Senator Norman Sakamoto
- Hawaii State Capitol Yearbook 2009
- Representative Isaac Choy
- Representative Henry J.C. Aquino
- Representative Lyla B. Berg
- Governor Linda Lingle
- Representative Cindy Evans
- Senator Les Ihara, Jr.
- Lt. Governor James R. “Duke” Aiona, Jr.
- Representative Gilbert Keith-Agaran
- Representative Joey Manahan
- Representative Chris Lee
- Representative Barbara C. Marumoto
- Representative Mark M. Nakashima
- Representative John M. Mizuno
- Representative Marcus R. Oshiro
- Senator Brian T. Taniguchi
- Senator J. Kalani English
- Representative Jessica Wooley
- Representative Gene Ward
- Senator Norman Sakamoto
- Representative Cynthia Thielen
- Senator Fred Hemmings
- Representative Karl Rhoads
- Senator Colleen Hanabusa
- Senator Josh Green
- Representative Roy M. Takumi
- Senator Will Espero
Norman Sakamoto / What was your biggest accomplishment this session- and what steps did you take to ensure it happened?
“One of the biggest accomplishments this session was that funding was included in the budget to further reduce the Repair and Maintenance backlog at our schools. The $140.5 million will allow the backlog to be reduced by $65 million since new items added annually total $75 million. In addition $30 million was include to complete classroom renovation projects for schools 25 years and older. We worked with the DOE and money committees to seek a multiyear solution to our facility woes.”
With which piece of 2009 legislation are you most proud to be affiliated and why?
“SB 1350 addresses the lack of affordable housing (both for sale and for rent) in the Kakaako area. This bill creates flexible options for developers of larger parcels. By leaving required percentages of affordable housing unchanged for smaller parcels for only five more years, a sense of urgency is created to urge owners of those parcels to act now. This action would help to stimulate our economy by creating construction jobs. Actions taken now would enable thousands of people to live in affordable units sooner. As chair of the Education and Housing Committee, I was charged with working with all parties interested in improving this bill.”
What was the biggest disappointment of the session and how might a similar disappointment be prevented in the future?
“The lingering uncertainty with the collective bargaining negotiations is troublesome. Individual employees feared losing their jobs, feared being forced to pay an additional $250 per month for health coverage, feared being furloughed and losing 10% of their income and feared losing future retirement benefits. The doomsday express seemed to be poised to run over too many people. In the future, realistic scenarios should be painted so that reasonable people can thrash over and eventually jointly agree on the best course of action for our state.”
Debating which issue turned out to be the biggest distraction from your priorities?
“The budget was the biggest challenge for the legislature this year. The attempts to pass HB444 with “no amendments” was the biggest energy sink. When proponents and opponents on an issue are able to suggest amendments, and succeed at working out differences, people feel that time was spent wisely.”
What’s one thing you wish voters better understood about you or the political process as a whole?
“Voters should know that each legislator shapes his or her decisions by depending on the people that talk to us, email us, or write us. I want reasoned conversations with pragmatic solutions to our challenges. The goal for me to have my children’s children say, ‘Hawaii is a good place to live and not Hawaii was a good place to live.’”
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