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Honolulu
City CouncilDistrict 7
Kalihi, Moanalua, Salt Lake, Pearl Harbor
*Denotes incumbent
Romy Cachola
NONPARTISAN
Age: 62
Job: Full-time lawmaker
Years here: 30What are the unique qualifications you bring to this job?
Experience, plus being effective, caring and independent.
What are the top three issues facing Honolulu (from most pressing to least)?
Traffic, crime/public safety and maintaining essential infrastructure.
What type of mass transit system should Honolulu have?
I'll support any form of mass transit that will ease up traffic.
Under what conditions would you raise taxes or user fees?
First, control spending so there is no need to raise taxes. I would consider a tax increase only for mass transit and only if citizens will support a tax increase.
Dennis Nakasato
NONPARTISAN
Age: 53
Job: Flight attendant
Years here: 53What are the unique qualifications you bring to this job?
Experienced lawmaker with six years as a state representative and eight years as a state senator. Also, highly traveled through my airline job, having seen/experienced many places worldwide.
What are the top three issues facing Honolulu (from most pressing to least)?
Heavy traffic at all times, especially weekdays. Overcrowding of public facilities. Crime.
What type of mass transit system should Honolulu have?
We need a fixed-rail system of some kind with extensive feeder routes. It needs to be convenient in order for people to ride it.
Under what conditions would you raise taxes or user fees?
Raise taxes? Never. User fees? Depends on what it is for and how much.
Steve Tataii
NONPARTISAN
Age: 49
Job: Out of work conflict resolution teacher
Years here: 24What are the unique qualifications you bring to this job?
I have gifted problem-solving skills. Never served in office, but have accomplished much more than career politicians for my Hawaii community.
What are the top three issues facing Honolulu (from most pressing to least)?
1) High costs of living. 2) Traffic. 3) Lack of equal employment opportunity.
What type of mass transit system should Honolulu have?
The existing progress in bus system; slow rail to Waipahu, and safe bicycle lanes.
Under what conditions would you raise taxes or user fees?
Under no condition. I'll try to balance the budgets and create government accountability.
District 8
Halawa, Aiea, Pearl City, Waipahu
Carlota Ader
NONPARTISAN
Age: No age
Job: Medical technologist
Years here: 31What are the unique qualifications you bring to this job?
I have had extensive experience as an independent entrepreneur in every facet of business for many years as a laboratory consultant, a media person, a PR in sales, as a notary public and a medical personnel. I can bring fresh perspective in the City Council, and I believe government can benefit from the experiences in the field of my specialities, as I'm coming from both public and private sector.
What are the top three issues facing Honolulu (from most pressing to least)?
a) Economy. I strongly support the ongoing projects and the new developments like that of Waikiki. b) Crime. Although it's down from the previous years, we need to have tougher laws and be able to implement them. We should not deviate from it so it would work. c) Education. Reduce 20-to-1 ratio in class size. They should include every sp-ed children as one count regardless of his status.
What type of mass transit system should Honolulu have?
Right now, we don't need one. We should continue to utilize what we have, but we need more express buses. We should support the hub-and-spoke system. We need more feeder or small buses to meet a turnaround time between 10 to 15 minutes to transport passengers to designated bus stations and more express buses to take them to their destinations.
Under what conditions would you raise taxes or user fees?
None. It should remain as is. You and I cannot afford to pay for another tax increase, so in my vision, this matter is not even something to discuss.
Ligaya Dela Cruz
NONPARTISANWhat are the unique qualifications you bring to this job?
Did not respond.
What are the top three issues facing Honolulu (from most pressing to least)?
Did not respond.
What type of mass transit system should Honolulu have?
Did not respond.
Under what conditions would you raise taxes or user fees?
Did nor respond.
Richard Nono
NONPARTISAN
Age: 33
Job: Internet-based retail business/former aide to Mufi Hannemann
Years here: 33What are the unique qualifications you bring to this job?
I am the only candidate who has done this job (six years at City Council and served on neighborhood board for three terms), responded to constituents' concerns from Aiea, Pearl City and Waipahu, knowledgeable of the nuts and bolts of city and worked with the community and its leaders.
What are the top three issues facing Honolulu (from most pressing to least)?
a) Family first: Remove adult industries from major thoroughfares, increase security in the home and on the streets, and improve city parks and services. b) City resource management: better planning, budgeting, and managing of city projects and services. c) Transportation: Plan routes and implement technology appropriate for the community.
What type of mass transit system should Honolulu have?
I would build on the current mass transit system using proven solutions, such as Bus Rapid Transit System, and dedicate/expand the Zipper Lane.
Under what conditions would you raise taxes or user fees?
I oppose raising taxes or user fees; however, if the issue is raised, I would examine the public's needs, eliminate waste and inefficiencies, and exhaust every other possible option.
Gary Okino
NONPARTISAN
Age: 58
Job: Retired city planner/ chief of the Department of Planning and Permitting
Years here: 58What are the unique qualifications you bring to this job?
With over 33 years of experience with the city, I have intimate knowledge of all aspects of city government. I have dealt directly with the City Council on many major issues for the past 20 years. I am very active in the community and have secured major public projects for the community.
What are the top three issues facing Honolulu (from most pressing to least)?
Economy, education and crime. Since education is a state issue, the top three issues for city government are: the economy, crime and traffic. I am now addressing these issues through some of the public projects that I have brought to the community.
What type of mass transit system should Honolulu have?
Mass transit that is "grade-separated" (fixed rail) will be the only way to address Honolulu's future traffic congestion problems. It can provide significant capacity on an "as-needed" basis. It would not remove existing highway travel lanes and would not mix with and affect highway traffic.
Under what conditions would you raise taxes or user fees?
If it is fiscally and economically feasible, I would support raising taxes to build a mass transit system, to subsidize the bus system, and to increase and improve the city's public safety functions. I would support raising user fees to improve the city's park maintenance functions.
Richard Rowland
NONPARTISAN
Age: 70
Job: Financial representative for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Years here: 29What are the unique qualifications you bring to this job?
Current chairman Hawaii Small Business Coalition for Legislative Action; board of directors Small Business Hawaii and Aiea-Pearl City Business Association; former member Aiea Neighborhood Board. Past president Hawaii Society of Financial Service Professionals; Small Business Person of the Year 1998; colonel U.S. Army retired. B.S. from Texas A&M University; M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College.
What are the top three issues facing Honolulu (from most pressing to least)?
a) A City Council and mayor that do not understand the importance of a thriving business community, how to encourage one or how not to discourage one. b) A "rubber stamp" City Council that is ignoring oversight responsibilities. c) A bunch of city laws on the books which are dysfunctional, unenforceable, not enforced, capriciously enforced or contradictory in nature.
What type of mass transit system should Honolulu have?
Honolulu would be best served by finding a way to introduce competition and entrepreneurship into our entire system. Laws must be restructured to encourage privately owned services in and out of residential areas. The bus needs some competition.
Under what conditions would you raise taxes or user fees?
There are no conditions under which I would vote to raise taxes. City government as it is today must be cut drastically. Competition must be introduced everywhere possible. User fees are sometimes a great idea if combined with equivalent tax cuts. Otherwise, no.
