Honolulu Weekly

1. What was your biggest accomplishment this session—and what steps did you take to ensure it happened?
“Establishment of a tax appeals process and statute of limitations for collections for the Department of Taxation. This will give the tax office the ability to expeditiously settle tax cases and also give the taxpayers a better administrative process to resolve tax disputes. The establishment of a statute of limitation should enhance the collections process by creating a sense of urgency to collect delinquent taxes.”

2. What piece of 2009 legislation are you most proud to be affiliated with (please also include how you are affiliated) and why?
“The legislature increased the barrel tax on crude oil and petroleum products to fund energy and food security dependence initiatives. Working with the Chair and Vice-Chair of Energy and Environmental Protection, this landmark legislation will help get us off our dependence on foreign oil. The cost to the consumer should only be a few cents a gallon of gasoline. I believe this is a goal that every resident in Hawaii can agree to.”

3. What was the biggest disappointment of the session and how might a similar disappointment be prevented in the future?
“The amount of time that we have to pass good laws is too short. I wish we could lengthen the session and pass only half the laws.”

4. Debating which issue turned out to be the biggest distraction from your priorities?
“Debating issues is never a distraction. Every issue has equal weight at the legislature, because each issue is important to someone.”

5. What’s one thing you wish voters better understood about you or the political process as a whole?
“As a legislator, I have made decisions based on my values, beliefs, and professional and life experiences. I didn’t feel for the prevailing winds when coming to a decision. In the political process, hard choices has to be made. I hope my constituents get to know me better and help shape my thoughts and leadership style.”