Like many working families, I have seen how the high cost of living touches everything in Hawaiʻi. Housing is not just expensive; it affects whether parents can save, whether kupuna can age in place, whether young people can start a family, and whether local residents feel they have a future here. Groceries, electricity, insurance, transportation, healthcare, childcare, and condo costs all add up. Even families who work hard and do everything right can feel like they are falling behind.
I came to Hawaiʻi when I was 20 years old and have spent my entire adult life here. Hawaiʻi is where I served in uniform, built my career, became part of the community, and am raising my family. As a husband and father, affordability is not abstract to me. It is about whether my son, his friends, our kupuna, and local working families can inherit a Hawaiʻi where they can stay.
That is why my campaign is centered on putting working families first: no new or increased taxes or fees, real affordable housing, lower everyday costs, better jobs, safer communities, and a government that cuts waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption before asking residents for another dollar.
We restore optimism by proving that Hawaiʻi’s government is on the side of local working families, not special interests or the status quo. Local families need to see a real path to afford housing, earn living wages, raise children, care for kupuna, and stay rooted in the islands.
First, I will oppose new or increased taxes and fees on working families, kupuna, and residents living on fixed incomes. Hawaiʻi families are already paying enough. Before government asks for more, it must cut waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption and show taxpayers where their money is going.
Second, we must build more housing that local families can actually afford. That means faster permitting, better use of state and county land, infrastructure investment, owner-occupant opportunities, and policies that prioritize residents over speculation.
Third, we need better economic opportunity: career pathways, apprenticeships, trades, healthcare, public service, small business support, and industries that create good local jobs. A future in Hawaiʻi cannot depend only on surviving high prices; it must include wages and careers that let families thrive.
Finally, we need safe communities and honest government. People will believe in Hawaiʻi’s future again when they see practical results: lower costs, stronger jobs, cleaner government, and leadership that fights for working people every day.
I agree that Hawaiʻi’s affordability crisis is not only about prices. It is also about opportunity, wages, productivity, and whether local workers can build careers that support a family here. My legislative strategy would focus on raising real economic opportunity without adding new tax burdens.
First, I will champion workforce pathways tied directly to living-wage jobs: apprenticeships, trades, healthcare, technology, emergency services, education, construction, agriculture, clean energy, and the creative economy. Public dollars for training should be measured by outcomes: job placement, wages, retention, and whether graduates stay in Hawaiʻi.
Second, I will support local small businesses by reducing red tape, speeding permits, making procurement fairer, and stopping constant new taxes and fees that make it harder to hire and grow. Working-class families need strong employers, but businesses also need a government that is predictable and efficient.
Third, I will fight for housing policies that reduce the cost of building and living here. Wages matter, but if housing, insurance, utilities, and groceries keep rising faster than paychecks, families still lose ground.
Finally, I will push government accountability. Every dollar wasted is a dollar that could support schools, infrastructure, housing, workforce training, or tax relief for working families. The root problem is not just lack of money; it is whether government uses money wisely.
The State needs to connect education, training, and economic development much more directly to the jobs Hawaiʻi actually needs. We cannot tell young people to work hard and then offer too few living-wage careers. That is how we lose them.
I support expanding career and technical education in high schools, stronger community college pathways, paid apprenticeships, internships, and partnerships with employers in construction, healthcare, skilled trades, education, agriculture, technology, public safety, emergency services, and clean energy. Students should graduate with clear options: college, a trade, military service, public service, entrepreneurship, or a direct pathway into a living-wage job.
I also believe programs serving at-risk youth deserve strong support. In my work with the Hawaiʻi Youth Challenge Academy, I have seen that young people can change their lives when they receive structure, mentorship, education, discipline, and a real pathway forward.
The State should track results, not just fund programs. Workforce programs should report completion rates, job placement, wages, and retention in Hawaiʻi. Funding should prioritize programs that actually lead to stable careers.
We also need to make it easier for local businesses to grow and hire by reducing delays, cutting unnecessary red tape, and stopping new taxes and fees that punish employers and workers alike.
The most practical way to lower housing costs is to increase housing supply that local families can actually afford while lowering the cost and time it takes to build. Hawaiʻi cannot solve a housing shortage without building more homes.
I support faster permitting with firm deadlines, pre-approved housing plans, better coordination between state and counties, and infrastructure investments for water, sewer, roads, and transit-oriented development. We should use appropriate state and county lands for affordable rentals, starter homes, senior housing, teacher and workforce housing, and mixed-income projects.
We also need to make it easier to build accessory dwelling units, ohana units, and multi-generational housing where infrastructure can support it. Local families should have more flexibility to care for kupuna and keep families together.
For condo owners and renters, housing affordability also means addressing rising insurance, maintenance fees, and special assessments through transparency, oversight, and consumer protections.
I do not believe the answer is to keep raising taxes and fees on local families. Every added cost gets passed into rent, mortgages, and prices. The State should cut delays, reduce unnecessary costs, hold agencies accountable, and focus on producing housing for residents, not just talking about it.
Housing supported by public land, public funds, public infrastructure, or public policy should put local working families first. If taxpayers are helping create the opportunity, then the benefit should not be captured by speculative investors.
I support owner-occupant requirements, long-term affordability covenants, resale restrictions for publicly supported affordable housing, and first-look opportunities for local residents and workforce buyers. We should prioritize teachers, healthcare workers, first responders, public servants, local families, kupuna, and residents who are trying to stay in Hawaiʻi.
We also need stronger enforcement against illegal short-term rentals and housing uses that remove homes from the local residential market. Existing laws should be enforced before government creates new taxes or fees.
Transparency matters too. We should collect better data on beneficial ownership, bulk purchases, vacant units, and speculative activity so policymakers can target the actual problem rather than punishing local homeowners.
I am not interested in policies that make it more expensive for local working families to buy, rent, or keep their homes. The goal should be clear: homes for people who live and work in Hawaiʻi, not just assets for outside investors. Public resources should serve local residents first.
I will push for a housing production agenda with deadlines, accountability, and urgency. Hawaiʻi has studied the housing crisis for years. Local families need homes, not excuses.
First, the State should identify suitable public lands near infrastructure, jobs, schools, and transit and move them into production for affordable rentals, starter homes, senior housing, and workforce housing. Second, permitting must be faster and more predictable. Agencies should have clear timelines, coordinated review, and public reporting on delays.
Third, we should expand infrastructure capacity because housing cannot be built without water, sewer, roads, drainage, schools, and transportation. The State should partner with counties to unlock areas where housing is already planned but stuck.
Fourth, we should encourage practical construction methods such as modular housing, adaptive reuse, and pre-approved designs that can reduce costs and timelines without sacrificing safety.
Fifth, housing projects that receive public benefits should include enforceable affordability and local-resident protections.
I will also oppose new or increased taxes and fees that make construction, rent, and homeownership more expensive for local families. If we want more homes, government must stop adding cost and delay at every step. The measure of success should be simple: more local families able to stay in Hawaiʻi.
To reduce grocery and everyday living costs, we need to attack the problem from both sides: lower the tax burden on necessities and reduce the cost of getting goods to families.
I support reducing or eliminating the general excise tax on groceries, medicine, diapers, and basic household necessities. The GET hits working families hardest because it applies broadly and gets passed through the economy. Families should not be taxed so heavily on basic survival.
At the same time, the State must do more to support local agriculture, local food production, and farm-to-school purchasing so we are less dependent on expensive imported goods. We need to reduce barriers for farmers, ranchers, fishers, and small food producers, including permitting delays and unnecessary regulatory burdens.
Energy and transportation costs also affect grocery prices. Lowering energy costs, improving harbor efficiency, and supporting local distribution can help reduce prices.
I also support strong anti-fraud enforcement so public benefit programs protect the families they are meant to serve. As a former investigator and public servant, I believe we can protect assistance for those who need it while stopping abuse.
Most importantly, I oppose new or increased taxes and fees on working families. Government must lower costs, not make them worse.
Childcare is one of the biggest barriers keeping working parents out of the workforce. If a family is paying the cost of a college tuition for infant care, parents are forced into impossible choices. Making childcare more affordable is both a family issue and an economic issue.
I support expanding access to affordable preschool and childcare by using existing public facilities where appropriate, partnering with community providers, and helping providers expand safely without unnecessary delays. The State should reduce barriers for qualified childcare workers, support training and apprenticeship pathways, and make it easier for providers to serve more families while maintaining health and safety standards.
We should also better align childcare with the realities of working families, including parents who work nontraditional hours in healthcare, public safety, hospitality, military, and service jobs.
In education, I support strong public schools, career and technical education, and programs that prepare students for college, trades, public service, and living-wage work. Education dollars should reach classrooms and students, not be lost in bureaucracy.
I do not support solving this problem by simply raising taxes or fees on working families. The State should review current spending, reduce waste, improve coordination, use facilities more efficiently, and target assistance to families who need help staying in the workforce.
If I could change one aspect of Hawaiʻi’s tax system to improve affordability, I would reduce or eliminate the general excise tax on groceries, medicine, diapers, and basic necessities.
The GET is one of the most regressive parts of our tax system because it hits everyone, including working families, kupuna, and residents on fixed incomes. It is also embedded throughout the economy, which means families often pay it indirectly through higher prices. When groceries, household goods, and basic services are already expensive, taxing necessities makes it harder for local families to survive.
My position is clear: no new or increased taxes or fees on working families. Hawaiʻi residents are already paying enough. Before government asks for another dollar, it must cut waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption, improve procurement, audit programs, and show measurable results.
Tax relief should be focused on the people who need it most: working families, seniors, renters, homeowners struggling with rising costs, and small local businesses trying to keep employees here.
The goal should not be to shift the burden from one struggling group to another. The goal should be to make government live within its means, protect basic necessities from excessive taxation, and let local families keep more of what they earn.
Hawaiʻi is seen as a difficult place to do business because costs are high, permitting is slow, rules are complicated, and government too often adds uncertainty instead of solving problems. Local businesses face high rent, utilities, insurance, shipping costs, taxes, labor shortages, and delays. Small businesses do not have large compliance departments. When government makes things harder, local workers and consumers pay the price.
I would improve conditions by creating a more predictable, accountable, and customer-service-oriented government. That means faster permitting, clear timelines, one-stop help for small businesses, fewer unnecessary delays, and a serious review of regulations that raise costs without improving safety or fairness.
I also support fair procurement so local businesses have a real chance to compete, not just well-connected insiders. Government contracts, grants, and incentives should be transparent and accountable.
A pro-working-family agenda must also be pro-local-small-business. Good jobs come from employers who can afford to hire, train, and pay workers. We should support workforce development, apprenticeships, and career pathways tied to actual employer needs.
Most importantly, I oppose new or increased taxes and fees that make it harder for local businesses to survive and harder for workers to get ahead. Hawaiʻi needs a business climate that helps local employers grow living-wage jobs.
Public confidence will not be restored by slogans. It will be restored by transparency, enforcement, and consequences. As a former investigator and public servant, government accountability is one of the main reasons I am running.
I support stronger ethics rules, clearer conflict-of-interest disclosures, open and searchable records for contracts and grants, independent audits of high-risk programs, and public dashboards that show where taxpayer dollars go and what results they produce. The budget should be understandable to the public, not hidden behind confusing processes.
I also support procurement reform. Too much money is lost through waste, delays, favoritism, poor oversight, and weak accountability. Every major program should have measurable goals, timelines, and consequences when agencies fail to deliver.
The Legislature should also improve transparency in lawmaking. The public deserves reasonable notice, meaningful hearings, and an end to last-minute gut-and-replace tactics that prevent residents from understanding what is happening.
Campaign finance and lobbying rules must be enforced so people trust that decisions are being made for the public, not special interests.
My approach is simple: clean up government first. Before raising taxes or fees on working families, government must prove it can manage the money it already receives honestly, efficiently, and responsibly.
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