ALAKA`I -- LEADERSHIP

The Hawaiians have a word for one who leads, Ka Ho’okele, a navigator and leader.  As Mayor, I believe that is my primary role and responsibility to ensure that the City and County of Honolulu serves all the residents of Oahu.  I would be honored to lead you in this way.

I will manage your tax dollars and the trust you have placed in me by applying this process:

Hoʻolono – listen to you;
Pane – answer and respond to your concerns;
Hoʻopololei – fix or correct the problem within our means.

KŪKĀKŪKĀ  – OPEN DISCUSSIONS

I will schedule regular community meetings and “Straight Talk with the Mayor” sessions to hear your issues and concerns.  My management team will be on hand to provide answers or follow up. 

JOB GROWTH, ECONOMIC RECOVERY

• Job growth and economic recovery is my number one priority.  For every dollar spent outside of the City and County’s payroll, I will ask the question:  how does this promote job development and economic recovery for the residents of Oahu?
• Oahu’s economy is poised for recovery over the next few years.  I plan to expedite and push through as many public works projects for which funds have already been approved in order to jump start the economic recovery.  This means millions of dollars will be infused into Oahu’s economy, which in turn translates to hundreds of jobs for Oahu’s families.
• As Managing Director, I helped to expedite $150 million road in repaving by the end of the year.  I will continue to push this through in order to create more jobs for Oahu residents.
• The construction of Oahu’s rail system is a guarantee for long term job growth and will provide a base for further economic development around transit hubs.  I will move the rail project forward and work collaboratively with other government offices to cut through the bureaucratic red tape that may slow it down.
• Tourism continues to be a foundation of Oahu’s economy.  I would like to partner our high tech industry with our core economic driver, tourism.  For years, Hawaii has attempted to boost economic development in high tech industries, concentrating in energy production, biotech and biosciences.  We have had limited success in these areas.  But, often when some of these high tech businesses reach the stage of production and manufacturing, these companies  move out of Hawaii.  A partnership between high tech and tourism will ensure that new ventures remain in Hawaii for the long term.  I want to find ways to use our hospitality industry to pilot projects in high tech development.  This can range from computer software for hotel registration to food management, to providing innovative tourist attractions, to communication links that allow tourists to work and play at the same time.  I will work with the Hawaii Tourism Authority, stakeholders in Waikiki, and private sector entrepreneurs to explore partnerships between our tourism and high tech industries.
• Oahu continues to thrive on the financial benefits resulting from military spending and defense contracts.  I want to cultivate expansion of businesses linked between our high tech industry and the military.  The prospects of coupling Oahu’s defense needs with high tech are unlimited.  More importantly, these types of enterprises will be a long term investment in Oahu, not just a short term start up venture.
• Revitalization of Oahu’s legacy communities as a means of economic growth is a priority for me.  While urban Honolulu is the economic hub of Oahu, and transit oriented economic growth will affect Central Oahu and the urban core, I will not forget the importance of our legacy communities, such as Waipahu, Wahiawa, Kaimuki, Haleiwa, Waialua, Kahuku, and Chinatown.  These communities are an integral part of our heritage and culture.  I want to stimulate small business development in these communities sufficient to support its residents, attract tourists, and promote its historical value to Hawaii.  
• I will use the office of Mayor to promote investment into Oahu’s industries, agriculture and attractions.  This ranges from marketing Oahu sites to the film industry and for conventions to sponsoring “buy local” events to support our cottage industries and agricultural businesses.

TRANSPARENCY AND EFFICIENCY IN GOVERNMENT

• As more Oahu residents have access to computers and the internet, I will promote more transparency in city government.  This will include live video streaming of press conferences, commission meetings and major meetings, greater access online to information about public contracts awarded and the procurement process, and increased online services.
• Ethics and conflicts of interest complaints will be taken very seriously.  I will have a no tolerance rule toward ethics violations and inadequate disclosure of conflicts of interests.  While respecting privacy rights of employees, I will expand public access to information about mandatory disclosures of gifts and conflicts of interests, and findings and recommendations of the Ethics Commission
• Efficiency and timely approval of permits will be a priority of my administration.  I will designate an “expediter” who will be responsible for moving permits through the process for projects which meet certain criteria and pursuant to an expedited process.  I will appoint a task force of stakeholders to present recommendations to improve and streamline the process, including proposals for legislation in the first year of my administration.  As part of the expedited process, I would like to see increased communication between developers and the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), such as weekly meetings, to immediately focus on problems and solutions, so that the approval process runs more efficiently and all the parties know what next steps need to be done in order to move the approval process toward completion.  Finally, I want to establish a complete online system for tracking all permit applications, regular updates on the status of the permit application, and approval target dates – this will be a transparent and convenient method for applicants to plan their projects, identify where the project may be stalled and provide departmental accountability to our customers. 

INFRASTRUCTURE

• I will not overlook the need for clean and safe drinking water, garbage and waste disposal systems, and sewage and waste water disposal systems.  These are the “basics” for our communities and will be maintained at the highest levels.  In addition, I will work to ensure that the City has a plan to restore these “basics” should disruptions occur due to power loss, weather conditions, and other emergency situations.
• Keeping our citizens safe and secure with sufficient police, fire, and emergency medical responders is one of my main concerns.  As economic stresses affect our communities, resulting in an increase in property theft and domestic violence, and as the plight of homeless expands into more rural areas of Oahu, it is critical that these services become more community based.

WORKFORCE HOUSING

• Appoint a “Workforce Housing” Coordinator to head up a new unit dedicated to work with private developers to build affordable rental and for purchase housing on Oahu, expedite the permit and planning process for affordable housing projects, and find financial resources to assist private developers.  The “Workforce Housing” Coordinator will be charged with the following tasks:
  • Create a working group to make recommendations on how best to spend the approximately $20 million allocated by City Charter for affordable housing.
  • Explore tax and other incentives to promote private development of affordable housing, including ohana units in private residences, zoning variances, property tax credits.
  • Develop a process with the Department of Planning and Permitting to expedite approvals, and cut down the wait time.
• I am very concerned about the number of foreclosures affecting Oahu homeowners.  I will work with developers, lenders, and nonprofit entities to return foreclosed properties back into the marketplace to maintain property values and find ways to convert appropriate properties into affordable housing.
• Create a workforce housing fund to provide incentives to private developers to build workforce housing and low income rental housing.  I want to explore sale of City-owned low and moderate income properties to private entities under a community land trust model to maintain the property as affordable housing in order to create the workforce housing fund.

HOMELESSNESS

• As managing director, I spearheaded finding a solution to combat the homelessness problem.  I will appoint a “Housing First” Coordinator to work with providers to implement the Housing First model and move the homeless directly into permanent housing within the next three years. 
• As a transition to implementation of the Housing First model, I want to create Safe Zones with temporary shelters on City owned land.  These safe zones will have sanitation and laundry facilities, trash pickup, storage facilities, and provide a safe area for those temporarily homeless. 

TRAFFIC

• Traffic congestion is ruining our quality of life.  Families spend more time on the road than they do eating, playing and talking together.  I support the development of rail, but we also need short-term solutions that ease our commutes now. 
• I want to explore more spoke-and-wheel systems so that people will find it desirable to take public transportation even if they don’t live close to a major bus route.  This involves smaller, neighborhood bus systems that feed into the main system.  This is especially plausible for areas of central Oahu where traffic congestion is critical.
• When gas prices soar, we’ve seen people change their driving habits.  Public transportation needs to be made easier, cheaper, safer, dependable, and the smarter choice.
• In anticipation of rail, let’s start planning for what is called “transit-oriented development” (TOD).  TOD includes establishing businesses, shops, restaurants, and residences close to transit stops.  It eliminates the need for people to own cars for daily use, and all the expenses associated with cars.

PROPERTY TAX

• Property Tax is a major component of the City and County’s revenue.  Some point to the fact that ours is relatively low compared to other parts of the country, but that’s because property tax in other places is often the revenue used to fund public education.  I think we need to consider what’s reasonable and fair given Oahu’s needs and services.   I am sensitive to property tax levels in the context of the cost of living in Hawaii, and I will always seek more creative ways to raise revenue, tap into federal funding, spend wisely and look for ways to cut fat from city government before raising taxes.

URBAN GROWTH AND PLANNING

• I have always had a keen interest in urban planning.  Our General Plan is due for a major update in the next year.  I believe that proper planning improves traffic flow and affects how people live, work and play.  We live on an island, and growth must not go unchecked. 
• There is a buzzword that planners use – smart growth.  We can’t ignore that Honolulu has become a major city in the United States, and that growth throughout Oahu is important to our future.  But, it must be the right kind of growth, it must reflect our local sense of place, and be respectful to our many ethnic cultures.
• Smart growth in my administration will include more walking and bicycle paths, and will go hand-in-hand with our transportation planning.  It will include transit-oriented development.  It will explore re-investment in our older, urban neighborhoods and a commitment to open space.  Smart growth will also include the integration of mixed-use development, such as housing, retail, parking, schools and parks.
• I love our island home.  Oahu combines the natural beauty in our rural and preservation areas, the small legacy towns and communities, the posh resorts in prime beach areas, and the edginess and energy of a major urban city.  I will approach urban growth to revitalize and preserve what others love about living on Oahu too.