Name on ballot:

Jo Jordan

Running for:

State House – District 44

Political party:

Democratic

Campaign website:

Facebook – Friends of Jo Jordan

Current occupation:

Community Advocate & Volunteer Mala caretaker for Mohala I Ka Wai

Age:

58

Previous job history:

State Representative, Small Business Owner – Taxes and Accounting

Previous elected office, if any:

State Representative, House District 44, Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board – Member

Please describe your qualifications to represent the people of Hawaii.

Former local small business owner for 35 years, State Legislator for 6 years, Neighborhood Board member for 12 years, over 15 years of board member positions on non-profits, community & advisory groups, over 45 years as a resident of the Waianae Coast.

What will be your top priority if elected?

My top priority will be the State budget which will need to be trimmed back to essential needs like health, human services, public safety, and education given the budget shortfall of revenues due to the pandemic. At the same time, we must scrutinize tax expenditures that benefit corporate interests at the expense of working families.

As Hawaii faces the COVID-19 pandemic, what more can be done to protect residents’ health?

Government should do a better job of centralizing the message across the State and Counties to minimize confusion to start with. Create a central hub where the public can access information about COVID-19 and emergency rules & restrictions. Enforce the rules put in place to protect the public during the pandemic.

What more can be done to help residents who have been economically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?

Make sure residents economically affected have a source of replacement income (unemployment, etc.), health care, TANF & SNAP benefits to help stabilize the household. Possible housing/rental assistance thru the State allotted Federal stimulus money. Small business and support businesses should also be supported by State allotted Federal stimulus money to help cover operational cost during pandemic emergency shut down of their business.

Should public worker furloughs, pay cuts or downsizing be used to help the state deal with lower tax revenues and higher expenses during the pandemic? Why or why not?

In times of unexpected deep economic downturns every public dollar spent will be put up for discussion in order to keep governmental core services (health, human services, public safety, and education) operational.

Hawaii’s tourism-dependent economy has suffered greatly due to the pandemic. If elected, what would you propose to support and diversify the state’s economy?

The State must implement policies to support food sustainability similar to legislation I introduced to encourage purchases of Hawaii-grown foods by individuals and institutions, including public institutions like schools, hospitals and prisons. During my time in office, I supported funding for creative media through Searider Productions and believe we should expand these industries as well.

Do you support reforms to policing in Hawaii? If yes, please explain what reforms you support.

This is an important issue for Hawaii that is largely handled at the County level. I support police reform efforts such as mandatory disclosure of misconduct records by police agencies and the collection of data relating to police arrests and prosecution of cases within the Office of the Prosecutor to assess and address racial and ethnic disparities. While the State faces budget constraints, we must look at investing in community-based programs such as law enforcement assistance diversion programs like neighborhood security watch and programs for at-risk youth.

Do you support or oppose the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on the Big Island and why?

I currently do not support the construction of TMT on Hawaii Island. The State of Hawaii and the University of Hawaii have failed to protect the public land trust, the beneficiaries and Mauna Kea for the last four decades. Promises to remove old abandon observatories have not been keep, rulemaking, lease negotiations, cultural protocols and restoration have not been transparent to the public. Until wrongs are corrected no construction.

Is there anything more that you would like voters to know about you?

Actions speaker louder than words, I enjoy getting in the weeds and dirty to promote new growth. I have not stopped doing community advocate work since I decided I need to give back to my community over 20 plus years ago.