Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
State Sen. Donna Mercado Kim and Honolulu City Council Chairman Ernie Martin blasted government bureaucracy and regulatory agencies such as the state Land Use Commission for hamstringing development in Hawaii at a forum for congressional candidates sponsored by local building and real estate trade groups.
They were among six Democratic candidates
who participated in the
forum at Dole Cannery in Iwilei Wednesday night. The six are vying for the congressional seat representing urban Honolulu, which is being vacated by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa as she runs for governor.
The candidates discussed their views on a range of issues, including employment in the construction industries, infrastructure, government regulation, environmental laws and the creation of more housing for local residents in Hawaii.
Kim said that the creation of affordable housing is bogged down by too much regulation, creating delays and driving up costs for the homebuyer.
“Much of the housing costs and lack of inventory has to do with our regulatory scheme here in Hawaii and at the federal level. There is so much that a developer or a builder has to go through before they can even put something into the ground,” she said.
Kim emphasized her unsuccessful attempt to get rid of the Land Use Commission as a state legislator as evidence of her efforts to
reduce regulations.
The commission was created in the 1960s out of concern that there was a lack
of controls over development, leading to the loss
of valuable land for short-term gain, scattered subdivisions and loss of agricultural land.
Martin agreed that the commission, which oversees applications by developers to reclassify land for development, “serves no useful function” and said that there were a number
of other state boards that he would like to see eliminated.
“That is the problem in
regard to housing … too much duplication within the bureaucracy itself and at all levels of government,” he said.
State Rep. Kaniela Ing staked out more liberal stances throughout the evening, and was more supportive of government regulation over development.
He said the “false dichotomy that we see often in
Hawaii politics is — are you with construction or are
you with environmentalists? But history shows that there are win-win solutions almost 100 percent of the time.”
State Rep. Beth Fukumoto, Lt. Gov. Doug Chin and former U.S. Rep. Ed Case all emphasized a
balance between environmental controls and development. Chin stressed the need to mediate conflicts.
When it comes to affordable housing, Case criticized the state Legislature for not dealing with illegal vacation rentals, which he said drive up prices for local residents. He also said he supported the reform of the Jones Act, a post-World War I law
requiring all shipping between U.S. ports be conducted with domestic vessels and crews. Case estimated that the law adds
20 percent to the cost of mainland supplies.
The question and answer forum was hosted by building and real estate trade groups including the Building Industry Association of Hawaii, General Contractors Association of Hawaii,
the Honolulu Board of Realtors, the American Institute of Architects Honolulu and American Civil Engineering Companies of Hawaii.
Kim, a veteran lawmaker, and Chin, who stepped down as attorney general
to run for the seat, were in a near tie when the Honolulu Star-Advertiser polled likely voters in March. However, Case, who entered the race late, is considered a serious contender.
Kim has run for Congress before, finishing second in the 2014 Democratic primary for the same congressional seat representing urban Honolulu. She lost
to the late Mark Takai,
43 percent to 27 percent.
Case served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2002 to 2007. He
unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka in the Democratic primary in 2006.
This is the first political campaign for Chin, who
took the place of Shan Tsutsui when he resigned as lieutenant governor earlier this year.
Ing, 29, and Fukumoto, 35, have both been described as up and coming politicians in Hawaii. Fukumoto spoke passionately about the need to lower housing costs in Hawaii, saying her generation is leaving the islands
because it’s too expensive.
“My generation is the first generation to say that our lives are not going to be better than our parents’ lives,” she said.
78
