Candidate name: Lance Widner
Party Affiliation: None
Age and Birth date: 32; May 11, 1976
Contact number: 808-375-5401
Office sought: City Council, District #9
Other pertinent experience: Community Board Member, Gov’t Affairs Chairman, Traffic Calming Committee Chair

What qualifies you to be a City Council member?

As Board member and Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee in Royal Kunia for the past three years, I have been involved directly in a land preservation battle, with the Department of Education to reprioritize a long-promised elementary school, and am now in communication with the develop of the second phase of our neighborhood.  I have also organized a Traffic Calming Subcommittee for Royal Kunia, and have been a member of the Ho’opili Task Force for three years to ensure proper development and community input as D.R. Horton begins to develop a new subdivision between Waipahu and Kapolei. 

 What is the biggest problem facing your district and, if elected, what will you do about it?

I believe the biggest problem our district faces is traffic.  In addition to creating incentives to keep businesses and employees in leeward Oahu, which will reduce commuter congestion, I also think there are ways to increase cooperation between city and state organizations when disruptions occur on our roads.  The faster they communicate, the faster we can redirect traffic or solve the problem.  Additionally, by bringing light rail to Oahu, leeward residents will not only have an alternative mode of transportation, but there will be fewer cars on the road for residents driving down from Mililani. 

What can the city do to help residents cope with the rising cost of living?

The City Council can directly influence the charges they impose on residents.  The technology is now available to perform most services online (permits, registration, etc.)  While not everyone has internet access, the larger the percentage of people that do use these services online, the more the aggregate cost will decline, and that savings can be passed on to Hawaii’s residents.  Second, we need to continually reexamine how property taxes are assessed, especially for the elderly and those who live on fixed incomes.  We need to ensure the inflation index is taken into account when analyzing such taxes, and that reductions or exemptions are given when warranted. 

Should the city continue its planned rail transit system? Please explain.

 
There is clearly a global movement toward mass transit, and the time has come to adopt this trend.  We only have one main route from leeward Oahu to downtown, so an alternative is even more critical than in most cities.  In addition to the federal subsidy, the rail can be funded with tax dollars, and approximately one third of those dollars collected come from tourism.  This helps.  However, I am fervently opposed to any additional taxes to fund the project beyond the 4.5% GE tax, and, I believe the decision for this project should rest with voters, not City Council.

 What should the city do to improve the quality of Honolulu’s roads?

To improve road conditions, we can do three things:  1)  We need to continuously explore  high-tech alternatives.  There are new paving materials that are cheaper and stronger, and will substantially improve road surfaces.  2)  In addition to fixing the potholes themselves, we need to fix the substrate below them.  Without this, the potholes will reappear much more rapidly.  3)  Again, with better communication between city and state, we can repair roads more rapidly, staving off further deterioration and increased costs.

 What should the city do about homelessness?

This one is tough.  Every case will have to be looked at individually, but it seems that the homeless fall into two primary camps.  The first is filled with those who simply can no longer afford the high cost of living and don’t know where to turn.  There are programs and transitional housing options available to assist those in need in an effort to help restore financial independence.  If the rules are followed, support will be given.  The second camp includes those that either don’t want to abide by the law or don’t have the mental capacity to do so.  Because there are homeless shelters with many beds that go unused every single night on Oahu, there may be room for tougher enforcement.