State House District 29 candidate Ken Harding on the issues

KALIHI—Ken Harding is the Republican candidate for the State House District 29 seat, comprising parts of Kalihi Kai, Sand Island, Mokauea, and Kapalama.

Harding is an educator and former Peace Corps volunteer. He is a 12-year member of the Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood Board.

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

Here are Harding’s responses.

Why are you running for office?
I’m running for office because I believe we can do a much better job than what we’ve been doing, to build a better society—in America, in Hawaii, and right here at home in Kalihi.

I’m running because I think we need more balance in our State Legislature, with fresh ideas and new leadership—new thinking for the new century.

I’m running because I want to encourage more citizen participation in public affairs. If an “old codger” like me can run, without embarrassment, maybe younger people will get more involved in the future. I’m running because I know that Kalihi’s a great place to live, with warm, wonderful people—people who deserve more than machine politics and uncontested elections. Finally, I’m running because I genuinely enjoy serving others and giving back to the community. 

What is the single most important issue for your constituents?
We hear a lot about the “three E’s”—education, the economy, and the environment—but to my mind, the greatest of these is education. Having a solid grounding in the standard basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, I believe, will best equip our youth to deal with the unknown variables of the future. Education is the best economic development policy and will result in the cleanest, greenest environment. Helping their children get a good education is a common goal, shared by the people of our district. Sometimes called the “Gateway to America,” Kalihi is a “City of Dreams,” a place rich in history, in diversity, and in optimism. In my view, Kalihi should be a zone of excellence, with schools open 24/7, and a support system second to none.

What would you change in the way that issue is being handled presently?
Most of all, I think we need to change the prevailing “business as usual” attitude that has corroded the bright promise embodied by Hawaii’s leaders through the ages. Gov. John A. Burns, whom I got to know when he was a delegate to Congress and I was a young congressional page, was a man of vision and purpose, who placed his faith in the people of our young state. We could use more of his statesmanship and unwavering vision today. More than ever, we need leaders who are able to speak up and willing to speak out, especially when it comes to the quality of our school system and the product it delivers. The present structure of the Board of Education is a festering disgrace that should have been changed decades ago. Another reason I’m running is that I want to advocate that we vote “yes” for an appointed school board, so we can get excellence and accountability built into the system.

Who is your largest campaign contributor?
I guess you’d have to say I am, since I’ve loaned my Campaign for a Better Tomorrow enough funding to keep it alive, mostly through my social security income. In fact, the high cost of running for office is a shame, and I have long urged real reform in the way we fund our elections. With all of the millions of dollars being spent in Hawaii during the current political season, can anyone honestly say the public good is being served or the level of discourse enhanced? I’ve been told that if you want to run a viable campaign for the House, you need to have 40 grand in the bank; if you’re serious about running for City Council, you’ll need a quarter of a million bucks! How insane! I have not sought any endorsements nor had the time and resources to mount a smooth money-raising machine. In one sense, I’m running as a protest against the current electoral insanity.

Who do you plan on including in your staff?
Regarding staffing, I haven’t yet made any commitments to any individual, but the criteria I will invoke as I begin my search will be as follows: I want people working for our State Representatives who are: 1) service-oriented and people-friendly; 2) knowledgeable about the community of greater Kalihi and its issues; 3) passionate about helping others; and 4) willing to think outside of the box. I want to give more opportunity to young people and those who are not connected with the inside-baseball of the “Big Square Building.” Anybody working for me will have to realize they are there for one reason: to serve our constituents with aloha, respect, and results. 

What’s your strategy in dealing with the “homeless”?
My strategy is to start with the recognition that every “homeless” person is indeed a human being, and not some alien creature to be despised and/or pitied. Few things in my life impacted me more than the plight of the people in Ala Moana when the torrential rains came four or five years ago after hundreds of people had been kicked out of the park with no place to go. For me, it was a transformational experience, taking people into our church, cooking for them, caring for them, and most important of all, just being there in a time of great stress. 

The other day, when I was jogging I came within inches of stepping on a man lying on ragged blanket on the sidewalk in an area with strong sewage fumes, and I imagined that it was myself lying in his place. How sad that all we seem able to do is point fingers and blame others. I applaud everyone who seeks to help feed the homeless, shelter them, reach out to them with service programs, and to serve them with love and kindness. As a matter of government policy, I would not create more bureaucracy, but I would seek to contract out services to faith-based and veterans groups that are innovative and resourceful. I think we need to explore safe havens and offer incentives so we can also keep our parks clean and pristine for residents and visitors alike. 

And, I am a fierce grey panther (FGP) about maintaining our public facilities in tip-top shape. You and I both know that it’s a load of hogslop to blame the oft-neglected state of public facilities on the “homeless.” You and I both know that the “homeless” are simply scapegoats for poor public management.

What’s your stance on rail? Can Hawaii afford it?
I’m very bothered by the whole rail issue—economically, aesthetically, and environmentally. I’m convinced it will disrupt communities rather than build them. It concerns me, too, that the plans do not extend to the University of Hawaii, and I don’t care for the design concept. Most of all, Honolulu cannot afford the system we are designing and neither the small businesses of our island nor the general public can sustain its considerable costs. Throughout the debate, I’ve tried to be open-minded about the subject, but I am not persuaded that the overall benefits outweigh the costs, and I think the costs will be far greater than we ever anticipated. In my humble and admittedly “old-fashioned” view, we should fix the facilities and the infrastructure that we have before we go off on another huge government spending spree, funded in great measure on the backs of the poor with a regressive excise tax rate increase. Panos [Prevedouros] was (and is) right.

Where do you stand on civil unions? Would you have voted in favor of House Bill 444?
This, of course, is a very complex hot button issue, and I have great respect for many people on both sides of this highly emotional argument, as well as great concerns about the debate’s impact on the well-being of our community.

It is presumptuous to think that one vote, or even one law in Hawaii, is going to significantly alter the overall course of a national issue that is playing itself out in very large historical terms, in all three branches of the federal government, legislative, executive, and judicial, and at all three levels of governance, national, state and local. 

I also recognize that the way we wrestle with such issues greatly affects the outcome of other issues critical to Hawaii’s future. In my view, whatever the outcome, we need to tone down the rhetoric, listen carefully to our neighbors, and seek to understand before we condemn. 
I am very concerned about tolerance issues and personally abhor intolerance. 

I have no problem with civil unions but a lot of problems with discrimination. Some people may not like it, but there are obvious civil rights aspects to the overall issue and I can tell you there is no place for homophobic behavior in a free and civil society. Would I have voted for House Bill 444? I honestly don’t know; I wasn’t there and have never read the bill—but had I been in office, I definitely would have read it, and probably would have supported it in principle, but not in practice because I do believe the process was badly flawed and shrouded in secrecy. 

Just as evidence that is tainted cannot be admissible in court, a process of legislative passage, subjected to backroom deals and hidden agendas, which was the case with House Bill 444, is contrary to the public interest.

If the issue comes up in the next Legislature, I can assure my constituents that I will be fair and open-minded and accessible to people on all sides of this issue, and will do my best to render a fair and just decision, because that is what I’m elected to do.

Do you support the Akaka bill?
Once again, this is an issue that permeates through all levels of government in Hawaii, one that greatly reflects and impacts our island state and its unique cultural history. I have been a supporter of the Akaka bill for many years and believe there are critical issues that need to be resolved. When we say that “the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness,” that is a metaphorical statement that applies most directly to the proposed federal law. 

The Akaka bill, named after a good and kind man, recognizes the validity of the host people and culture and provides a righteous framework for moving forward by recognizing that wrongs were committed in the past. To me, this is genius of America, to be moving toward a more perfect union. I’m glad that the latest version was amended to regain the local bipartisan support the bill had once enjoyed. I, for one, will be satisfied, once it is passed, that justice will be done.

How do we get Hawaii residents active in the election process?
This is a tough question to answer, because our results are dismal and disturbing. A lot has to do with the declining quality of civics education and our failure to teach meaningfully about the duties of citizenship and the nature of self-governance. But failure to be engaged also reflects a sense of futility that comes from living in a state with a one-party machine, as Ed Case has so well pointed out, where the outcome of an election is a matter of course. So “why bother” becomes a toxic pattern of cynicism and realism, a self-fulfilling prophesy that bodes poorly for the future of our State. I think projects like Kids Voting are worthwhile, and I strongly support programs like the merit badges in Scouting that instruct young people in how the process works. Service learning is another great way to get young people involved in their community, so I would conclude that the way of engagement is involvement. 

How can we help Hawaii’s small businesses to stay alive during these hard times?
As a life-long small business owner, I feel strongly that the backbone of our economy is the opportunity to seize an idea and pursue it, to take a risk and run with it, to be rewarded when you succeed and to be willing to try again when you don’t. So, creating and retaining an entrepreneurial environment is, I think, essential to economic success, not only in Hawaii but elsewhere as well. Too much of the “nanny state” is not, where everything is done for you and you eventually lose any drive to make the most of your opportunities regardless of your background.

As I’ve stated above, taxes, especially the excise tax, are too high and dampen the vitality of the local economy. The local economy, anyplace, is a wondrous, endlessly fascinating entity to behold, and is a positive force that should be encouraged and respected. Perhaps the best answer is for the government, despite all its good intentions, just to stand back and let the marketplace flourish.

How do we solve Hawaii’s unemployment problem?
Well, first of all, let’s put things in perspective, and be grateful that we don’t have Nevada’s unemployment problem, which is 14 percent, or Michigan’s, which is even higher. As a one-time Economic Development director for Kauai County many years ago under Mayor Eduardo Malapit, I became well aware that we encourage the industries we already have, like tourism, agriculture, and military support, and that we invest in the long-term for growth in science and technology. That picture hasn’t really changed in 30 years, but the global economy sure has!  It all comes down to providing better education, especially in the so-called STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and math. 

For more information, visit http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=14841.