Name on ballot:

Tommy Driskill III

Running for:

State House – District 18

Political party:

Democrat

Campaign website:

No answer submitted

Current occupation:

Documentary Film Producer

Age:

30

Previous job history:

Small business owner, film production, and a furniture mover in college!

Previous elected office, if any:

No answer submitted

Please describe your qualifications to represent the people of Hawaii.

No answer submitted

What will be your top priority if elected?

Diversifying our local economy to make it more self-sustainable and less reliant on tourism!

Addressing our need for more Adult Day Care! Hawaii has more multi-generational living than any other state in the country, mostly due to its high cost of living. A lack of Adult Day Care options creates great difficulties for the adult children of our Kupuna. We need to create incentives for Private Adult Day Care, raise the priority of the issue within the Department of Health, and explore Public / Private partnership opportunities!

All of this and more, with specific emphasis on District 18.

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

No answer submitted

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

No answer submitted

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?

The reality is we’re in a difficult situation with our state budget, no matter how you look at it. Our over reliance on tourism as an economic driver, and now virtually no tourism, is a big part of the dilemma. As a result, very difficult decisions regarding furloughs and pay cuts may take place, regardless of who is in office. However, depending on who is in office, will decide how we handle such a sensitive situation. The WRONG way to do so, is to single out individual groups for furloughs and cuts. We should not point fingers at Teachers, HGEA, UPW, etc. and expect them to solely carry the burden. The RIGHT way is to collectively share the responsibility in taking cuts and furloughs, starting with the Governor, Cabinet, and Legislature. IF cuts and / or furloughs need to take place, all of us sharing in this hardship would lessen the burden on any individual entity.

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?

I’m a strong believer that our state is over reliant on its tourism industry. Unfortunately it took a global pandemic for us to feel the real affect from this, going from one of the lowest unemployed states in the country to now one of the highest.

What we need is to diversify and develop a more SUSTAINABLE economy for the state of Hawaii. We should create incentives for self-sustaining industries such as renewable energy and agriculture. Hawaii has a strong entrepreneurial spirit, which has been witnessed in the numerous local establishments set up in the reinvigorated Kaka’ako, Downtown / Chinatown, and Kaimuki neighborhoods. This is despite Hawaii being one of the most expensive states in the country to start and run a business. Further government incentives to help entrepreneurs get started, and assist already established local SMEs remain competitive, would be a boom for our local economy. We want to keep our local entrepreneurs and businesses from fleeing to more cost competitive states, so that their good efforts can be put in locally for the benefit of our Hawaiian economy.

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

No answer submitted

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

No answer submitted

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

Tommy Driskill was born in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. When Tommy was just two years old, his father, a U.S. Army Colonel, relocated the family to Honolulu Hawaii after being assigned as Chief of Staff to Tripler Army Medical Center.

Tommy attended and graduated from Star of the Sea Catholic School, Kalani High School, and the University of Hawaii, Manoa with a BA Degree in Political Science.

He was first exposed to Hawaii State Legislative interaction during his father’s time as CEO of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation. Attending hearings sparked an interest in the legislative process, which led to Tommy obtaining an internship with Senator Fred Hemmings during the 2009 Legislative session, and subsequently his Political Science degree.

In 2010 Tommy founded Dotodo LLC, a Hawaii based film production company, producing documentary short films. He also served as Segment Producer for the K-FIVE TV show Shaka Shakedown working with award winning local Producer Edgy Lee. Collectively his short films have garnered over 10 million views on Youtube alone.

Aside from politics and film Tommy’s passion lies with travel. He has traveled to over 90 countries, with emphasis on immersed travel throughout the Pacific Rim. Such extensive travels and associated cultural experiences have developed insightful international perspectives, which he would apply into good use “out-of-the-box” thinking back here in Hawaii.

Tommy is respectfully not accepting any donations, so will put both our District 18 and State-wide community needs FIRST before all special interest groups.