Note: Neighbor Island And Uncontested Races Are Not Profiled
District 51: Lanikai-Waimanalo
Ikaika Anderson
Democrat
Age: 30
Job: Senior legislative assistant; corp. officer, Haliipua Flowers
Past: Waimanalo Health Center board chairman
What qualifies you to be a state representative?
As a husband and father, I have a strong desire to improve our community for your family and mine. As a lifelong District 51 resident, I know our community, the problems we face and the solutions to these problems. My dedication to our community is obvious through my service as president and a member of the Waimanalo Health Center board of directors, where we worked with the most vulnerable of our population. For 10 years I’ve served our community at both the state Legislature and the Honolulu City Council, working towards a brighter future for all of us!
What is one thing you would do in office to improve the local economy?
We need to improve our economy while at the same time protecting our agricultural lands, encouraging self-sustainability and promoting green open space in Hawaii. I plan to work with the district’s farming community to identify and preserve key agricultural lands in our district, which will encourage the growth and viability of the agricultural industry and thus create new jobs, while at the same time promoting sustainability for our people. I envision our efforts in our state House district being used as a model for the entire state.
Do you support convening a Constitutional Convention? Please explain.
As with the Honolulu City Charter amendments proposed by the City Charter Commission in the previous election, any amendments should be voted upon individually if we’re to have a convention. Barring that, a Con Con would ask voters to approve a blanket proposal that may contain provisions they both support and oppose, thus leaving much room for folks to be torn between a variety of issues that they hold dear.
Do you support Oahu’s planned rail-transit system? Please explain.
I believe that traffic-gridlocked Leeward and Central Oahu need a mass transit system that will a) ease traffic congestion and b) move people to their destinations in a timely and cost-effective manner. In order to be successful, the mass transit route must include the airport, Waikiki and the University of Hawaii-Manoa. Most of us agree that a mass transit system is necessary and warranted, but we must ensure that it’s done correctly the first time out. If this issue returns to the Legislature, I’ll engage my community from the beginning to get their thoughts and input into this crucial process
What can the Legislature do to improve Hawaii’s public education?
The current one-size-fits-all approach to public education in Hawaii is clearly not working. Each community is different, and educational tools that are successful in Waimanalo may not necessarily work in Waialae-Kahala. I would advocate for Department of Education policy that encourages parents to get more involved in their children’s education, and for communities to be actively engaged in the direction and learning proposals of their neighborhood schools.
Shawn Christensen
Democrat
Age: 48
Job: Lighting designer/gaffer
Past: IATSE Local 665 legislative liaison at the Capitol since 2002
What qualifies you to be a state representative?
I have the experience and the desire to work with others to make a difference in the lives of the people of my district and for the state.
I have worked and managed people, departments and budgets for the last 20 years in the entertainment industry. I have been responsible for safety and training for numerous projects and television shows. I have volunteered my time and skills to the following organizations: No Hope in Dope, DARE, Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii and the Kailua Basketball Association for the past 15 years. It is because of all these interests and real-world experiences that make me uniquely qualified to represent the people of the 51st District.
What is one thing you would do in office to improve the local economy?
I would work to revise the state tax structure for small business, so as to assist them to become prosperous and help our economy grow.
Do you support convening a Constitutional Convention? Please explain.
I have some concerns about a Con Con which at this time would make me somewhat reluctant to support this. I would however be in favor if some of the following concerns were addressed. My concerns are the cost of the Con Con and making sure every viewpoint is heard and not just those of a few special interest groups. I would also like to make sure that those people chosen to attend the Con Con are selected in a democratic fashion. If we could assure these issues are met then I would be in support of the Con Con.
Do you support Oahu’s planned rail-transit system? Please explain.
I am in support of the transit system, this system would help to relieve the tremendous traffic congestion that many people face on their daily drive into Honolulu. This system would help to cut down on carbon emissions and would help to keep the air we breathe cleaner. The system would also help to control urban growth and confine it to the transit corridor.
What can the Legislature do to improve Hawaii’s public education?
We must continue to find ways to increase the funding and support for the public school system. We must find ways to reduce operating costs and improve the infrastructure for our system. We have to make a conscious decision to provide the funding to help our children succeed, for the youths of our state are the future of our state.
Chris Lee
Democrat
Age: 27
Job: Office manager
Past: Director, Ala Wai Water-shed Association; Breakthroughs for Youth at Risk
What qualifies you to be a state representative?
I was born and raised on the Windward side, and for three years I’ve been working inside the Legislature where I’ve earned a unique understanding of the legislative process. I began working in government and volunteering with local nonprofits to help make Hawaii an easier place to live, but like most of us I struggle with bills and living here keeps getting harder. I’m approaching 30, and it will be my generation that inherits Hawaii’s challenges. It’s important we get young people with fresh ideas and new perspective involved in government to help overcome the problems our veteran politicians have been unable to solve.
What is one thing you would do in office to improve the local economy?
To improve the local economy we need to create stable jobs that can provide for our local families, especially in the volatile service sector hit hard by the recent decline in tourism. We have the farmland and resources to build a productive local agriculture industry on the windward side that will provide stable jobs in hard times like these. I will push for new agricultural training programs in our community colleges to help create opportunities for careers in small farming and agriculture, and I will work for incentives to make it financially feasible and easy to get these small businesses off the ground.
Do you support convening a Constitutional Convention? Please explain.
I believe we should be extremely cautious about tampering with the framework of our society. Special interests both left and right have been eager to use such opportunities to their benefit, and we need to be sure that we can protect the rights written into the Constitution by our forefathers. Hawaii has serious challenges that need to be overcome, but I’m not sure we need to unravel the Constitution to address them.
Do you support Oahu’s planned rail-transit system? Please explain.
I believe that Oahu residents who are paying for rail should be able to vote on it. Rail is the largest and most expensive public works project in the state’s history, and with so many unanswered questions and billions at stake, everyone deserves to have a say.
What can the Legislature do to improve Hawaii’s public education?
A quality education is the most important thing the state can provide to our next generation. The Legislature needs to ensure that every school receives adequate resources and funding. We need to give our students individual attention by reducing class sizes and giving teachers the flexibility to teach each student, rather than each class. Every student learns differently, and the best thing the Legislature can do for our keiki is allow them to be taught differently. Trying to meet “one-size-fits-all” standards teaches students how to take a test, but it doesn’t teach them how to learn.
Quentin K. Kawananakoa
Republican
Age: 46
Job: Attorney
Past: Raising my two sons in Kailua
What qualifies you to be a state representative?
I was first elected to the state House in 1994 and served for four years. Since then I have been involved in the business community while raising a family. My political, business and life experiences make me qualified to return to the state House.
What is one thing you would do in office to improve the local economy?
In my district there are many businesses in the agricultural industry. I would work with these businesses to support their efforts and help them to make it easier for them to provide whole fresh foods four our children and families.
Do you support convening a Constitutional Convention? Please explain.
If majority of the people vote for a convention, as I will, I would like to work in developing a convention that will put the people’s need, not the special interests’ need, first.
Do you support Oahu’s planned rail-transit system ? Please explain.
Ten years ago while serving in the Legislature I advocated for a toll system and had we voted for it then, we would have paid for the system by now. In fact, the private sector would have paid for most of it. I support a mass transit system and would like the people to decide what form it should take.
What can the Legislature do to improve Hawaii’s public education?
Give principals the decision-making on 90 percent of their budget. True decision-making with no interference from the BOE or DOE. Put principals on a performance-based system and pay them for their successes.
