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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��Micah Aiu, Democratic candidate for State House District 32, which covers Fort Shafter, Moanalua, Aliamanu, Foster Village and portions of Aiea and Halawa.��His opponent is Republican Garner Shimizu.

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?

When asked this question two years ago, I said that clean water and ensuring that the Navy quickly and safely decommissioned the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility was the biggest issue facing our district. I was honored to be appointed to the House Special Committee on Red Hill. As of March 6, 2024, Joint Task Force-Red Hill safely removed over 100 million gallons of fuel from the facility roughly six months ahead of schedule.

While protecting our aquifer will be a constant concern, many in my district see the high cost of living in Hawaii as the most pressing issue. Families feel this everywhere, from the gas pump to the grocery store, health care and insurance costs and from mortgage/rent payments to taxes.

To address this, the Legislature approved the largest income tax cut in state history. Hawaii is going from one of the highest income tax states in the nation to one of the lowest. This is just the first step.

While new legislators hardly ever get bills passed, I am really proud of my work on SB 2600, which passed this year. This simple bill will save condo associations hundreds if not thousands on postage costs by not needing to mail out these documents.

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?

As a member of the House Finance Committee, I am really proud of the work that we accomplished with the income tax cut. This is a huge win for all residents in the state. I hope that these changes will be able to keep more local families in Hawaii.

The impacts of the tax cuts on the state’s budget are a legitimate concern. I will continue to be a watchdog for unnecessary state spending and ensure our government operates efficiently and effectively.

I am confident that the state will still be able to provide the same level of services with the reduction of revenues from income taxes.

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?

The Legislature adopted many of the proposals put forward by the Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct. While I think the state is on the right track, there is always more that can be done.

For the proposals that have not yet passed, it is important to continue having discussions on these ideas to see if we can work through any issues.

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? If you are an incumbent, can you point to an example of a reform that you supported?

It is easy to say in concept that “I support government reform.” However, when bills are drafted, often the statutory language is unclear or it creates unintended consequences, worse than the problem it was trying to fix.

Ensuring that the law is clear is critically important and it takes time to build consensus.

I have generally supported all of the government reform proposals that have come to the house floor for a vote. I have never been pressured by leadership to vote a certain way on any issue.

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

There are many legislators that support public funding of elections or have answered in support to this question but have never even used the partial public funding option that we already have in the state. I have. I can tell you that there are a lot of hoops to jump through and maybe more trouble than it’s worth.

I am hesitant to support a comprehensive public financing not only because of concerns with its implementation and how it will work but also because taxpayer funds should be used to fund core government functions. 

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

I do not support such a process. Any citizens initiative process would only raise concerns of tyranny of the majority. A system in which the majority pursues exclusively its own objectives at the expense of those in the minority.

In a state where less than 50% of the registered voters turn out to vote, that “majority” would have even more power. Furthermore, there are no safeguards to prevent those same special interest groups that already lobby lawmakers from pushing their own political interests on the larger public. 

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?

 I do not support term limits. I believe the only thing term limits achieve is disqualifying otherwise better qualified and experienced candidates from running.

Although I am a new legislator, I appreciate that some of my more senior colleagues have knowledge of things that have or haven’t worked in the past. That way we don’t have to make the same mistakes the prior generation made.

Candidates should be elected based on their platform, not how long they have already served. Instead, I support getting more Hawaii residents involved in the election process and encouraging more people to go out and 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?

The Legislature has already banned campaign contributions during session.

Additionally, the Legislature has made official proceedings even more accessible to the public by making hearings and testimonies available on Zoom and hearings being livestreamed and accessible on YouTube. All hearings should continue to be available both electronically and in person, and the hearings should be made available after for viewing later. 

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?

I would support the Legislature doing away with voting “aye, with reservations” on final reading bills. While allowing voting “aye, with reservations” is useful in keeping a bill alive in committee or on second reading while revisions of the bill can still be done, the Legislature is a place where people are supposed to make a decision, yes or no.  An “aye, with reservations” vote allows legislators to virtue-signal or go along just to get along with others, even though there are technical or practical issues with the bill. 

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?

Hawaii is a tourist destination. While I believe that we should continue to embrace that, we can at the same time ensure that our natural resources are protected while ensuring our residents still have access to these resources.

 Additionally, supporting tourism while also diversifying our economy is not mutually exclusive. I support initiatives to make Hawaii more self-sufficient by boosting our agriculture and utilities industries.

The government should make it easier for businesses to invest in the state by eliminating tedious regulatory hurdles.

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?

The aforementioned tax cuts are only one way the Legislature is working to help Hawaii’s working families.

Housing continues to be a significant driver of the high costs in our state and as the vice chair of the House Housing Committee, we are trying to eliminate regulatory costs that only gets passed on to the consumer, thereby driving up the cost of housing.

The state can also leverage the land it already owns to be utilized for housing.

 Teacher housing on school campuses is one initiative that has been in the works. This would allow us to provide attractive benefits to retain workers without necessarily increasing salaries. The only way to address the cost of living is by taking a comprehensive approach to all of these cost drivers.