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Editor’s note: For Hawaii’s Nov. 5 General Election, Civil Beat asked candidates to answer some questions about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following came from Margaret Uy Lim, Republican candidate for State House District 27, which covers Pacific Heights, Nuuanu and Liliha. Her opponent is Democrat Jenna Takenouchi.

Go to Civil Beat’s Election Guide for general information, and check out other candidates on the General Election Ballot.

1. What is the biggest issue facing your district, and what would you do about it?

Safety is the biggest issue in our district.

After speaking with many residents, I know that people in my community want to feel safe. They want to feel safe from fast cars speeding down the roads or in blind spots, safe from home invasions and other crimes, safe from business thefts. They want safe, clean public parks and recreational areas for their children and families to enjoy. They want their children to be safe from drugs and other vices at school and on the streets. They also want to feel economically safe, and for their children and grandchildren as well.

I will promote safe roads by advocating for better road signage. I will protect the safety of our homes and property by working closely with law enforcement, local organizations and churches in my district to collaborate on solutions to address resident safety concerns. I will advocate for increased funding and government attention on cleaning and maintaining our public parks and environment. I will work with parents, teachers and school staff, and law enforcement to keep our school areas safe. I will also advocate for state tax credits for individuals who work more than one job.

2. How do you feel about the massive income tax cut just approved by the Legislature and the governor? Do you have any concerns that it will force reductions in state services in the years to come?

I am very pleased with it.

There is definitely a concern about that; however, a responsible, transparent and accountable spending of taxpayers’ money is what we need to offset that tax cut and to ensure vital and meaningful services and programs may continue.

3. Hawaii continues to struggle with pay-to-play politics and corruption in government. What meaningful reforms do you think would change state government for the better? 

 We need to prohibit all donations to any government officials or legislators.

4. Candidates often say they will support reform proposals in the Legislature. And yet major reform proposals don’t pass. Will you back good-government proposals even if it means going against leadership? 

Definitely. I will lead by example and show my constituents that I listen to we, the people are who I serve, not any party or government officials.

5. Do you support comprehensive public financing of elections for candidates who choose to participate? Why or why not?

With proper rules and regulations in place, I support comprehensive public financing of elections for candidates to avoid candidates receiving private donations and pay-to-play politics.

6. Hawaii is the only Western state without a statewide citizens initiative process. Do you support such a process? Why or why not?

I support statewide citizens initiative because it gives the power back to the people when a critical issue is being addressed. It protects us from government overreach.

7. Thanks to their campaign war chests and name familiarity, incumbents are almost always reelected in Hawaii legislative races. Should there be term limits for state legislators, as there are for the governor’s office and county councils? Why or why not?

Yes. There should be term limits for state legislators because it gives more opportunities for other qualified candidates to serve in our Legislature.

However, I am open to making an exception for an extraordinary legislator to be reelected with a minimum of 75% of the vote.

8. What will you do to ensure accountability at the Legislature? Do you support ideas such as requiring the Sunshine Law to apply to the Legislature or banning campaign contributions during session?

All donations to government officials and legislators must be prohibited or limited to $25 to $50 per donor, including campaign contributions in session or out of session.

9. How would you make the Legislature more transparent and accessible to the public? Opening conference committees to the public? Stricter disclosure requirements on lobbying and lobbyists? How could the Legislature change its own internal rules to be more open?

With the huge numbers of bills being proposed each year, it is quite challenging to create public awareness and education. Therefore I propose requiring legislators to state in layman’s language each bill being proposed.

They then need to collect a certain number of votes from constituents in their own district before they can propose or reject any bill. This will improve transparency and accountability in our government and increase public interest in the legislative process.

10. Many people have talked about diversifying the local economy for many years now, and yet Hawaii is still heavily reliant on tourism. What, if anything, should be done differently about tourism and the economy?

Our state should focus on promoting medical tourism. A person traveling to get medical care will likely spend money not only on the medical care, but also on medical devices, long-term accommodation, travel assistance, insurance and financing, food and leisure activities. This all translates to more lucrative jobs in various industries for the people of Hawaii.

Having a growing medical tourism industry would also help our state attract more doctors and health care personnel (which our state has a severe shortage of). A strong medical industry would also likely lead to better funding for schools and better-paying jobs for graduates (which would help alleviate the brain drain).

The state should also focus on promoting the entertainment industry, particularly the film industry. The film industry has the potential to provide many well-paying jobs for local residents. Hawaii’s natural beauty makes it a preferred spot to film movies. Having a thriving film and entertainment industry would also lead to more technological investments in our state.

Being reliant on tourism is not necessarily bad. When managed and diversified properly, tourism can be a catalyst for socio-economic growth resulting in increased quality of life and income for the people of Hawaii.

11. An estimated 60% of Hawaii residents are struggling to get by, a problem that reaches far beyond low-income and into the middle class, which is disappearing. What ideas do you have to help the middle class and working families who are finding it hard to continue to live here?

I would advocate for tax credits for individuals who work more than one job and/or over 40 hours a week. This would increase the income of a lot of people and strengthen our work force; hence alleviating the struggles many businesses are facing with staffing shortages.

Being unable to own a home drives many people to move to Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Alaska and other states where home ownership is relatively more attainable; therefore offering a 20% down payment assistance program with 0% APR for qualified and deserving buyers will help keep our local residents from moving away.