Executive Summary
A Hawaiʻi for the People
The people of Hawaiʻi are underpaid and overworked.
For too many families, working hard is no longer enough to achieve financial stability. Parents work multiple jobs while losing valuable time with their children and loved ones. Young people increasingly believe they must leave Hawaiʻi to find opportunity. Kūpuna struggle with rising costs despite a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice.
This is not the Hawaiʻi our people deserve.
I am running for Governor because I believe Hawaiʻi can do better. I am not speaking about these struggles as an outsider looking in. I am them. I did not simply watch these struggles happen. I lived them.
This platform presents a comprehensive vision for rebuilding opportunity, restoring dignity, and ensuring that the future of Hawaiʻi belongs to the people of Hawaiʻi.
The Central Promise
Everyone in Hawaiʻi needs a raise.
One job should be enough to afford a home, raise a family, pay the bills, save for the future, and live with dignity.
My administration will pursue higher wages, homeownership, local agriculture, stronger local businesses, affordable healthcare, excellent education, dignity for kūpuna, government accountability, public safety, resilient infrastructure, and an economy that keeps more of Hawaiʻi’s wealth in Hawaiʻi.
The Goal
A Hawaiʻi where one job is enough; families can own homes; teachers are respected; kūpuna live with dignity; healthcare is affordable; agriculture thrives; local businesses prosper; government is accountable; and wealth stays in Hawaiʻi.
A Hawaiʻi where young people once again believe they have a future.
The future of Hawaiʻi should belong to the people of Hawaiʻi.
Back to top ↑
1.1 Introduction
Protecting People, Not Political Parties
For decades, Republicans and Democrats have sold the people of Hawaiʻi an America without the dream.
Today, many local families can no longer afford to live in the islands they call home. Native Hawaiians and longtime residents are being displaced while the cost of living rises beyond what working people can sustain.
Working two or three jobs is no longer a choice. It is survival. Every extra hour spent struggling to survive is time stolen from children, spouses, parents, and the people we love.
The people of Hawaiʻi are not lazy. They are underpaid and overworked.
Hawaiʻi continues to face extreme housing costs, rising utility and fuel prices, failing infrastructure, underperforming schools, government corruption, and an economy too dependent on tourism and outside corporations. Meanwhile, too much of the wealth created here leaves Hawaiʻi.
I am running as an Independent Progressive because the people deserve leadership independent from political machines, corporate influence, and failed partisan politics. This campaign is about protecting the people of Hawaiʻi.
Back to top ↑
1.2 About Me
I Am Them. I Lived It.
I am running because I must get young people involved in their future. My time is a lot shorter than it is long.
Too many young people have grown disenfranchised, believing they have no control over their lives, no real voice in their future, and no path toward a stable life in Hawaiʻi. Many have been taught that leaving is their only opportunity for success.
The future cannot belong only to wealthy investors, outside corporations, or political insiders. It must belong to the next generation of the people of Hawaiʻi.
I am not speaking about these struggles as an outsider looking in. I am them. I did not simply watch these struggles happen. I lived them.
I understand what it means to work hard and still feel like you are falling behind. I believe government exists not to protect power, but to protect people. Leadership is service, accountability, integrity, and results.
Back to top ↑
1.3 Livable Wages & Economic Dignity
One Job Should Be Enough
For too long, working families have carried the burden of an economy where the cost of living rises while wages fail to keep pace.
My administration will fight for wages that reflect the true cost of living in Hawaiʻi. Every resident working full-time should be able to afford housing, feed a family, pay utilities, save money, raise children, and build a future here.
We will push wages toward a true Hawaiʻi livable wage; require corporations benefiting from Hawaiʻi’s economy to pay workers fairly; support union labor and worker protections; expand trade schools and apprenticeships; invest in industries that create higher-paying careers; reduce the burdens crushing working families; and fight for better wages in both the public and private sectors.
A strong economy is not measured by corporate profits alone. It is measured by whether the people doing the work can afford to live.
Back to top ↑
1.4 Tax Relief & Family Opportunity
Helping Families Build Stability
The tax system should help working families build stability, not trap them in survival.
My plan includes tax-advantaged savings accounts for first-time homebuyers; incentives for children’s education, college, apprenticeships, and trade programs; protections for local owner-occupied primary residences; reduced burdens on working families; and targeted relief for locally owned businesses.
I will pursue elimination of the General Excise Tax on food and examine broader resident tax relief, including whether Hawaiʻi can responsibly eliminate state income tax for residents earning $200,000 or less after a complete budget, revenue, and service-impact review.
The goal is to help families save for homes, education, emergencies, and long-term stability without creating unfunded promises or shifting new burdens onto residents.
Back to top ↑
1.5 Housing, Land & Local Ownership
People Want to Afford a House
Housing should be for living, not speculation.
Outside investors and wealthy interests continue purchasing land, homes, and condominiums while local residents are priced out.
My administration will prioritize local residents; discourage speculative luxury ownership and long-term vacancy; expand workforce housing tied to infrastructure; create practical pathways to ownership; support first-time buyers; protect owner-occupied primary residences; and reduce financial barriers that keep working families from purchasing homes.
People do not want affordable housing. They want to be able to afford a house. That requires higher wages, lower household burdens, expanded economic opportunity, responsible land use, and infrastructure capable of supporting new communities.
The goal is not permanent dependence. The goal is economic dignity, local ownership, stability, and generational wealth.
Back to top ↑
1.6 Agriculture & Food Security
Feeding Hawaiʻi. Employing Hawaiʻi. Building Hawaiʻi.
Hawaiʻi imports much of what it consumes while local families pay some of the highest food prices in the nation. Every imported product represents money leaving Hawaiʻi’s economy.
My administration will expand local food production, aquaculture, hydroponics, sustainable fishing, ranching, food processing, cold storage, distribution, and agricultural infrastructure.
We will support kalo, ʻulu, local dairy, poultry, ranching, greenhouses, state agricultural lands, and a strong Grown in Hawaiʻi identity.
When food is grown, processed, transported, purchased, and sold locally, jobs stay local, businesses grow stronger, supply chains become more secure, and wealth remains in Hawaiʻi.
Food security is economic security. The Multi-Island Living System will help farmers, ranchers, fishers, and food producers move goods among islands more efficiently and at lower cost.
Back to top ↑
1.7 Economic Leakage
Keeping Hawaiʻi’s Wealth in Hawaiʻi
Economic leakage occurs when money generated in Hawaiʻi leaves through imports, outside ownership, corporate profits, nonlocal supply chains, booking systems, airlines, and other businesses headquartered elsewhere.
My administration will make reducing economic leakage a central priority. We will increase local purchasing, strengthen Made in Hawaiʻi and Grown in Hawaiʻi industries, expand local manufacturing and processing, improve state procurement opportunities for local companies, and help residents build ownership.
The goal is not simply more economic activity. The goal is increasing the share of economic activity that reaches Hawaiʻi workers, families, farmers, and locally owned businesses.
Back to top ↑
1.8 Local Business & Tourism Reform
Tourism Must Benefit Local Communities
Tourism must benefit the people of Hawaiʻi, not just outside corporations.
My administration will invest in local businesses, support entrepreneurs, prioritize qualified local vendors and contractors, and build direct pathways for visitor spending to reach local farms, restaurants, artisans, cultural practitioners, transportation providers, and community businesses.
The goal is not simply more tourism. The goal is more local benefit from tourism.
Visitors should experience local food, local products, local farms, local culture, and locally owned businesses. Tourism should strengthen communities and keep more wealth circulating in Hawaiʻi.
Back to top ↑
1.9 Local Business Tax Relief & Economic Development
Helping Local Businesses Grow
Local businesses are the backbone of Hawaiʻi’s economy, yet many are being crushed by rent, utilities, shipping, healthcare expenses, labor shortages, taxes, and competition from large outside corporations.
My administration will examine targeted tax relief; incentives tied to local hiring, training, and reinvestment; simpler processes; improved access to capital; and support for businesses connected to local agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, healthcare, and clean energy.
The Hawaiʻi Care System will also seek to reduce the healthcare burden carried by local employers.
A stronger local business economy means higher wages, stronger families, thriving communities, and more wealth staying in Hawaiʻi.
Back to top ↑
1.11 The Multi-Island Living System & Economic Expansion
Connecting Hawaiʻi into One Statewide Economy
We must rethink how people live, work, travel, receive services, and do business across Hawaiʻi.
Oʻahu faces overcrowding and extreme housing pressure while other islands face limited opportunity, workforce shortages, population loss, and underdeveloped infrastructure.
My administration will pursue a statewide ferry network serving residents first and visitors second. It will support housing choice, commuting, agriculture, healthcare access, tourism, emergency response, local business, and inter-island commerce.
The system will be developed with realistic schedules, ports, parking, public transit connections, freight capacity, remote-work hubs, satellite workplaces, medical transportation, resident pricing, and community protections.
A ferry is not only transportation. It is a housing strategy, an agricultural strategy, an economic development strategy, a tourism strategy, and an emergency-preparedness strategy.
Back to top ↑
1.12 Healthcare Reform & The Hawaiʻi Care System
Healthcare Is a Necessity, Not a Luxury
No family should choose between healthcare and food, housing, or electricity. No kūpuna should skip medication. No local business should be weakened by unsustainable healthcare costs.
The Hawaiʻi Care System will pursue coordinated oversight of employer contributions, state healthcare funding, Medicaid, Medicare-related resources where legally available, and other public investments. It is not being presented as a traditional single-payer model.
The goal is to remove unnecessary profit and bureaucracy from healthcare financing, improve access, protect patient choice, lower household and employer burdens, and compensate healthcare workers appropriately.
The system may include reasonable copays or graduated contributions based on income while keeping care affordable.
We will recruit and retain doctors, nurses, specialists, mental-health professionals, and other healthcare workers through housing support, student-loan assistance, tax incentives, workforce protections, rural-service incentives, and stronger working conditions.
Back to top ↑
1.13 Kūpuna First Initiative
Dignity, Security, Independence, and Respect
Hawaiʻi’s kūpuna built the communities we live in today. No senior should spend retirement worrying about food, medicine, electricity, healthcare, transportation, or housing.
My administration will pursue property-tax protections for qualifying senior homeowners; retirement-income relief; utility and prescription assistance; healthcare affordability; home repair and aging-in-place support; respite, in-home, adult-day, and caregiver services; better transportation; fraud prevention; and opportunities for kūpuna to work, mentor, and remain engaged.
After a lifetime of building Hawaiʻi, no kūpuna should be forced to leave Hawaiʻi.
Back to top ↑
1.14 Education Reform
The Hawaiʻi Birth-to-Career Education Initiative
Education is the greatest investment a society can make. Hawaiʻi needs one connected pathway beginning in early childhood and continuing through school, college, apprenticeships, skilled trades, workforce preparation, and lifelong learning.
My administration will expand early learning and childcare; strengthen literacy, mathematics, science, arts, physical education, technology, financial literacy, civics, agriculture, and cultural education; modernize schools; and connect students to college, trades, careers, military pathways, and entrepreneurship.
No new teacher should be paid below a true livable wage. We will fight for better pay, safer classrooms, modern resources, homeownership support, retirement security, staffing, and respect for educators.
I will also seek greater value for Hawaiʻi in military land-lease negotiations, including support for rebuilding schools and educational infrastructure.
Building Hawaiʻi’s future begins with every child.
Back to top ↑
1.15 Government Reform, Transparency & Skyline
Government Exists to Serve the People
Public trust must be earned through competence, transparency, accountability, integrity, and results.
My administration will review agencies for waste, fraud, duplication, ineffective programs, and leadership failures; publish clear performance measures; strengthen ethics rules; increase public reporting; improve procurement transparency; and support independent investigations when laws may have been broken.
I will order a full independent forensic audit and investigation of Skyline, including contracts, change orders, procurement decisions, cost overruns, management practices, financial controls, and potential waste, fraud, or abuse.
The University of Hawaiʻi can serve as a research, policy, performance-review, innovation, internship, and independent-analysis partner to the Governor’s Office.
Government should reward performance, not politics. Public resources belong to the people.
Back to top ↑
1.16 The Hawaiʻi Accountability and Reconditioning Initiative
Public Safety Begins with Accountability
Hawaiʻi’s correctional system must move beyond a revolving door and build a system centered on accountability, victim restoration, treatment, education, productive work, workforce development, and successful reintegration.
People who harm others should be required, whenever possible, to work toward making victims whole through restitution and court-ordered atonement. Reconditioning cannot be meaningful without accountability for harm.
My administration will develop modern reconditioning centers; expand detoxification, mental-health care, education, culinary and trade programs, job preparation, and structured transition; evaluate monitored work opportunities for qualified nonviolent defendants; and pursue expungement only after appropriate accountability where incarceration is unnecessary.
We will evaluate bringing Hawaiʻi inmates home from mainland facilities, including Arizona, when doing so improves accountability, family connections, rehabilitation, and responsible use of state funds.
Public safety, victim justice, prevention, and successful reintegration must work together.
Back to top ↑
1.17 Infrastructure, Energy, Water & Resilience
Building a Hawaiʻi Ready for the Future
Hawaiʻi needs reliable roads, bridges, ports, wastewater systems, drainage, water security, wildfire readiness, emergency communications, and resilient public facilities.
My administration will publish district-by-district infrastructure priorities and spending reports; address dangerous corridors such as Highway 11; help residents facing costly cesspool conversions; improve flood control, watershed management, and fire readiness; and coordinate projects with housing and economic development.
We will expand solar on new and public buildings, responsibly evaluate geothermal resources, modernize the grid, protect water supplies, increase recycling and composting, develop waste-to-value systems, and pursue a long-term goal of minimizing landfill dependence.
Resilience must be planned before disaster, not after it.
Back to top ↑
1.18 The Bigger Vision
The Hawaiʻi We Can Build
This campaign is about rebuilding the dream of Hawaiʻi.
A Hawaiʻi where one job is enough; families can own homes; children receive a world-class education; local businesses thrive; food is grown locally; healthcare is affordable; kūpuna live with dignity; corruption is confronted; infrastructure is reliable; and wealth created in Hawaiʻi stays in Hawaiʻi.
A Hawaiʻi where young people once again believe they have a future here.
The future of Hawaiʻi should belong to the people of Hawaiʻi.
Back to top ↑