Colleen Meyer

Republican

Age: 69

Job: Realtor for 30 years and currently manager of 40 properties

Past: Active participant, Koolauloa and Koolaupoko

What is the most important issue facing your district, and what would you do about it?
The most important thing is the escalating cost of living. In the last five years, gasoline, electricity, property taxes have increased over 80 percent. We need to remove the 4.5 percent excise tax from food and medical services and increase the standard deduction to the same level as the federal government, which would keep lower-income families from paying state income taxes. I have fought for lower and fairer tax rates and other measures to reduce the cost of living on all Hawaii's citizens and will continue to do so.

What qualifies you to be a state representative?
My experiences as a successful businesswoman, wife and mother coupled with invaluable knowledge of the legislative process gained during my 14 years serving as the state representative to my diverse constituency. I am a U.S. citizen and a lifelong resident of the state of Hawaii.

What is one thing you would do in office to improve the local economy?
We need to pass a bill to accommodate smokers in our society. Bar owners are willing to pay an additional license fee to operate smoking establishments. Hotels could build smoking rooms to accommodate their smoking guests. Signage would be required to protect nonsmokers, but smokers would no longer be treated as pariahs. The visitor industry has been hurt from the total smoking ban as well as nightclub and bar owners.

Do you support convening a Constitutional Convention? Please explain.
Yes. It has been 30 years since we had one. There have been many constitutional amendments introduced since 1978, and 30 have passed. That shows that there is a need to review the Constitution. No matter what your position is with regard to any specific issue that may arise, there are numerous areas covered, or not, by the Constitution that require examination given the changes we have experienced over this 30-year period.

Do you support Oahu’s planned rail-transit system? Please explain.
No. Our biggest problem is traffic congestion and according to the mayor’s consultants the rail will not alleviate that. Hawaii’s rail project is not light rail, like Portland, Phoenix and San Diego’s that are built at grade level. Our project will be elevated, with 20 stops and parking lots; many properties will be taken by eminent domain. The average Honolulu family will pay $4,500 to build it, compared to Phoenix at $600, and less than 50 percent will use it.

What can the Legislature do to improve Hawaii’s public education?
We can find a way to get more funds directly into the classroom. We can find a way to grant greater autonomy to the school or district, i.e., not having to go to the bureaucracy for every decision. We can help to create a more stable learning environment for children by allowing teachers to remove unruly children from the classroom.

Jessica Wooley

Democrat

Age: 39

Job: Attorney, mother

Past: Master's degree in agricultural and resource economics

What is the most important issue facing your district, and what would you do about it?
The increasing cost of living caused by high oil, food, housing and health care costs is the most important issue facing the district. I will work to provide incentives for farmers to grow food locally and inexpensively, universal health care and affordable housing. I will work to help families keep money in their pockets, stimulate the economy and reduce our use of oil by promoting green energy and technology, offering better choices so people can drive less often and during off-peak hours, and making our roads safer for pedestrians.

What qualifies you to be a state representative?
As a deputy attorney general, I worked with state agencies and the business community, helped protect our drinking water, streams and ocean, enforced state waste-water laws, and drafted rules and regulations. As a Legal Aid lawyer, I helped renters fight illegal evictions, prevented consumer fraud and litigated on behalf of workers’ rights to their wages. As a volunteer with AARP, the Oahu Land Trust and others, I have worked with a cross-section of our community to find solutions to land use and transportation problems. As a mother, I will always work hard for the best interests of our families.

What is one thing you would do in office to improve the local economy?
I would promote locally-owned small business and agriculture. To do this, I would work on legislation to make it easier for local farmers and small businesses to get started, stay in business, and sell their products. I would promote financial incentives for small businesses and farms to invest in themselves, low-interest loans, livable wages, simple tax forms, universal health care, quality education at all levels, increased training opportunities, land use laws that make sense and are enforceable, labeling standards for locally owned and locally made businesses and products, and long-term leases and water rights for farmers.

Do you support convening a Constitutional Convention? Please explain.
I am personally not convinced that the huge cost of holding a Constitutional Convention is worth it. Our Constitution is generally doing a good job of protecting Hawaii’s people. If there are specific concerns, they can be addressed for less money and with less hassle through specific amendments.

Should the voters decide we should have a Constitutional Convention, I will work hard to make sure special interests do not capture the process and strip away protections for the things that make Hawaii so unique. We need to ensure that Hawaii moves forward, for all of our families.

Do you support Oahu’s planned rail-transit system? Please explain.
I support alternative modes of transportation which may or may not include rail. Before a final rail-transit system decision is made, the public should be involved and environmental review completed. I also support the implementation of other transportation solutions that will provide immediate and low-cost benefits, such as increased shuttle, bus, and school bus services, flextime, pedestrian safety, staggered school start times, coordinated stoplights, and carpooling programs. These options take very little time to set up, cost nothing or are relatively inexpensive, would be consistent with rail, and would be beneficial with or without rail.

What can the Legislature do to improve Hawaii’s public education?
The Legislature must fully fund the public schools, make sure teachers have the supplies and support they need to succeed, and provide rewards for student and school successes. The Legislature should keep our rural public schools open and provide them with resources to create specialties and attract students. The Legislature must create educational opportunities, including vocational training, so all students can be successful whether they enter the work force after high school graduation or go on to higher education.