2018 Primary Election Candidates
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Name on ballot:
HAZAMA, Dean I.
Running for:
State House
District (if applicable):
36
Political party:
Democrat
Campaign website:
www.deanhazama.com
Current occupation:
Business Management Officer, Department of Commerc
Age:
57
Previous job history:
Resource Management Officer, Defense Logistics Agency Maritime Pearl Harbor
Logistics Officer, Defense Information Systems Agency Pacific
Previous elected office, if any:
Chair, Mililani Mauka/Launani Valley Neighborhood (Present); Chairman Board of Directors/CFO/COO New Hoipe Central Oahu (Present)
What qualifies you to represent the people of Hawaii?
Having served in leadership capacities in a number of professional and community organizations and with hands on experience at the Legislature, I wouId best represent the district. I have an understanding of the community, our critical issues and needs, and how to get things accomplished. My notable experience includes:
• Chair, Mililani Mauka Neighborhood Board – Completed critical projects for our schools, needed infrastructure and safety of residents.
As the Mililani Mauka Neighborhood Board Chair I am always working on critical issues and addressing the concerns heard from the community on a daily basis. I am actively engaged, connected and know what is important in our district.
I also work closely with our areas schools to constantly improve the education experiences for our children and have served as Chair of the Mililani High School Community Council.
• Chair, Honolulu Planning Commission – Tackled important land use, zoning and development issues for the City and County of Honolulu. As Chair of the Honolulu Planning Commission I have faced and addressed important issues that impact our future such as community planning and development, housing, traffic solutions, renewable energy projects, transit oriented development and other land use issues.
• Chair, State Apprenticeship Council – Promoted workforce development programs and job training.
• Chair, Mililani High School Community Council – Established academic and funding policy and governance to improve student success.
• President, Mililani High School Music Boosters – Fostered and supported education of arts and cultural programs.
• Chairman of the Board, New Hope Central Oahu – Created partnerships and programs to improve our communities.
• Business Management Officer, Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs – Working to promote public confidence in the marketplace and protect Hawaii’s consumers. I have prepared budget and resource requests for critical projects and programs. Working closely with the Legislature in addressing their concerns, providing detailed data and information and offering oral and written testimony on many bills and laws that impact all of our lives. I have navigated in and throughout our legislative process and have established many positive working relationships with legislators over the years.
What are the top three challenges facing the voters you seek to represent?
1. Our high cost of living. We need to steward our tax dollars well, cut wasteful spending, make government more efficient and help our families and Kupuna make ends meet by not raising taxes or fees.
2. Traffic. Our residents face the worst traffic on the island. We spend hours per day commuting to and from our jobs. We need to revisit traffic improvement projects on the H-1, both East and Westbound as well as local area solutions such as an additional H-2 Southbound lane and emergency access road out of Mililani Mauka on H-2 Northbound. We also need to continue to make traffic safety improvements within our district, especially around our schools for our families and Keiki.
3. Housing. Our lack of new housing and high demand has inflated our home prices. There is also a lack of true affordable housing and rental units which contribute to Hawaii having the highest number of homeless in the country. Our families worry whether their children will be able to afford to buy a home of their own. We must also find a balance of building new housing while maintaining open spaces in order to address this severe shortage. We must also streamline the approval and permitting processes so that much needed projects can get started and, more importantly finish faster. Imposing conditions such as owner occupancy restrictions and keeping units as affordable for longer periods of time will ensure that what is being built will be for local residents both now and into the future.
If elected, what will be your highest legislative priority?
Continued economic growth. We need to ensure that three main drivers of our economy all continue to grow: tourism, the military and our business sectors. We should focus on our businesses and jobs. I will move forward in our building and construction of infrastructure and housing projects to build more housing across all income levels and make them truly affordable for everyone and strive to keep work and jobs for our local residents as well as seek more Federal dollars for infrastructure improvements. We must continue to provide resources and improve upon our education systems at all levels so we can compete with the global markets of the future and as I have done in the past, ensure that workforce development programs meet the needs for our future and so our next generation will get higher paying jobs.
If elected, what can you do to improve the lives of your constituents?
1. Safeguard the health and safety of our residents. I will advocate and complete traffic and road safety solutions. We have completed numerous intersection modifications, and have installed new traffic signals as well as traffic calming measures throughout our neighborhood, and more importantly our schools. I will also continue to improve our emergency preparedness readiness. By the end of the year, we will have installed a new emergency siren near the top of Mililani Mauka so that all residents are able to clearly hear these emergency notifications.
2. Continue to improve our schools. As Chair of the Mililani High School Community Council, I worked on many of the challenges our schools face today. We are so fortunate to have excellent schools in our complex, but it has taken hard work over the years by our Administrators, faculty and parents for this to happen. We must keep our schools maintained and upgrade them as necessary to meet our future needs. In addition, I support small class sizes, hiring and retaining qualified teachers who are fairly compensated and contribute to the improvement and success of schools. After all, if our children are our future, we must invest in them and do everything possible to help enhance their educational achievement and advancement experiences.
3. Complete real traffic solutions. There is a completed traffic study that provides a second lane of traffic heading southbound on H-2 to alleviate morning rush hour traffic out of Mililani Mauka. We need to get this project funded and started. We also need to re-prioritize several H1 corridor projects, both East and West bound to help with our morning and afternoon rush hour traffic to and from downtown. Some of these projects such as the PM zipper lane, Waipahu interchange improvement and addition of an eastbound lane from Ewa to Pearl City.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I am driven and have a deep commitment for helping others and serving my district and community. Everyone I know, whether it is the public or staff at work, my fellow neighbors, our families and children or Kupuna, all care deeply about the place we call home where we live, learn, work and play. I believe I have the leadership, experience and a track record of accomplishments to effectively represent and serve our community. I most humbly ask for your vote and support.