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It’s a district with some of the most affluent communities on an island that’s becoming increasingly expensive — Hawaii Kai, Diamond Head and Kaimuki, among others.
However, the candidates vying to replace outgoing City Councilman Stanley Chang (who’s running for Congress) and represent District 4 on the Honolulu City Council cite issues affecting all of Oahu as some of their top priorities: a growing homeless population, a skyrocketing cost of living and the need for more public transparency.
Here’s a look at the candidates in that race, in alphabetical order:
» Natalie Iwasa. Many people know Iwasa as the "Bike Mom" for her advocacy to make Oahu more bicycle-friendly. But in a recent interview Iwasa said she wants voters to know she’s well-versed in finance, too, working as a certified public accountant.
Iwasa, 52, has regularly attended and testified at City Council meetings for the past four years. The Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board member said she saw in 2009 that she could make a difference locally when she helped push for lighting along Lunalilo Home Road that was less bright, less polluting of the night sky and cheaper to install and operate than the lights the city had originally planned to use.
Still, Iwasa, who’s lived in Hawaii Kai for more than 25 years, maintains she could do more from inside Honolulu Hale.
"The biggest reason (for running) is I get frustrated and feel I can make more of a difference if I’m on the Council rather than try to influence from the outside," she said.
Iwasa cited the island’s growing homeless population as among her biggest issues, as well as balancing the island’s needs for agricultural land and affordable housing. For future development, city leaders should stick to Oahu’s general plan and the East Honolulu Sustainable Communities Plan without making "exception after exception" for developers, she said.
» Trevor Ozawa. Ozawa met Chang, the outgoing incumbent, when the two were in Boston and Ozawa was still in law school, studying at Suffolk University. He worked on Chang’s Council campaign and later served as a legislative aide in his office.
To a certain extent, Ozawa wants to continue what his former boss started in office.
"We’re both young professionals that want to see Hawaii change for the better," the Hawaii-born, Hawaii Kai-raised Ozawa said. "Our generation is going to be bearing all of the burdens of the decisions that the city makes."
"Hawaii, it’s so expensive to live here. It’s so difficult to get ahead here. People are struggling," Ozawa added, reflecting on his reasons for running. The 31-year-old attorney said he’s worried about "brain drain" and that he’s watched much of the state’s brightest young residents leave the islands.
"We’re losing these people," he said. "They’re moving because they want opportunity. Costs are lower and salaries are higher" on the mainland.
Ozawa called improved government accountability and transparency a top priority, saying many 4th District residents believe the local public services and amenities they pay for are slipping even as their tax bills increase.
"Our parks are in disarray. Comfort stations aren’t in top shape" and homelessness is on the rise, Ozawa said. Residents in his community "don’t trust the government because they don’t trust where the money’s going."
Ozawa further cited public safety as a top priority.
» Carl Strouble. Strouble said he’s running to represent District 4 to "do what I can to help."
Strouble, 50, said he’s lived in Hawaii for 30 years after being born in New York and raised in Las Vegas. He’s a video amusement operator, meaning he provides and maintains pool tables, jukeboxes, video games and other such entertainment equipment for restaurants, bars and other venues.
Strouble cited homelessness as his top issue and said he backs Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s Housing First initiative. He’s not on board with the "compassionate disruption" aimed for by the Caldwell-backed sidewalk ordinance, but "I understand the reason for it," he said.
Strouble said the Council should make Oahu more business-friendly. He also advocated slowing down completion of the Honolulu rail project — even though that would likely result in added costs — because it’s a "luxury item" and city officials still don’t have a detailed plan for how they’ll operate the transit system. The city should instead focus on repairs to its existing public transportation, Strouble said.
» Tommy Waters. In 2008, former state Rep. Waters (D, Lanikai-Waimanalo), who led the influential House Judiciary Committee, opted not to seek re-election after three terms, citing the birth of his second child as a need to devote more time to his growing family.
Six years later, he said he’s ready to get back into politics as a District 4 candidate.
"My kids are a little older, they’re both enrolled in school," Waters, 48, said in a recent interview. "I did find that I missed it while I was out."
Waters, a Kamehameha Schools graduate and member of the state’s Judicial Selection Commission, said he moved back to District 4 about a year ago from Kailua but that he’s spent about 30 years overall living in that district.
Waters said he aims to push for more transparency on property value assessments if elected to the seat. Homeowners in District 4 pay a "lion’s share" of property taxes on the island, and often when they appeal increases they see the amount they have to pay reduced but they’re not told why exactly, Waters said.
He said he would work for a more "workable" formula for the tax amount that’s "fair."
Waters added that he supported city leaders’ efforts to enact a sit-lie ban to help deal with homelessness, but he said the city needs more temporary housing to help homeless families and individuals get back on their feet.
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