Honolulu Weekly

1. What was your biggest accomplishment this session?
“More than anything else, this legislative session was a chance to learn. The biggest accomplishments, and probably most difficult, are yet to come. Despite our economic troubles, we have an obligation to follow through with the new direction Hawaii so desperately needs. This means real and tangible movement forward on our commitment to energy independence, real growth and a paradigm shift in the way the state treats agriculture and farmers, and results in the efforts to diversify our economy and prepare for the future. We can no longer afford to talk about what we are doing to help these efforts. We need results. Class after class of Hawaii graduates continue to leave for greener pastures on the mainland, and if we ever want to live in a Hawaii that has real opportunities for our children, we need to change all these things today.”

2. With which piece of 2009 legislation are you most proud to be affiliated and why?
“I’m proud to be a strong supporter of House Bill 1271, which provides a dedicated source of millions of dollars in funding for renewable energy and agriculture. Hawaii needs to make the transition to being energy independent and secure in our food supply. Today we must import more than 90% of our food and energy, and with prices skyrocketing we cannot afford to wait any longer. Our investment today will pay dividends in the years to come, and give our children a clean, sustainable and affordable future here in Hawaii.”

3. What was the biggest disappointment of the session and how might a similar disappointment be prevented in the future?
“I only wish there was more time to address the myriad issues before us.”

4. Debating which issue turned out to be the biggest distraction from your priorities?
“Standing up to fight the reduction of Hawaii’s water quality standards was a real challenge. Until now, our bays and beaches have been protected by some of the highest water quality standards in the nation, and we should base those standards on best science, not best politics. Allowing the Legislature, instead of the Department of Health, to decide our water quality standards does just that.”

5. What’s one thing you wish voters better understood about you or the political process as a whole?
“I wish voters better understood that their votes and their contributions here at the State Capitol really do make a difference. I think most people expect great things out of our government, and rightly should. However, it won’t happen without support and input from people who care about the direction our state is going. I regularly go door to door to talk to people about their issues and concerns, but there are hundreds of thousands of people, and only so many hours in the day. If people care deeply about an issue, they need to stand up and take a few minutes to make a phone call, write a letter, or rally their neighbors to testify on the bill or issue. Otherwise, no matter how strongly people feel, our decisions will be made in a vacuum because we won’t know how the community feels. Stand up. Get involved.”