Editor’s note: Civil Beat has asked candidates for the primary election to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following comes from Ki’i Kaho’ohanohano, Democratic candidate for state House District 10, which includes parts of Waiehu, and Paukukalo, Wailuku, Wailuku Heights, Waikapū and Hyashi Village.

She is running against incumbent Tyson Miyake in the Democratic primary. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Travis Bumanglag in the November general election.

Go to Civil Beat’s 2026 Elections Guide for general information, and check out the other candidates on Civil Beatʻs 2026 Hawaiʻi Primary Ballot.

Why are you best suited for the job? And why do you want the job?

I have been a community advocate, small business owner and birth worker here for over 20 years. As a mother, I have a strong perspective on the many different ways our community can improve — from having school buses for our keiki, to keeping Waikapū green to growing our infrastructure in a way that actually supports locals. The single biggest reason I decided to run is to protect the waters within my district, which we all rely on.

What is the biggest issue facing your district, and what is the first thing you would do to address it in the first six months after being elected?

The biggest issue facing our community is the privatization of water. I would fight to enforce the public trust doctrine, which states that our water is a public resource, but has been ignored for decades.

Here’s one question from your constituents: Do you support maintaining a monopoly for interisland shipping?

No. When considering this issue we need to especially consider the burdens that lie on Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi. Efficient and affordable interisland shipping is not only a daily necessity for our neighbor island ʻohana, but will be critical to restoring our food independence.

What do you think were the most important bills to come out of the 2026 Legislature? What failed that should have passed? What passed that you wish had failed?

SB 2471 was a major victory for getting big money out of politics. It won’t fix everything, but it was a really strong step. One bill that should have passed was HB 1929, which would have protected Molokaʻi from invasive species. Finally, part of SB 3125 that should not have made it through was the repeal of a tax credit that would help local families install solar. We need to support energy independence, not make it harder to achieve.

The 2026 session was also overshadowed by an issue of public trust: $35,000 in the brown paper bag given to an “influential” state lawmaker. What do you think the Legislature needs to do going forward to rebuild public confidence in state government?

This issue was one spark of many that lit the fire in me to run. Over decades of advocating for our community, I have seen the corruption and arrogance of our politicians firsthand — and I’m sick of it. We need to clean house — the question is not how the same officials can earn trust, but what the people of Hawaiʻi must do to elect leaders they can trust. It’s time for change, and for public servants who actually serve the people.

In recent years, Hawai’i has experienced a series of damaging and dangerous weather events that have exposed weaknesses in our planning, preparation and response. What could you as a lawmaker do to help your district be better prepared?

From Lahaina to Molokaʻi, and from the fires to floods, I have been boots on the ground. I know that it was community that showed up for each other, and community that did the work that needed doing. As leaders, we need to give community the funding and infrastructure to do what they already do. What if the people showing up day after day got paid to do so? What if we actually listened to regular folks, and let them lead response plans? That’s what I’ll fight for.

What would you do in office to address the here and now of climate change? And how would you address the costs to taxpayers, property owners and businesses to adapt?

We can give locals money back, not take more away from them. To prepare for the future, we must create an economy based on the ahupuaʻa system. Replanting our forests, returning our water to the streams, and restoring our loʻi will not only enable our keiki to thrive, but it will supercharge our economy. When we invest in this path with fair corporate taxes and green bonds, every dollar and more will come back to us. We’ll have high-paying jobs, food security and disaster resilience.

Over 3,000 bills are introduced every session and there is always frantic horsetrading in the final days of session. Do you think there should be a limit on the number of bills introduced to enable more meaningful debate?

The number of bills is not the reason why there is not more meaningful debate. If the people who claim to serve us are “horsetrading” — offering each other favors instead of doing what’s best for our communities — we have bigger issues than the number of bills.

Hawaiʻi lawmakers are often in the dark about how much a piece of legislation will cost because the Aloha State is the only one in the nation that doesn’t require a fiscal analysis for bills. Should lawmakers be forced to put a realistic price tag on the legislation they introduce?

Yes. That’s why every other state does it.

There are no term limits for state legislators in Hawaiʻi, so incumbents tend to win. Would you seek to change that? Why or why not?

While I support term limits, they are only a band-aid solution. Bad politicians win because local people are so tired of the government that we don’t vote, let alone run for office. We need to support local people, so when politicians don’t serve their community, someone good runs against them.

What would you do to help improve the state’s public school system?

Where to start…We need to pay our teachers what they deserve: enough to live well and support a family on a single salary. It is crazy disrespectful how little our teachers are currently paid. We need to grow farm to school and DOE composting programs. We need buses for all our keiki. Finally, we need to meet demand for Ke Kula Kaiapuni, support its growth, and consolidate our resources into a single K-12 campus.

Hawaiʻi is heavily reliant on tourism. What would you propose to diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy?

Before colonization, Hawaiʻi fed nearly a million people. When we combine Hawaiian systems with modern technology, we can produce huge amounts of food. Not only can we produce enough for ourselves, we can be a global breadbasket — an especially vital role in the coming years. This landscape will also create a new kind of tourism, focused on participation in mālama ʻāina. We also need to support our local film industry.

An estimated 60% of Hawaii residents are struggling to get by. It’s a problem that reaches far beyond low-income folks and into the middle class, which is disappearing. What would you do to help?

We are those people. Every day, I see our community struggling to get by, let alone get ahead. And despite doing everything I can to support my ʻohana and our community, I struggle myself. I’m running because there is no reason that we need to be struggling this much. Things don’t have to be like this. We can build a Hawaiʻi where everyone has a home, enough to eat and time to spend with their families. My previous answers have laid out a vision of how we get there — let’s do this together.