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 Paʻele Kiakona, a Green Party candidate for state House District 14, covering Kahakuloa, Waiheʻe, parts of Waiehu and Māʻalaea, Olowalu, Lahaina, Lahainaluna, Kāʻanapali, Mahinahina Camp, Kahana and Honokahua.

He is unopposed in the Aug. 8 primary and will advance to the November general election where he will face Republican candidate Elle Cochran and one of three Democratic candidates: Ashley Olson, Kanamu Balinbin and Sne Patel.

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 am a Lahaina boy, born and raised, and I have spent my life preparing to serving this community. As an organizer, a Board of Water Supply member, and someone who helped hold our people together after the fire, I want this seat because I love these islands and the folks who call them home. I believe good leadership is about listening, building relationships, and bringing state and county together to serve our families with humility.

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?

Housing is the heart of it. Too many of our families are being priced out of the place their kūpuna have lived for generations, and Lahaina is still healing. In my first six months, I will build a close, working partnership with the county so we stop duplicating effort and start aligning resources to turn short-term rentals back into homes for local families. We keep our community whole by keeping our people here.

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

I want to approach this with care, because these shipping costs weigh on our families every trip to the store. In the State House, I will look for thoughtful reforms that lower costs and improve reliability for our local businesses. Any path forward has to protect our maritime workers and their good union jobs, and make sure the goods our families depend on reach every island at a price they can afford.

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?

I was glad to see progress on emergency response, but I was disappointed that bills like SB 2737 on anti-bribery, SB 2313 on public financing and SB 1214’s vacant home tax did not make it through. In the State House, I will champion openness and transparency. Our people deserve honest lawmaking that protects their housing and keeps working families at the center of every decision we make together.

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?

Moments like that shake our people’s faith in government, and I understand why. Rebuilding trust starts with humility and real accountability. I will support public financing of elections and stronger ethics rules, and I will work to build open, honest relationships across state and county. Trust is a sacred bond, and I believe we earn it back the same way we lost it, one honest day at a time.

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?

Living through the fire taught me how much our readiness depends on state and county working as one. As a Lahaina native, I will use my ability to bring different people to the same table to build that partnership. Together we can underground power lines, protect our water and stand up neighborhood resilience hubs, so our families are cared for and connected long before the next emergency arrives.

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?

In the State House, I will move us away from shoreline hardening and toward living defenses like restored dunes and revived reefs that soften the waves before they reach our homes. I will support owners who plan a graceful retreat from the water’s edge and invest in local farming so our shelves stay full when disaster comes. To ease the cost, I will steer Hawaiʻi’s green fee toward frontline communities like ours and ask empty homes owned from offshore to contribute their fair share.

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?

Yes, I believe a thoughtful limit would serve us well. When we rush thousands of bills through in a few short weeks, the deep debate our communities deserve gets lost. A reasonable cap would give lawmakers the time to truly understand how each measure touches our families, and it would let us do our work in the open, with the care, honesty and clear intention our people are counting on.

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?

Absolutely. Our people deserve to know what a law will really cost before we pass it, and requiring honest fiscal analysis is a matter of respect for our taxpayers. Fiscal notes bring transparency to the budget and help us avoid unexpected strain on our families down the road. When we understand the true cost, we can direct public money thoughtfully toward housing, schools and the infrastructure our communities need.

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?

Yes, I support term limits. A seat in the Legislature is a temporary stewardship meant to lift up the community, and I see it as a trust rather than a career. Limits keep fresh voices and grassroots leadership flowing, and they keep government close to the everyday reality our people live. They encourage all of us to serve with humility and urgency, and to do the most good we can in the time we are given.

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

Our teachers pour their hearts into our keiki, and too many of them cannot afford to live where they teach. In the State House, I will work to secure competitive pay and real housing options so our educators can stay in our district. I will also support safer classrooms and learning that honors our culture alongside strong vocational paths. When we invest in our schools with love, we give our youth a foundation to thrive at home.

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

I want our youth to be able to build a life here without ever having to leave. In the State House, I will invest in local agriculture that feeds our people, clean energy that creates good union jobs and a regenerative tourism where visitors share in the real Hawaiʻi and the benefits stay in local hands. Supporting our small businesses, farmers and cultural practitioners builds honest careers rooted in our ʻāina and our community.

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?

It weighs on my heart to see so many of our neighbors working hard and still falling behind. In the State House, I will focus on housing, the biggest driver of our cost of living. Working alongside the county, I will help move short-term rentals back to local families and bring real stability to our neighborhoods. Together with living wages and affordable childcare, my focus will always be on protecting the working people who make these islands home.