What distinguishes you from your opponents for this office?

Leadership, result-oriented and vision. I have always believed that leadership is earned, not self-proclaimed. Over my years of public service in federal, state and county governments, others have recognized my ability to understand complex issues, conduct evidence-based analyses of issues and make informed decisions. People know I can explain why I arrive at the decisions that I do.

Another major part of leadership is accepting responsibility and expecting to be held accountable. Unfortunately, not all of my opponents explain their decisions or accept accountability for their record of decisions or indecisions. …

Finally, I understand that a critical role of a governor is to envision a better future for the state, its residents and businesses. I believe my grasp of this role far exceeds that of my opponents. A governor must be forward-thinking and as a matter of personality, I have an inquisitive mind and I am continually looking for ways to make government more efficient, functional and effective.

I am result-oriented versus action-oriented, meaning I focus on delivering results to the taxpayers versus being in a process as a sign of success. To the taxpayers, the only thing that really matters … is results and it is our obligation as public servants to deliver. Finally, I believe it is necessary to balance the cost of government, present and future, against the needs and capacity of the taxpayers to pay for the services provided.

What are the top three priorities for the state, and how would you address them?

1) Preserving and growing Hawaii’s economic position and leadership role in the Indo- Pacific region, by growing, diversifying and innovating Hawaii’s job market, tourism, military, educational systems, support services and infrastructure for Hawaii’s tourists, residents, kupuna, keiki and future generations.

2) Creating and fostering a sustainable Hawaii including, but not limited to, agriculture, energy, healthcare, the environment and tourism. Sustainability also implies being able to watch future generations “grow” in Hawaii.

3) Resolving affordable housing and housing affordability, the continuum of issues related to the cost of living and cost of doing business in Hawaii, which necessarily includes homelessness.

I believe my knowledge, experience and leadership skills will enable me to work with others who possess the knowledge, skills and talents to make my priorities and vision for Hawaii’s future a reality. None of these priorities can be accomplished by a governor alone. Rather, it takes a governor with the recognized leadership skills, command of issues and productive working relationships with others to keep the focus on delivering solutions to the taxpayers.

What’s your action plan to tackle affordable housing and homelessness?

We must first understand who we are speaking about and understand their needs. For example, when we speak about creating a future for our keiki in the islands, we must understand them. Take, for example, millennials and their concept of “shared” values and the impact of these values on their choices. We cannot build solutions for the future based on our notions of what they need or want.

Addressing affordable housing first, state and county decision makers must change their mindset on the approaches to all facets of this issue. The lack of affordable housing in Hawaii, in the many senses of the phrase, is not just a grim situation but a state of emergency, and we must act accordingly. We must make it possible for our children to become renters then homeowners without having to move to the mainland to raise their families. Furthermore, we must create more affordable rentals for our seniors, the disabled and those on limited and fixed incomes. …

In addition, the state must seriously reconsider ongoing efforts to sell public housing inventory that has been neglected and allowed to deteriorate to the point that selling appears financially favorable to undertaking deferred maintenance. It is not right for Hawaii’s seniors on fixed incomes to be subjected to rent increases allowed under recently negotiated senior housing sales agreements. More importantly, it makes little sense for the state to neglect existing inventory in light of increasing demand for units. The state must come up with a comprehensive strategic plan that addresses available inventory against projected demand and life cycle costs.

Finally, the state has a rare opportunity to focus on transit-oriented development (TOD) on Oahu and smart growth/transit-ready development on the neighbor islands. To make the most of this opportunity, we need to combine state, county and private resources to expedite affordable housing projects in TOD/transit-ready development neighborhoods.

Homelessness is an extremely complex issue. … Too many of us view it as simply those who are living in public spaces like parks, beaches, sidewalks, etc. The issue is much larger and varied. …

This issue requires leadership and the ability to work collaboratively and effectively with all branches of government and the private sector.

The Judiciary, for example, is doing its part with a Community Outreach Court with a successful history of moving the homeless off the streets and into jobs while tackling substance abuse. We should borrow from successful models like the HOPE probation program, now a national model, to combat difficult problems and address the consequences of drug abuse during probation.

Under my leadership, the governor’s office will partner with the state Legislature to undertake more innovative actions, like the Legislature’s recent commitment of $30 million toward ohana zones, where the homeless can live and receive the services they need. The governor’s office will also actively partner with the counties to remove barriers and/or facilitate the construction of shelters, transition facilities and new housing units. The state must adopt meaningful metrics that empower the state and counties to evaluate the success of their policies and programs.

I believe in safe zones, or the ohana zone project. Some criticize this concept, but they have not looked at the real cost to our state. Not only the moral cost of children living in tents and other unacceptable conditions, but also other costs like the use of hospital facilities. The Legislature recognized $146 million as the cost to our hospitals alone in 2015. In an ohana zone, prevention and intervention can cut these costs. I applaud the Legislature’s allocation of $30 million to this effort. …

How should the state capture now-unpaid taxes from B&B/TVU (transient vacation unit) scofflaws?

There are two distinct issues here. One is with the counties relative to whether B&Bs/TVUs will be permitted, and the second is whether the state will intervene and permit the home-sharing platforms like Airbnb to tender taxes. Anyone who skirts state and/or county laws must face penalties that appropriately discourage illegal operations. This brings us to the real issue, which is whether the payment of the taxes will legitimize an otherwise illegal operation.

It is inappropriate for the governor to negotiate a deal with Airbnb Inc. or other home-sharing platforms that is non-transparent to the Legislature and the taxpayers. You cannot address this issue without the counties taking the lead in permitting, regulating and controlling B&Bs/TVUs in an environment where the vast majority of operating B&Bs/TVUs are illegal inventory that has been allowed to flourish throughout the state. B&Bs/TVUs must abide by guidelines and laws and pay taxes for their commercial business operations.

Notwithstanding, absent legislation that has a retroactive provision which will probably be challenged as unconstitutional, the state has probably lost its opportunity to collect past taxes in light of the administration’s inaction. This is an example of poor leadership. The governor has to answer for this because he vetoed the bill in 2016 over a concern that it would shield illegal vacation rentals despite the bill language specifically providing for no state preemption of county enforcement.

We must also recognize that the voluntary collection agreement (VCA) is just that— voluntary, and not law. Thus, to collect taxes now or into the future first requires that the counties, through their home rule, define legal B&Bs/TVUs. Then, the state can collect the TAT and GET on the B&Bs/TVUs.

I have spent time speaking to the San Francisco mayor’s office as to how it’s dealt with this issue since 2013; these conversations have informed me as to how other jurisdictions have dealt with B&Bs/TVUs.

Why are you for, or against, the “school tax” constitutional amendment?

I support the school tax constitutional amendment because it gives voters the opportunity to express their views on whether public education should have a dedicated funding source for its programs. Let there be no mistake that this proposed funding source will never cover all of the costs of public education for the state, just a designated portion. It will, however, be a barometer of voters’ sentiment. Nevertheless, the constitutional amendment needs enabling legislation so people will know how the tax is assessed and how it will be spent. This will be determined, assuming the amendment passes the Legislature, by the same body that is criticized for failing to appropriate sufficient sums to public education.