year without any corruption by bureaucrats hired, appointed to run each island services, pay for this by % of state gas taxes

Housing experts recommend that a household spend no more than one-third of its income on housing costs. In its 2025 Employee Affordability Survey, Holomua Collective found that most local working families identify housing as the main driver of Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living. Most local families also said they are spending more than half of household income on housing costs.
What practical and actionable solutions do you have to lower housing costs?

governor {s} have executive order to capp housing for sale 10% from top MILLION DOLLAR HOMES/HOMES & LAND to sales of raw land.

Hawai’i’s housing market is impacted and constrained by out-of-state and speculative buyers. A variety of solutions have been proposed to dedicate housing for local working families.
How do you propose we dedicate housing for local working families over out-of-state or speculative buyers?

out-of -STATE buyers not welcome to buy our sacred 'AINA. make laws to sell to locals, on all islands , halt other countries sale of any and all LANDS ON ALL HAWAI'IAN ISLANDS. EDUCATE KUPUNAS about the reverse mortgages and how ohana can loose their generational hale. PILAU ACTIONS to unknowing Kanaka kupunas.

Hawai‘i needs tens of thousands of new homes, and every year we fall further behind, more local families are forced to leave.
What will you do to ensure the State quickly builds more housing for local working families before they are priced out of Hawai‘i?

as I have answered above~ use state & county 'AINA to build 12'x12' to 20'x20'temporay hale. Use the kuleana of " SELF HELP HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS, like we have done up in Kapa'autown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nearly one in three Hawaiʻi households experience food insecurity. More than one in five households report skipping meals or going entire days without eating because they cannot afford enough food. With grocery prices 30–40% higher than the continent, many families are struggling to meet their basic needs.
How do you propose we reduce everyday living expenses like groceries?

when our president can finish up the pathetic war in Strait in Middle EAST, then gas goes down in cost per barrel, costs at gas pumps, groceries goes down. Cut the state income taxes for people {ALL WAGE EARNERS, SALARY EARNERS}, 100,000.00 and under immediately, not wait til senators and reps get off their akole/butts and work on this january 18th,2027

Hawaiʻi families face some of the highest early childcare and education costs in the country, with center-based infant care averaging more than $24,000 annually. These costs often prevent parents from returning to work and pose a significant barrier to economic opportunity for working families.
How can the State make childcare and education costs more affordable?

capitol legislators give state income tax money to each keiki / child from 3years old to 12 years old. cut the red tape of dispencing state dollars to parents who are struggling.

If you could change one aspect of Hawaiʻi's tax system to improve affordability for local working families, what would it be and why?

cut the state excise tax back to 3.90000000% from present 4,71111???? state employees take a minini pay cut or pay cut in your state employee benefits. Find the corrupt bureaucrats/DEMON CRATS who are scamming, deceiving, stealing our state tax dollars. Fired on spot, repayment of their theft or go to jail, no can collect $200.00, behind bars for stealing and covering up their respective deception.

Hawaiʻi ranks 49th overall nationally in America’s Top States for Business 2025. Local sentiment underscores this ranking, with Holomua Collective’s 2025 Employee Affordability Survey finding that only 19% of respondents believe Hawai‘i is a good place to do business.
Why do you believe Hawai‘i is seen as such a difficult place to do business, and how would you improve conditions for local businesses?

regulations, cost of permits, time delay in permit processes, high paid bureaucrats, then corruption in DEPT OF DAGS. Let's clean up our sacred paradise immediaqtely when we turn over the state leadership to a man that is NOT A CAREER POLITRICKSTER!!!!!!!!!

In a 2025 survey by Holomua Collective, only 20% of local working residents said that they had confidence in state and local government to do right by the people of Hawaiʻi.
What reforms would you support to improve transparency, accountability, trust, efficiency, and public confidence in state and local government?

Full independent AUDITS of DOE, DLNR, DHHL, OHA, BUREAU OF CONVEYANCES. pay for these INDEPENDENT AUDITS with state excise taxes collected and set aside from day of enactment to completion. E'O Malama 'AINA, MALAMA KEIKI AND KUPUNAS, MALAMA PONO, don't ever forget what happened January 17th 1893

Related Candidates

Monique Perreira
House District 8

Republican
David A. Tarnas
House District 8

Democrat

BACK TO THE CANDIDATES

Hope Alohalani Cermelj

Hawaiʻi’s affordability challenges affect nearly every aspect of daily life, from housing and education to healthcare, transportation, and childcare.
What are your personal experiences with the high cost of living in Hawaiʻi?

Hawai’i’s housing market is impacted and constrained by out-of-state and speculative buyers. A variety of solutions have been proposed to dedicate housing for local working families.
How do you propose we dedicate housing for local working families over out-of-state or speculative buyers?

Hawai‘i needs tens of thousands of new homes, and every year we fall further behind, more local families are forced to leave.
What will you do to ensure the State quickly builds more housing for local working families before they are priced out of Hawai‘i?

If you could change one aspect of Hawaiʻi's tax system to improve affordability for local working families, what would it be and why?

Related Candidates

Monique Perreira

David A. Tarnas

Be a part of the solution

Advocates for an affordable Hawai‘i