State House District 6 incumbent Denny Coffman answers your questions
HAWAII ISLAND—Candidate Denny Coffman is campaigning to be reelected for State House District 6, which represents North Kona, Keauhou, Kailua-Kona, and Honokohau on Hawaii Island.
A Democrat who has represented Kona since 2008, Coffman has one opponent for District 6, Republican Rebecca Leau, going into the General Election on November 2. Coffman holds a degree in business administration and is a founding director and officer of Community Enterprises, a non-profit and non-partisan organization that produces monthly Kona Town meetings.
The Hawaii Independent presented reader-submitted questions to each General Election candidate. Responses will be published in the order in which they are received.
Here are Coffman’s responses.
Who is your largest campaign contributor?
Hawaii Association of Realtors.
Where do you stand on civil unions?
In support.
Would you have voted for House Bill 444?
I did vote in support.
Do you think that the debate over gay marriage contributes to gay bashing in our schools?
Does not help.
How, as an elected official, will you support and enforce the existing State laws that protect and nurture the rights of Native Hawaiians?
I will certainly support new legislation and preserve exiting laws that protect and nurture Native Hawaiians.
What kind of tax relief do you support and how else do we lower the cost of living for full time residents?
Wrong side of the coin. We need to raise the minimum wage to a living wage so that our service workers do not have to be supported by government.
How do you limit bureaucracy in government and manage civil work for efficiency?
Good leadership with strong management skills.
What ideas do you have for improving our education system?
Decentralize.
Do you support a governor-appointed Board of Education?
Yes.
What’s going to be your input in addressing Hawaii’s homeless crisis?
Accept responsibility and help get everyone off of the streets and into some type of shelter.
How would you improve accountability in government?
Eliminate program-based budgeting and go to a zero-based budgeting process.
What is your opinion on Hawaii’s current approach to renewable energy?
It will not take care of the neighbor islands where the highest utility costs exist. Will focus on this issue.
Do you support legislation that would establish clear definitions and penalties for human trafficking in Hawaii?
Yes.
Are you aware of concerns Hawaii residents have with the lack of enforcement of child support laws, and do you see a way you could address it if elected?
Just aware that it is a nation-wide problem. This is an area that needs to be looked at by the Judiciary Committee.
In balancing the State budget, what specific government programs or services would you cut?
My first focus is on discretionary services that are managed with general funds. All discretionary government service should charge fees for service to recover all costs. Government should only subsidize core services: health, human, and education.
How do you feel about medical marijuana?
We need to get the federal government to change its drug classification to allow for its use as a medicine. It could then be dispensed at a pharmacy just like any other medicine.
Do you support it being used medicinally?
Yes.
For more information on Coffman visit http://www.DennyCoffman.org.