Monday marks the beginning of David Ige’s first four-year term as governor of Hawaii.
The long road to his inauguration at the State Capitol was historic, particularly his surprising win in the Aug. 9 primary over Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie.
It was also grueling. There were almost too many candidate forums to count, not to mention all of that sign-waving and fundraising en route to Ige’s Nov. 4 victory over Republican Duke Aiona.
David Ige, seen here at a gubernatorial candidates forum in June, promised to do a lot of things as governor.
PF Bentley/Civil Beat
But now it’s time to get to work. And there’s much to be done.
Ige’s six-month campaign was filled with statements about what his priorities and goals would be if he were elected. He spoke often of his record as a state lawmaker for the past 29 years and the direction he wants to steer Hawaii as governor.
Here are 10 of the things the public should expect to see from its new top executive, as compiled from interviews, news releases and Ige’s campaign website, which has shifted into a post-election mode.
Alleviate the Department of Education’s top-down bureaucracy by empowering principals, specifically increasing the weighted-student formula spending to 75 percent from 58 percent.
Boost government transparency by holding weekly press conferences and limiting charges for public records to basic copying costs.
Introduce legislation to ensure Medicaid recipients receive services equal to those available through Kupuna Care.
Nathan Eagle is a deputy editor for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at neagle@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter at @nathaneagle, Facebook here and Instagram here.