House candidates prioritize senior care and sustainability

Long-term care and sustainability are priorities for two Demo­cratic incumbents drawn into the same new district covering Newtown, Aiea and Halawa.

Reps. Heather Giugni and K. Mark Takai will face off in the Aug. 11 House District 33 primary election. The winner will run in the general election against Republican Sam Kong, who considers the economy as a key issue.

Giugni was appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie in February to fill the District 33 seat (Aiea, Halawa Valley, Halawa Heights and Aiea Heights) that was vacated by Rep. Tom Oka­mura, who resigned for health reasons. Takai, who has served as a legislator for 18 years, represented District 34, made up of Newtown and Pearl City.

The new District 33 has more than 15,000 registered voters.

As a longtime legislator, Takai, 45, a Newtown resident, said, "We’re proud of our record.

"Our strength is the ability to bring people together or to address concerns and seek solutions that benefit everyone in the community," Takai said.

With the state’s growing aging population, Takai wants to continue to provide more services for senior citizens and families caring for their loved ones. He supported tax credits to help seniors receive care in their own homes rather than go into care homes.

"Caring for parents, grandparents is not easy nowadays with additional challenges. We need to address this," Takai said. Encouraging residents ages 30 to 40 to purchase long-term care insurance is also vital to prepare for post-retirement and lessen the financial burden on family members, he said.

An advocate of sustainability, Takai said the state needs to focus on local produce and alternative fuel as it spends $9 billion a year on foreign fossil fuels and imported food. Hawaii needs to be less reliant on others outside of the state, he said. "It’s something we must do. We have no other option. We can no longer afford to send billions of dollars outside of the state. It’s hard-earned money that families that need to as much as possible keep in Hawaii."

Giugni, 58, an independent filmmaker, is the daughter of the late Henry Giugni, who was a longtime aide to U.S. Sen. Daniel Ino­uye and former U.S. Senate sergeant-at-arms. She owns a production company, Juni­roa Productions, and is the founder of ‘Ulu­‘ulu: The Henry K. Giugni Moving Image Archive of Hawaii, located at the new University of Hawaii-West Oahu campus in Kapolei.

Running against Takai, a fellow Demo­crat and seasoned politician, Giugni said her career outside of politics is a strength as she would bring new ideas and vision to the Legislature. "I’ve always been involved in the political process," she said. With a background in media, Giugni said her strength as a communicator would bring the community and lawmakers together and give those whose concerns have not been heard an opportunity to be heard. Legislators can be there for a long time and be part of factions, she said. "I believe in change."

Giugni added, "The greatest thing is to give a choice. I am a very good choice." Providing more services for seniors is a priority. "That is something that is very dear to me," she said.

A strong supporter of sustainability, Giugni said residents not only have to support local farmers, but do their part such as creating aquaponic gardens in their backyards. "We also need to celebrate the farmers within all of us," she said.

Kong, 52, owner of Aiea Florist, wants to tackle the economy and reduce the tax burden because families are struggling with Hawaii’s high cost of living. Kong said he wants to eliminate the beverage container fee, which will increase to 11⁄2 cents from 1 cent (that plus the deposit will mean a consumer would pay 61⁄2 cents per container) beginning Sept. 1. As a business owner for the past 20 years, Kong wants to help other business owners as well as consumers. "Hopefully, we can get the economy moving in the right direction by removing the nickel-and-dime things," he said.

Education also is a priority for Kong. "The administration wants to take the schools in another direction," he said. "We need to let teachers do what they do best, and that is to teach." Kong has served as a member of the Webling Elementary School Council for the past 14 years and is a member of the Aiea Community Association.

This is the second time Kong is running for the House seat. In 2010 he was defeated by Blake Oshiro, who represented the Aiea community since 2000 and resigned last December to serve as Abercrombie’s deputy chief of staff.