By Senator Mike Gabbard

Aloha!

After a grueling campaign of knocking on doors, signwaving, and spending hours on the phone, I’m honored to have been chosen by voters in Senate District 19 (Waikele - Ko Olina) to serve in the State Senate. I received 56% of the vote. I commend my opponent, retired police captain George Yamamoto, for running a clean and honest campaign. I also want to thank former senator Brian Kanno for his 14 years of service to the community.

I'm pleased that I’ve been elected Minority Policy Leader and I’m happy about my committee assignments which include: Transportation/International Affairs Committee, Education Committee, and Judiciary/Labor Committee. These committees match up perfectly with the issues that you told me were most important to you: traffic, education, and crime.
Please remember: my door is always open to everyone in the district. This includes the 5,461 people who voted for my opponent, the 273 people that left their ballots blank, and those of you who didn’t vote at all.

I hope to see you at the Opening Day Ceremony of the State Legislature on January 17th at the Capitol. It’s a tradition for legislators to host community members and serve refreshments. You’ll have the opportunity to taste every cuisine imaginable from the 76 offices of the different legislators from around the State. It would be great if you could come, so that I can show you my office, introduce you to my staff, and of course offer you lunch!

I’ll be holding a community talk-story each month to hear from your ideas on what should be done to improve our quality of life. I’ll keep you posted on the location and times of the meetings.
Please let me know if you have any concerns, if there is legislation that you would like to see introduced, or if you just want to talk story. My office is located on the second floor of the State Capitol in Room 204 (Senator Kanno’s old office). My phone number is 586-6830 and my email is sengabbard@Capitol.hawaii.gov.

Finally, I want to say mahalo nui loa to all of you who placed your vote of confidence in me. I promise to do my best and look forward to serving you in the coming years.