Senate District 10 incumbent Brian Taniguchi answers community questions
MOILIILI—There are two candidates in the State Senate District 10 race as of the Office of Elections Candidate Report on July 23.
District 10 comprises Manoa, Moiliili, McCully, and Makiki.
The Hawaii Independent submitted questions to each senatorial candidate. Responses will be published in the order in which they are received.
Senate District 10 incumbent Brian Taniguchi has been serving on the State Senate since 1994. Taniguchi is currently the Chair of Judiciary and Government Operations, the Vice-Chair of Labor, and serves on the Higher Education committee.
Why are you running for office?
I am running for office because it is a way for me to contribute to making a better Hawaii. I believe my past legislative experience helps me to bring people together to solve our common problems. Government can be a complicated maze fraught with pitfalls and challenges when it comes to building solutions. I have worked in this arena for many years and understand what it takes to develop legislative solutions to community problems.
What is the single most important issue for your constituents?
The struggling economy.
What would you change in the way that issue is being handled presently?
One small thing I would do would be to request the next governor to release some of the money that has been appropriated for construction projects and non-profit organizations that assist those with social services. Despite a slightly better revenue picture, the current governor has refused to do so.
Who is your largest campaign contributor?
I am not sure who my largest contributor is. I would need to review my records because that is not something I keep track of.
Who do you plan on including in your staff?
It would depend on what committee I end up with if I were to be re-elected. I currently have a committee clerk and an office manager who would be retained if I were re-elected.
What’s your strategy in dealing with the “homeless”?
I am hoping the City Council would work on an ordinance that would allow the police to remove those who are blocking up our sidewalks. I do not believe situations like what is happening at McCully Library should be allowed to continue. Because the Legislature does not convene until January, we could also look at a state-wide law. The State should also look at developing more affordable rentals to assist those who really need help.
What’s your stance on rail? Can Hawaii afford it?
I support a mass transit system but the current plans bother me because we should be starting from the urban core and going out, not starting in Kapolei and going to Waipahu.
Where do you stand on civil unions?
I support civil unions and voted for House Bill 444.
Do you support the Akaka Bill?
I have not really followed its many versions primarily because it is federal legislation. I am not clear about its impact on State government.
How do we get Hawaii residents active in the elections process?
To get people involved with the electoral process, we should probably require people to work at the Legislature for a whole Session at least once in their lives—sort of like jury duty.
How can we help Hawaii’s small businesses to stay alive during these hard times?
We should patronize them as much as we can. Often, we as individuals feel that we are not able to “save” our favorite small businesses. I used to buy local milk even though it was much more expensive to help keep our local dairy industry alive but there are no dairies on Oahu anymore. I always filled up gas at Tanabe’s in Manoa and avoided Costco but the Tanabe family just sold the business a few weeks ago. I was sad to see Dwight leave.
How do we solve Hawaii’s unemployment problem?
Actually Hawaii’s employment rate is improving and we cannot really “solve” unemployment. The extension of unemployment insurance benefits by the federal government has been very helpful in keeping many afloat during these difficult times.
Read candidate Eric B. Marshall’s responses here.