Sherry Menor-McNamara, a Democrat and head of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, insists that she understands the need to help working families, employees and businesses — especially small ones like the travel agency that her mother runs in Hilo.
As a first-time candidate running for lieutenant governor, Menor-McNamara believes that her 16 years of experience with the Chamber of Commerce — including eight as president and CEO — offer a perspective unlike any of the other four candidates running in the Aug. 13 Democratic Party primary, to be followed by the Nov. 8 general election.
Asked specifically about her views on increasing Hawaii’s $10.10-an-hour minimum wage to $18 an hour, Menor-McNamara said she supports an increase while simultaneously helping businesses offset higher labor costs through tax breaks and deregulation.
“I believe there should be some increase,” Menor- McNamara said. “But we need to balance it so we don’t have layoffs and we don’t hurt small mom-and-pops. Wage is just one issue. It’s also affordable housing, it’s child care, energy, so many other factors. It’s finding that balance so that jobs are not lost and to ensure that people’s wages do increase.”
At this point in the race — with a majority of voters still undecided — all of the lieutenant governor candidates are trying to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
Menor-McNamara has chosen a lane designed to appeal to neighbor island voters, working families and business owners.
Hawaii Pacific University’s College of Liberal Arts has scheduled a lieutenant governor candidates’ forum from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday at HPU’s Aloha Tower Marketplace campus, Multipurpose Room 3.
The forum will be moderated by HPU communications professor John Hart, who said some voters might assume that Menor- McNamara may be conservative by nature, if not a closet Republican.
“Sherry gets put there because of her position in the Chamber and certain assumptions about her,” Hart said. “Her challenge in the campaign is to lay out who she is other than her position in the Chamber.”
Colin Moore, director of the University of Hawaii’s Public Policy Center, said Menor-McNamara is “smart to emphasize that she’s from a neighbor island and that she represents small businesses. Is that enough in a Democratic primary? I wouldn’t count her out. But she has one of the most challenging campaigns to run.”
Menor-McNamara is the granddaughter of Filipino immigrants. Her grandfather was laid off as a single- income laborer with seven children, including Menor- McNamara’s father.
The family ran a Pahoa farm and fed themselves and neighbors with crops and pigs.
“I understand both sides,” Menor-McNamara said. “As lieutenant governor, I would represent a broader constituency — all of the people of Hawaii. My position is not to take positions, but to come up with common-sense solutions by talking to the people.”
For neighbor island voters, decisions that affect their lives “can be Oahu-centric,” she said. “I’m from Hilo. As the only neighbor island candidate, I will bring that unique perspective and my relationships on the neighbor islands into the conversation.”
Menor is running for lieutenant governor against state Sen. Sylvia Luke, (D, Punchbowl-Pauoa-Nuuanu); former state Sen. Jill Tokuda; former City Council Chairman Ikaika Anderson; and former mayoral candidate Keith Amemiya.
Although she and Amemiya have never won elected office, Menor- McNamara said she has plenty of experience working on issues that affect families and businesses, especially critical ones that emerged with COVID-19 following the state shutdown in March 2020.
The Chamber of Commerce, among others, pushed for a popular Restaurant Card program that helped both struggling families and island restaurants by distributing over 150,000 prepaid cards, generating $52 million in revenue for restaurants.
“This is my first time running ever, but I’m not coming in with zero experience,” Menor-McNamara said. “I’ve worked with the Legislature. I’ve worked with the governor and state agencies.”
Through conversations at family kitchen tables, garages and carports across the state, Menor-McNamara said she’s learned that the problems that were magnified by COVID-19 continue.
“It’s all kine, where I really get to listen and hear concerns. Everybody has a story,” she said.
The perception is the same wherever she goes on every island.
“We’re at a pivotal moment in Hawaii as we get out of this pandemic,” Menor- McNamara said. “Things haven’t changed —and many feel it’s gotten worse.”
