Aloha! I'm a candidate for State Senate
District #19. I've always felt that the only way to truly find
out what's in people's hearts and minds is to knock on their
door and ask them. I recently finished walking the whole district
and was happy to meet you in person and hear what your concerns,
complaints, and suggestions are. Mahalo to you who filled out
the questionnaire I distributed and also thanks to those of
you who emailed or phoned in your responses.
Here’s what you said:
1. Do you favor bringing rail transit to Kapolei, even
if it means higher excise taxes?
61% YES 39% NO
2. Do you favor a portion of the state’s surplus
revenues being used to increase teacher salaries?
89% YES 11% NO
3. What is the biggest problem facing our community
that should be addressed by Hawaii’s government leaders?
1) Traffic (31%) 2) Education (23%) 3) Crime (8%)
If I’m elected, my focus will be on what you feel are
our district’s biggest problems.
Traffic
The communities of our district are some of the fastest growing
in the State. Kapolei, for example, is expected to add 50,000
homes by 2025. This growth will obviously put more cars on the
road and will create a traffic nightmare if we don’t get
to work fast. As a former member of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning
Organization (OMPO) Policy Committee and the Chair of the Ewa
Transportation Committee, I have a good understanding of the
traffic problems that we face and their solutions. I’m
ready to sit down with the State, City, landowners and developers,
and do whatever it takes to improve our horrible traffic situation.
Education
As a life-long educator, I’m committed to
improving education for our keiki. Our top priority should be
paying our teachers better salaries. By increasing teacher salaries
we will have more success in retaining our current teachers
and recruiting new ones. We need to maximize the amount of money
spent in the classroom, and minimize bureaucratic costs.
I’m committed to making sure that the UH West Oahu campus
gets built. Leeward residents have waited long enough
to see this promise become a reality.
Crime
Hawaii has one of the highest property crime rates in the nation
and many of our loved ones have been ravaged by the use of “ice”
and other illegal drugs. We need sufficient police officers
on the beat in our communities so that the innocent are protected
and can lead normal and peaceful lives, while the criminals
get punished for their anti-social behavior. I support
punishing violent criminals and making sure they’re not
on the streets to harm innocent people, but I’m also open
to more creative forms of punishment for non-violent criminals.
I’m asking for your support and your vote. I’m not
a career politician. I’m a citizen/legislator, and I’d
be honored to be your voice in the State Senate.
For more information, please visit my website at www.mikegabbard.com
or email me at mike@mikegabbard.com
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