Government Efficiency
As I mentioned in another part of this website, friends and neighbors often share with me that they feel over-taxed and under-represented. What they are really telling me is, that taxpayers do not feel they are receiving much in return for the taxes they pay. Taxpayers have been feeling this way for a long time.
Although I may be young in age, I am not trapped in the old ways of doing business. The city council must bring much needed change to the city government, how it operates and how it provides services. As a young leader to city government, I bring the fresh perspective needed to re-evaluate and change policies & procedures of the past, in an effort to make government more efficient for taxpayers.
A successful and thriving future for O'ahu requires modernization and streamlining of the city government.
Sustainability
As a life-long Hawaii citizen, I am concerned about our collective ability to be a sustainable community. Energy plays a big role in our sustainability. Our current reliance on fossil fuels, as many of us know, is not sustainable. We should have moved to greater usage of renewable energy years ago.
We cannot change what we failed to do before. But, we must make sure that we have a plan of action, with specific mile-stones for progress. As a city and county government, we need to do more to promote both the production and usage of cleaner and renewable energy. As an island society in the Pacific Ocean, we are well-poised to utilize solar energy, wave energy and in a few parts of our state, wind energy.
As a city council member, I will be a strong advocate for policies that transition us from our current reliance on oil to greater oil independence.
