Candidate Q&A: Meet Hawai‘i Island’s Senate candidates

More representation for Hawai‘i County residents is coming to the State Legislature as an additional House seat was created in January due to the rise in the island’s population, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

The district boundaries are re-evaluated every 10 years when a census is conducted.

Additionally, new Senate district boundaries on the Big Island created a competitive Democratic primary race for District 1, which encompasses the greater Hilo area. Lorraine Inouye has served District 4, which encompasses Hilo, Hawī, Waikōloa and Waimea, since 2014. The redistricting shifted the veteran senator to District 1 where she faced off with first-term Sen. Laura Acasio and Wil Okabe, former head of the Hawai‘i teachers union, in the Primary Election in August.

Inouye won in the primary and will go toe-to-toe with Republican candidate Helen Tupai on Tuesday.

Click here to view new district maps. Click here to view the Reapportionment Commission Final Report and Plan.

Big Island Now reached out to all candidates for Hawai‘i County’s Senate and posed questions about food insecurity, the housing crisis, fentanyl and legislative priorities. Read below for their responses.

Editor’s note: Responses have not been changed but edited for brevity.

Senate District 1: Includes Pepe‘ekeo, Papaikou, Hilo, Keaukaha and Kaumana

Lorraine Inouye, Democrat.

Inouye didn’t respond to questions from Big Island Now. However, according to her campaign website, she touts various accomplishments she’s made through the course of her service as a senator. Some of these include installing traffic lights at dangerous intersections on Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway, pressing for improvements to Daniel K. Inouye Highway, continuing to fight for transfer leases to the Department of Agriculture from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and fought against neighboring islands paying for the Honolulu Rail through the transient accommodations tax.

Inouye has represented Hawai‘i Island for the past eight years and previously, she represented District 1 in the Senate from 1998 to 2008.

Helen Tupai, Republican

What is the biggest issue facing your district and how would you address it?

First, I would acknowledge and build upon the successes and smart work of the past and incumbent legislators, community organizations, leaders, etc. who have been working together and serving our community to really solve this problem in Hawaii…I would also like to advocate for our houseless community to receive increased mental health services, health care, career development resources, etc. to help get them back on their feet. As I was canvassing and going door to door a couple weeks ago, one of my constituents up in Wilder Subdivision recommended that we keep our houseless in communities and in addition to assign them tasks, whether lawn or landscaping maintenance, etc.

The Food Basket is struggling to collect enough food to meet the need of people struggling to feed their families with the skyrocketing cost of groceries. How would you address the food shortage? And what are the first steps you would take to help make the Big Island food secure?

My goal in achieving food security is self-sustainability. First, I would reach out to our kupuna, homestead associations, and other cultural leaders that look after each ahupua’a on our island, local farmers, ranches, educational institutions such as Hawai’i Community College, University of Hawai’i at Hilo, and other agriculture and local farming companies to work together to assess the current state of our land’s natural resources in each respective area. If there is an existing food co-oop, coalition or alliance that the Food Basket can partner, our island can synergize our resources to achieve food security and perpetuate sustainability. The Food Basket can also look at our local ahupua’a, local farms, etc. as a possible retailer (or) wholesaler…Second, for a long-term solution is to educate, promote and foster a mindset shift from relying on store bought food to a mindset of growing your own food right at home. Thirdly, I would encourage our schools to help identify future farmers and encourage farming as a future vocation for our keiki.

Fentanyl is hitting Hawaiʻi Island hard. How would you work with the community to deal with the crisis?

For starters, I would work with Coast Guard, community police, military, police force, past fetanyl offenders who have turned around, etc. to more efficiently identify patterns of criminal activity and primary entry points for fentanyl into Hawai’i. I would advocate for increased security checks, screening for points of entry into our state whether by ship or plane. Another way to address is to locate the origins of where the fentanyl is being made and work together with local, out of state and international police efforts to crack down on this issue. I would also work with other states who have flights coming into our state to have increased security police reform onto policing fentanyl away and out of the accessibility of our keiki and communities of Hawai’i. I would also work with public media, schools and parent organizations to educate our people on the dangers of fentanyl in the community, how to recognize the process for turning into the proper authorities. Lastly, I would advocate for Increased coordination with all levels of government: federal, state and county to decrease unintended conflicts and overlaps of initiatives, outreaches, resources, education, etc.

What action would you advocate for to address climate change at the local level?

In learning from the initiatives of my predecessors and brainstorming of my fellow candidates in both parties, I would definitely advocate for more recycling and composting programs, more restoration to our ahupua’a and fishponds, agriculture, reforestation, community gardens, alternative building supplies, hydro-powered electric plants, and looking into steam engine vehicles, etc. We can also use more natural means like hanging clothes outside, stop using single-use plastics. The biggest eye-opener for me would be to advocate for more regulation on our own government and the elites who use private jets and planes, luxury homes with high consumption, overdevelopment of homes and resorts on the coastlines.

How would you address the housing crisis that is leaving many people homeless due to the high rental rates and unaffordable homes?

The current facility in Hilo, serves homeless single men so, I would again look at the Ohana safe zone programs that have been working and collaborate with agencies such as HOPE Services and many others to identify more facilities and/or spaces for housing our houseless residents more specifically, to include women and children. until more resources and education have been made available to empower our residents to be able to thrive independently. The Kona site is a drug intervention program with Big Island Substance Abuse Council. Perhaps shelters and temporary housing communities that focus on specific issues to help deal resolve and transition them back into the community may be an answer. Another way to address this affordability issue is to offer and provide new job training and career development resources for our residents to explore and try new fields like healthcare, farming, technology, filmmaking, entrepreneurship, etc. Training in healthcare is very much needed as Hawai’i Island is in desperate need for more specialists in the medical field, more nurses and we have much room to grow in this area to be more secure in our capacity for healthcare. For careers in farming and agriculture, this would absolutely work towards achieving more food security for our island where we will no longer depend on outside forces to dictate what we pay for our food. We can drive our own bus and go where we want to go as an island. As for technology, we can partner with private companies and educational institutions towards ever-evolving creative innovations and solutions that further and expand life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for Hawai’i Island. We want to prepare our community to be in a much better state of mind than when they first started with us. Jobs in the filmmaking industry can include video editor, videographer, etc. Lastly, equipping our residents to be entrepreneur, businessmen and women can potentially be very rewarding as they learn how to start a business and monetize an idea they may have.

District 2: Includes Kea‘au, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Ainaloa, Kapoho, Pāhoa, Pohoiki, Leilani Estates, Opihikao, Kalapana, Volcano, Mountain View and Kurtistown.

Incumbent: Joy San Buenaventura, Democrat

San Buenaventura didn’t respond to questions from Big Island Now. However, according to her campaign website, she is working toward improving district infrastructure, lava recovery, improving health care and broadband services and increasing funds for child care programs.

Holly Osborn, Republican

What is the biggest issue facing your district and how would you address it?

There are several big issues that my district is afflicted with but when I talk to my neighbors what I am hearing is crime and economy. The people here are frustrated with working hard to pay higher prices only to get stolen from. That kind of environment is crushing to families living paycheck to paycheck. I would love to be able to create a safer place for families to grow and one way to help with that is to support our local police departments and make sure they get the funding they need to crack down on crime. As far as the local economy goes we need to cut G.E.Taxes on our small businesses and income taxes on our citizens. Doing this will allow for businesses to hire more people and be able to afford raises to their employees.

How would you address the housing crisis that is leaving many people homeless due to the high rental rates and unaffordable homes?

The housing crisis is very delicate here in Hawaii. I fully support cutting regulations for developers and creating a more competitive environment. We also need to focus on programs helping locals looking to become property owners by either helping with down payments or eliminating down payments for qualified individuals. I also believe we need to consider a temporary halt on allowing non-residents to buy family units to combat the rising price influx on our homes here in Hawaii. I am still seeking counsel on this matter and attending Duke Aionas housing town halls to learn more.

The Food Basket is struggling to collect enough food to meet the need of people struggling to feed their families with the skyrocketing cost of groceries. How would you address the food shortage? And what are the first steps you would take to help make the Big Island food secure?

Our food shortages could be greatly helped by revisiting the Jones Act and cutting red tape for our local farmers. Legislation providing relief and protections for our farmers all the way down to small-time gardeners combined with education on what the best crops for Hawaii residents and their environmental benefits is a start. Also our local fishermen and hunters need to be recognized as crucial suppliers of food to our islands. That being said they need to be supported, Pohoiki boat ramp should be a priority for ALL candidates in my district and county looking to support both local fishermen and our economy as it is crucial to help support our food sources.

Fentanyl is hitting Hawaiʻi Island hard. How would you work with the community to deal with the crisis?

Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous problem for our island that should absolutely take precedence for our citizens to combat. Due to its threat I believe funding our police force is an excellent start. Drug sniffing dogs and training for our officers and first responders will greatly reduce the amount of Fentanyl able to reach us. We also need harsher consequences for drug dealers peddling these drugs out to our children. This should be treated as an extreme threat and there should be more attention given to preventing widespread addiction amongst our community.

What action would you advocate for to address climate change at the local level?

Climate change is inevitable as it has been happening since the beginning, I strongly believe this crisis was manufactured and is not a serious threat. The very people pushing the issue continue to fly in private jets and buy oceanfront homes while preaching that we need to reduce our footprints and be concerned with rising ocean tides. I think our focus should be on conservation efforts and planting trees and less on throwing money at foundations that line the pockets of their founders.

What is your priority for the upcoming legislative session?

My priorities for the upcoming legislation would be supporting or writing bills that help cut regulations, funding our law enforcement, restoring rights that have been taken away and supporting our citizens.

Frederick Fogel, Libertarian

What is the biggest issue facing your district and how would you address it?

The biggest issue is money. People just don’t have what they used to have to spend on what they want. The biggest block to this is the government. If the government would just stop saying what people can and can not do (because of their rules and regulations) the people would be able to spend on things that suited them.

How would you address the housing crisis that is leaving many people homeless due to the high rental rates and unaffordable homes?

The biggest roadblock to affordable housing is the government. All they can seem to do is block moms and pops from renting their houses short-term to make a few bucks. Get out of the face of the developers and they will build affordable housing. Get out of the face of the owner-occupant, and let them build what they want.

The Food Basket is struggling to collect enough food to meet the need of people struggling to feed their families with the skyrocketing cost of groceries. How would you address the food shortage? And what are the first steps you would take to help make the Big Island food secure?

Again, the government should get out of the farmers’ face. The tax system is counterproductive. No tax on food (and medicine). Encourage agriculture, don’t discourage it with zoning regulations. Feed the hungry with what people donate. That includes pig hunters. Because food is not inspected by the government, it can not be used to feed the poor. What is the end goal? Feed the poor, or feed the government?

Fentanyl is hitting Hawaiʻi Island hard. How would you work with the community to deal with the crisis?

The pushers should be locked up for a long time. If there are no consequences for actions, the actions will prevail. Legalize drugs and provide clean alternatives. Compete with the idiots pushing the crap. Help the people who are addicted.

What action would you advocate for to address climate change at the local level?

The weather is like how you feel every day. The climate is your personality. Humans have about 10% of an effect on the climate at best. To think we can compete with Mother Nature is crazy. Stop trying. Support nuclear power. It is the best clean alternative. Run a line between islands. Let islands like the Big provide clean energy for the rest of the state.

What is your priority for the upcoming legislative session?

My priority is to make the legislature more accountable and visible in their actions. The people should be able to see how politicians vote, where the money comes from and what they do. Right now there is little visibility. We need more, so the people can elect those that support their views. Look at what politicians do, not what they say.

District 4: Includes Kalaoa, Waikōloa, Puako, Waimea, Kawaihae, Hawī, Kapa‘au, Honoka‘a, Pa‘auilo, Laupahoephoe, Papa‘aloa, Hakalau and Honomū

Tim Richards, Democrat

Richards didn’t respond to questions from Big Island Now. However, according to his campaign website, his vision for Hawai‘i Island entails igniting the agriculture industry to power our local economy, developing renewable energy options, updating the island’s infrastructure, responsibly managing and stewarding the land, taking care of the homeless and sparking economic growth.

Nick Tancheff, Republican

What is the biggest issue facing your district and how would you address it?

The high cost of living…as a result of the misuse of taxpayer money, the residents continue to be over-taxed without the benefits of seeing their money being put to good use. The excessive taxation of our residents, the excess government spending resulting in excessive inflation, and the excess cost of fuel and energy is contributing to an inability for people to be able to make enough income to have any level of comfort. This has resulted in increased hopelessness, homelessness, drugs, and crime. 

How would you address the housing crisis that is leaving many people homeless due to the high rental rates and unaffordable homes?

We fully support the Hawai’i Home Ownership Solution. I encourage all people to understand the Hawai’i Home Ownership Solution by visiting https://www.dukeaiona.com/housing
We will go one step further and bring the Hawai’i Home Ownership Solution to all Full Time Workforce in our State. We will buy the land necessary for all the Hawai’i residents that are full time workforce to be able to have truly ‘affordable’ housing that is tied to their level of income. It is the only solution that will actually work.

The Food Basket is struggling to collect enough food to meet the need of people struggling to feed their families with the skyrocketing cost of groceries. How would you address the food shortage? And what are the first steps you would take to help make the Big Island food secure?

In the immediacy of the situation, we will reach out to all of our grocers (Foodland, KTA, Safeway, Costco, Target, Walmart, etc.) Most of our current grocers will donate food that they have in excess. But we need to reach out to them to make sure they understand the immediacy with which they need their food donations. The longer-term solution requires that we help our families to have more time and more money. We should want our families to have more time and more money. This means that we help families that have full-time worker(s) to have ‘affordable’ homes. As full-time workers, we need to reduce their tax burden by spending taxpayer money wisely. We will spend taxpayer money only in the interests of the taxpayers. When our families have more money, they will have more time. With that extra time, they can begin growing more of their own food around their homes. We will invest in educating and encouraging the children in their schools how to grow food for themselves and their families. We will invest in educating and encouraging the families how to grow food for themselves and their families at their homes. We will encourage more of our residents to grow organic food by helping our farmers get the land, water, and fencing they need to successfully produce more food.

Fentanyl is hitting Hawaiʻi Island hard. How would you work with the community to deal with the crisis?

It is very unfortunate that this drug is impacting our children and families. If you want to decrease drugs entering your borders, you have to look at the places that have very few drugs crossing their borders. All of the places in the world that have very low drug problems, the penalties for drug mules, dealers, and users are severe. We will enact the harshest penalties for all crimes, including the crime of distributing fentanyl. We must not only enact. But advertise the harsh penalties. We must let these mules, dealers, and users know that we are watching them and when they are caught their life of freedom is over. We need to consider the death penalty for anyone caught dealing these drugs in our communities. Fentanyl is killing our children and we need the dealers to know their life could end if they are caught dealing these killer drugs in our communities. I can assure you that when these dealers are scared of the consequences of their actions, they will think twice. When they know they are being hunted, they will leave.

What action would you advocate for to address climate change at the local level?

We need to educate people about the harms of using synthetic chemicals. We need to educate people about how to take care of their physical bodies. When we know how to care for our physical bodies, we rely less upon the synthetic substances that harm ourselves and our planet. We need to maintain our coastlines from further development. We need to remove the use of harmful agricultural chemicals from our lands. We need to remove the use of harmful chemicals from inside our oceans and anywhere near our oceans. Ideally, we encourage all people to choose to live sustainable lifestyles which includes living more harmoniously with the earth. The more we educate and encourage holistic living in our communities, the more people will choose to adopt a more holistic lifestyle. We cannot force people to live more sustainable lifestyles which will be better for themselves and the earth. But we can work to ban the chemicals that harm our land, oceans, and people the most. All forms of energy have negative side effects. Politically, we cannot push one form of energy over another because of a political agenda. We need to acknowledge that the chemical-producing companies are harming our planet and begin to ban the worst of them from entering our islands.

What is your priority for the upcoming legislative session?

My number one priority from day one is researching every approved government spending that is hurting taxpayers. I will fight to remove and terminate all unnecessary government spending that does not help the average taxpayers. Once we remove the unnecessary government spending, we need to approve the spending that the taxpayers do need. We need to prioritize the spending for our children to have the best public school system in the nation. In addition, safety in our communities includes TOUGH ON CRIME. We have a lot of work to do. And you, the voter and taxpayer, can count on me to work for you from day one. For full transparency, please visit my website at https://drnick4hawaii.com/