Candidates weigh in on education, taxes, agriculture, state hospitals

LIHU‘E — The primary election is just five weeks away.

Major Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor met Thursday at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall, sharing their views on education, agriculture, business, taxes and health care.

KHNL anchor Keahi Tucker, a Waimea High School graduate, moderated the event, marked by respect and courtesy between candidates who have common years of experience at the state Legislature.

“We wanted to have a cage match, but there was some liability issues,” joked Tucker during his opening statement, prompting laughter from the audience.

Tucker asked the same questions that the two top Democratic candidates for governor faced a week earlier in a event at Kaua‘i Community College’s Performing Arts Center in Puhi, which was also hosted by the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, The Garden Island and other entities.

Each candidate had two minutes to answer questions.

Raising business taxes

Lyla Berg: The former state representative said she voted against almost every tax increase. She would look into audits, assess each department and run state government as a business.

Bobby Bunda: The former state Senate president said he hopes the economy recovers and the government is able to balance the budget again.

Gary Hooser: The former state senator said he rejected most program cuts in the last Legislature. He called school furloughs a “travesty,” and said he would invest in the economy to create more jobs.

Jon Riki Karamatsu: The former state representative said the last resort would be to raise taxes, because he knows how that would affect small businesses. He would support creating more reserve funds to stimulate the economy.

Norman Sakamoto: The former state senator said he would support creating more jobs. This would bring more money into the economy and the government, thus avoid the need to raise taxes.

Brian Schatz: The former state representative said he would look at state audits.

Boosting agriculture on Kaua‘i

Bunda: Kaua‘i needs consumption and seed-production crops, Bunda said.

Hooser: He said he would promote food sustainability and preserve open spaces. He championed “a long list of agricultural bills” that passed during his tenure as a senator, he said.

Karamatsu: He said he would protect land and farm operations, propose cooperative programs, promote value-added products, and support basic infrastructure for farmers such as packing and transportation of produce.

Sakamoto: He would promote partnerships with the government, which would improve diversified agriculture, he said.

Schatz: “If we loose open spaces, we loose who we are,” he said. Protecting land, water and market would help agriculture, he said.

Berg: “Agriculture is not a hobby, it’s a way of life,” said Berg. She would encourage schools to create agriculture programs.

Education

Hooser: “‘Education’ is more than a buzz word, it’s the No. 1 priority in our state,” said Hooser, who would focus on technology and early-childhood education.

Karamatsu: He would look into incentives for schools that perform well, and also for schools that promote parental participation.

Sakamoto: “Teachers are the most important factors in education,” said Sakamoto, adding that the government needs to loosen bureaucratic barriers for teachers.

Schatz: “Without strong education there will be no economic recovery,” said Schatz, who also put emphasis on early-childhood education.

Berg: The former teacher said unions, the government and the state Board of Education made the decision to furlough schools. Lawmakers, she said, should not be in charge of making decisions for schools.

Bunda: “Scores is one thing, graduation rates is another,” said Bunda, who suggested restructuring the state BOE system by creating county school boards.

State hospitals

Karamatsu: Funding is key to each hospital, he said. There’s a need to allocate funds to state hospitals, because they can’t handle long-term health care, he said.

Sakamoto: He said there are many experts out there. “We need to get them on our page.”

Schatz: Rural hospitals are critical in the state, especially on Kaua‘i, said Schatz, adding that there’s a need for people who understand the details of health care.

Berg: Each hospital has different systems, Berg said, adding that the state system has to be coherent. She would also look into more preventive care.

Bunda: Without the Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation state hospitals would’ve been in chaos, said Bunda. But he also said there’s a problem with the HHSC administration, and it needs a leadership change.

Hooser: He said the state needs someone who understands the needs of Neighbor Islands. He said every other year there’s an attempt to close Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital and Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital, and he takes it personally.

Enhance Kaua‘i businesses

Sakamoto: Small businesses keep the economy running, he said. “We need to work together, but businesses need to do their part,” he said.

Schatz: If you work hard you’ve got to be able to afford the cost of living, he said, adding that “we can’t have a strong economy without strong education.”

Berg: “I’m a small-business owner,” said Berg, proposing to market Hawai‘i to encourage businesses to come here.

Bunda: “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” said Bunda, who supports high-technology credits and banking credits to small business.

Hooser: He said we need to lessen regulatory burdens on small businesses without compromising the environment.

Karamatsu: He would promote foreign delegations to come to Hawai‘i, especially from emerging nations.

Who are you?

Schatz: “I’m a problem-solver.”

Berg: “I’m a single working mother.”

Bunda: “I bring people together.”

Hooser: “I’m a leader.”

Karamatsu: “I have people skills.”

Sakamoto: “I work collaboratively.”

Final statements

Schatz: “I have demonstrated that I can turn around an organization that is in trouble.”

Sakamoto: “When people work together they can solve everything.” His top-two priorities are jobs and education.

Karamatsu: “I’m an old-school guy bringing new-school ideas.”

Hooser: “This is my home, I will be buried here. You can count on me.”

Bunda: “Each island has different needs. On Kaua‘i the people want to find a balance to keep the rural lifestyle.”

Berg: She said the lieutenant governor works for the people. “I will continue to work for you.”