State House District 28 candidate David Chang on the issues

DOWNTOWN—David Chang is the Republican candidate for State House District 28, which is comprised of Downtown, Chinatown, Palama, Iwilei, and Sheridan.

Chang is a West Point Military Academy and University of Hawaii graduate. He is an Army Intelligence and Iraq War veteran, and the CEO/president of the wealth management firm WealthBridge, Inc. He was named 2010 Young Business leader of the Year by Pacific Business News.

The Hawaii Independent presented questions to each General Election candidate. Responses will be published in the order in which they are received.

Here are Chang’s responses.

Why are you running for office?
Thinking about what our beloved Hawaii will become is important to me. What kind of Hawaii do we want to leave our children and their children? We need a strong economy, quality education, clean environment, cultural appreciation, and a safe, secure, and peaceful community. The critical question is, are our current elected officials leading us there? Do we have a system where everyone is represented at the table? I believe that what we do now will determine the future of all aspects of our community. Hawaii is the most expensive place to create jobs in America. Hawaii has the highest taxes and rents in the nation, is ranked 48 out of 50 states for doing business and Hawaii is ranked 47 out of 50 states for education. We cannot afford the status quo any longer. We must have a government that helps us solve our problems, not create new ones. I am running to make Hawaii a better place to live and improve our standard of living. I would like to provide the vision and commitment for a better Hawaii!

What is the single most important issue for your constituents?
We must rebuild our economy and have a fully employed workforce. Hawaii’s residents have the highest tax burden in the country. This stifles innovation and small business growth, which provides 70 percent of our jobs. We must restore commonsense Hawaiian values to our economic policies. This means spending only the money the government has in its coffers, eliminating waste, making hard choices, enforcing accountability and efficiency, and helping Hawaii’s working families. Getting our financial house in order will enable us to begin building a vibrant and prosperous economy that will be built on Hawaii’s diverse people, individual liberties, initiative, and equality of opportunity for everyone.

What would you change in the way that issue is being handled presently?
We cannot afford the status quo any longer. Currently legislators continue to pass tax and cost of living increases in Hawaii. Many also cater to the special interest groups. I am not beholden to the special interest groups and will vote and introduce legislation that is in the best interests of the people of Hawaii. We must do better than we are doing now and help small businesses create jobs, which in turn would increase tax revenue, which would fund the essential government services. We must also reform our education system and put our keiki first. I am also a big proponent of public and private partnerships to make our services more effective and efficient.

Who is your largest campaign contributor?
I have raised over $85,000 coming from about 300 people and organizations. I have had multiple individuals max out to my campaign. I have not received funds from any union groups and have received little from other organizations and PACs. I am not beholden to any special interest groups.

Who do you plan on including in your staff?
I haven’t thought that far yet. Once the outcome has decided, I will sit with my current staff to see what is best for the people of my district.

What’s your strategy in dealing with the “homeless”?
There will have to be a multi-prong approach to the problem. There are three facets to the “homeless” problem: Many are “homeless” because of the high cost of living, many have mental problems, and many have drug or alcohol addictions. We need to empower private and civic community action to help the “homeless” with their respective problems. The government can assist with temporary housing, job training, and placement and in the long-run work to lower the cost of living. We need to offer the care for those in need.

What’s your stance on rail? Can Hawaii afford it?
I am for mass transit but do not see how we can afford the rail. Currently, the City and County of Honolulu has to pay 6 billion for the sewers. The City cannot afford the added the costs to the rail. We have the highest taxes in the nation, any additional taxes will be detrimental to Hawaii’s economy. If we can find a way to pay for a mass transit system that wouldn’t overburden our economy, then I would be for it.

Where do you stand on civil unions? Would you have voted in favor of HB 444?
I oppose House Bill 444 and believe marriage should be between man and a woman. If it is about rights, then we can expand reciprocal benefits.

Do you support the Akaka Bill?
I oppose the Akaka Bill in its current form.

How do we get Hawaii residents active in the elections process?
We need to educate the people on the importance of voting. When only 38 percent of all qualified voters vote, then a minority will make the decision for the majority. We also need to streamline the voting process.

How can we help Hawaii’s small businesses to stay alive during these hard times?
Every small business owner that I have talked to agrees that the cost of doing business is very high. Roughly 99 percent of Hawaii’s businesses, 70 percent of our private jobs, and 57 percent of our payroll come from small businesses. Small businesses have generated 64 percent of new jobs over the past 15 years. In Hawaii, small business is really big business. They create the jobs that support our families and connect us to the hope of a better future for our keiki and moopuna. In a recent article by CNBC, Hawaii ranked 48 out of 50 in top states to do business in.

Lower taxes and regulation must be offset by growing our economic tax base and eliminating government waste for more efficient management of public resources.

We can strengthen our economy by lowering taxes and minimizing government interference. This will allow businesses to grow, bring more revenue to the state, and provide more jobs and opportunities in our communities. People should be able to keep more of their money for their families so they can have a chance to invest and build their future for greater security. I want to create a user-friendly government that will foster the development of a diversified and sustainable economic base where open markets and competition spurs innovation

How do we solve Hawaii’s unemployment problem?
We need to rebuild our economy. Having a fully employed work force builds prosperity for all and enables us to affordably fund excellent education and social services. We need to encourage businesses to locate here in Hawaii. 70 percent of Hawaii’s jobs are created by small businesses, but Hawaii is the second-most-expensive place to do business in the world behind Tokyo, Japan.

We must help small businesses grow and be able to compete in the international marketplace. This will also create attractive jobs for Hawaii’s future generations. We also need to foster the development of a diversified and sustainable economic base where open markets and competition spur innovation. We need to ensure balance in our legislation to give equal opportunity to all of Hawaii’s citizens.

For more information, visit http://www.fordavidchang.com/Home.aspx.