Amy Monk

Democrat

Age: 55

Job: Retired foreign service officer

Past: Public service in management, diplomacy, immigration rights

What is the most important issue facing your district, and what would you do about it?

The community is most concerned about excess development spoiling the remaining natural areas of East Oahu, squeezing out the few remaining farmers, and adding to congestion. I'll fight hard to save the Ka Iwi coast and Kamiloiki Valley, and preserve the quality of life in our neighborhoods. I'm determined also to help our schools get what they need, keep our streets safe, improve traffic flow and enhance recreation opportunities. 

What qualifies you to be a state representative?

  The residents of Hawaii Kai and Kalama Valley deserve the best representation possible, someone who can work with the Legislature to get the kind of state support and resources our community deserves. I am not a career politician, nor plan to be. I have been a public servant and feel that I can contribute more good years to the improvement of my community. This year there is a real sense of political change and optimism. I'd like to be a part of that unity of purpose. I hope my community will join me. 

What is one thing you would do in office to improve the local economy?

As a retiree with family on Oahu and neighbor islands, I'm acutely aware of the difficulties we all face in today's economy. I support local agriculture both to encourage the local economy and to improve our food security. The same with locally manufactured products which employ our neighbors and keep Hawaii's dollars in Hawaii. For the long term, I also support knowledge-based industries and sustainable energy alternatives that can offer good jobs and diversify our economy, while helping our environment.

Do you support convening a Constitutional Convention? Please explain.

I'm not afraid to say I don't know the answer to this. A convention would be an expensive undertaking when the state's finances are under pressure. It is possible to amend the constitution without a convention. So I would want to know what changes we need that we could not make by amendment, to justify the cost of a full blown Constitutional Convention. 

Do you support Oahu's planned rail-transit system? Please explain.

I support mass transit. The good news is voters will get to decide what kind of mass transit we will have. What affects one part of our island community eventually affects us all. The Ewa side is where land is available for development, and to support that development we need mass transit. People need an alternative to sitting in gridlock. Those who still drive will benefit from less congested roads, thanks to those who choose to use mass transit. Transit-related development will help relieve the population and development pressures in East Honolulu and the Windward side. Mass transit will take years, so let's get on with it. 

What can the Legislature do to improve Hawaii's public education?

I am a product mainly of local public schools: I graduated from McKinley High School and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Quality public schools are vital for our future. We need to let teachers focus of teaching, give them the necessary tools to teach and reward them accordingly. We entrust the community's most precious resource, the children, to teachers for a dozen or more years and yet we don't trust them with the keys to the supply closet. It's no wonder that 10 percent of our teachers quit every year.   

Gene Ward

Republican

Age: 65

Job: State representative, small business owner

Past: Peace Corps volunteer, Vietnam veteran; see www. gene-ward.com

What is the most important issue facing your district, and what would you do about it?

The big spoiler of Hawaii Kai is overdevelopment, high densities, traffic congestion and a strained infrastructure. I am strongly opposed to cabins on Ka Iwi and any hint of our community becoming an over-night tourist destination. Kamilo Nui Valley is a sanctuary for our farmers and should be kept that way and not become a housing subdivision as some envisage. I will fight to preserve Maunalua Bay, our hiking trail to Koko Crater (without a commercial tramway), ensure the pristine Ka Iwi Shoreline is protected, and that trails to Makapuu Lighthouse remain open ...

What qualifies you to be a state representative?

I have had the honor to serve the people of East Honolulu as their representative in the Legislature for 10 years. I know the people and the problems facing my district and have worked together with the community to solve many of our problems, including the Kalanianaole Highway widening project, restoration of 24-hour ambulance service, keeping cabins off of Ka Iwi, keeping our hiking trails open, and our boat ramps at Maunalua Bay maintained and safe for canoers, boaters, fishermen and scuba divers. I first served on the neighborhood board and now work directly with the Governor's Office and her departments on our community's problems. 

What is one thing you would do in office to improve the local economy?

What is most immediate and doable to improve the economy for everybody is to halt the out-of-control cost of living increases we've experienced. In just five years (2002-2007), the cost of living grew a whopping 89 percent! Wages grew only 20 percent. With gas prices now reaching record highs, being able to afford to live and drive in Hawaii is going to put a lot of pressure on Hawaii's struggling families. I will fight against any and all tax and especially fee increases to help our families make ends meet. I would also like to incentivize local small businesses, to grow and hire more workers with higher-paying jobs

Do you support convening a Constitutional Convention? Please explain.

Yes, definitely. The people of Hawaii want to be heard on important issues affecting our community, for example the present clarion call for a vote on rail transit. Issues such as term limits, home rule and other important matters that have not been dealt with by the Legislature are a natural for a Constitutional Convention. I believe that democracy is vital to the governance of this state, and a Con Con is a shot in the arm for democracy. I can think of no reason not to have one except for those who fear change and who depend on the status quo for their success. 

Do you support Oahu's planned rail-transit system? Please explain.

Yes, I believe we need mass transit on Oahu but one that is the right technology and at the right price we can afford as well as maintain in the long run. This may or may not mean steel on steel. A fixed-transit line would bring rigor and discipline in future growth corridors, but I believe it is essential that this system go to the University of Hawaii, Waikiki as well as the Honolulu Airport. Because of the size of this project, I strongly believe it needs to get “;buy in”; from voters in the November election before the City and County proceeds. 

What can the Legislature do to improve Hawaii's public education?

First, I believe we need to preserve our smaller schools rather than close them and continue to decrease class size in all schools. Secondly, I believe we should boost teachers' pay and increase our respect for the profession. Thirdly, I believe the Legislature needs to treat the new charter schools fairly and equally and not under-fund these fine experiments as alternatives to traditional public schools. Lastly, the Legislature needs to direct some of the $2.5 billion in the DOE budget to go directly to the classrooms rather than the rather large DOE bureaucracy, and continue to set monitoring and accountability standards to answer to taxpayers.