Ewa Beach candidates differ in style

Incumbent state Rep. Bob McDermott and the Democratic challenger Rose Martinez share the same desire to ease traffic gridlock, relieve overcrowding at Campbell High School and find upgrades to all of the schools in Ewa Beach.

The difference between the two 40th House District candidates, according to Martinez, has more to do with style. “I think he needs to be nicer,” she said.

McDermott (R, Ewa Beach-Iroquois Point), a 52-year-old Realtor, has been known to let his emotions get the best of him. Last year, while arguing for $30 million to construct a new Leeward high school, he became incensed with his fellow House Republicans for refusing to yield their time to allow him to continue arguing his point.

In a defiant display that made headlines, McDermott grew so angry he used profanity and accused his colleagues of being afraid of and kowtowing to House Speaker Joe Souki of Maui. In the end, half the funds wound up going to help construct a high school in Kihei.

Martinez, 57, a part-time teacher and business owner, contends that McDermott has accomplished little during his time in office, and it’s primarily because of his aggressive, confrontational and disrespectful style.

“I talk to a lot of voters who say they are voting for Bob, and I ask them why. They say he’s a fighter, that he’s fighting for the betterment of the community. Then I ask, ‘Of all the things he’s fighting for, has he accomplished anything?’”

The answer is no, according to Martinez. McDermott, a father of eight and staunch supporter of “family values,” fought against same-sex marriage and the Pono Choices sex education program, yet they still exist, she said. He has fought to relieve overcrowding at Campbell, and it’s worse than ever, she said.

“There’s a better way, a more effective way to get things done,” Martinez said, and that’s by treating colleagues and fellow lawmakers with civility and respect.

As a Republican, McDermott is too easily marginalized and ignored, she said, so it’s better to elect a Democrat who can work with the majority to get things done.

McDermott denies he hasn’t accomplished anything and contends he’s accomplished more than the average state lawmaker. Among other things, he’s helped set up meetings that led to the repaving of North South Road and won $100,000 in needed electrical work for Campbell High.

Furthermore, he said, his advocacy led to key revisions in the Pono Choices program, and he helped make the plight of the students at Campbell a statewide issue.

“I’m in there, advocating for the kids,” he said. “If there’s a Democrat, they’re told to keep their mouth shut, and someday, when you are a part of the leadership, you can get what you want.”

McDermott added: “I’m a leader. I’m not going to sit there and keep my mouth shut when I see something wrong, so that I don’t hurt Joe Souki’s feelings.

“I’m not smooth. I’m a former Marine. What do you expect? I fight for my constituents, many who are tired of the bull crap. If I ruffle some feathers, so be it. The only thing I have is my voice.”

That voice will be heard soon, McDermott said, when he announces that he’s initiating a class-action lawsuit to force the state Department of Education and Gov. David Ige into building the necessary school facilities to accommodate the area’s exploding population.

McDermott asserted that he’s obtained new information that will help support the effort to win a consent decree to force the state to do its job.

“We think we have a good case,” he said, “and we want to put the heat on.”

Over the next two years, McDermott said he will be pushing to get a new classroom building at Campbell and to get a site selected for the so-called “East Kapolei High School.”

What’s more, he said he will campaign to block the state Board of Education from implementing a policy that allows sex education for kindergartners.

“The people in Ewa Beach don’t want that,” he said.

Both Martinez and McDermott said they support an extension of Oahu’s half-percent excise tax surcharge to finance construction and operation of the rail system.

“We can’t stop it already,” Martinez said. “We’ve got to shoulder the expense now for the betterment of future generations.”

Both candidates said they oppose any attempt by Ige to increase the state gas tax, vehicle weight tax and state registration fees to help pay for state road projects.