2018 Primary Election Candidates

Click to select a candidate

Name on ballot:

PREGITZER, Micah Kalama

Running for:

State House

District (if applicable):

Political party:

Democrat

Campaign website:

facebook.com/FriendsOfMicahKalamaPregitzer/

Current occupation:

High School Science Teacher

Age:

Previous job history:

N/A

Previous elected office, if any:

N/A

What qualifies you to represent the people of Hawaii?

My experience in the public school system, involvement in the teachers union, and a genuine passion to fix our political system and return it to the people of Hawai'i.

What are the top three challenges facing the voters you seek to represent?

1. The rapidly rising cost of living here in Hawai'i.
2. A political system that allows corporations and lobbyists to legally bribe politicians and ignore the people the are supposed to represent.
3. The continual lack of adequate funding for public education in Hawai'i.

If elected, what will be your highest legislative priority?

If the Constitutional Amendment to fund public education in Hawai'i passes in November, my first priority will be to work on creating enabling legislation to ensure that the original intent of securing a sustainable funding source for public education is created, and that it does not create an undue burden on the average residents of Hawai'i.

If elected, what can you do to improve the lives of your constituents?

I will work to create more affordable housing by creating a moratorium on future luxury developments until the needs of the people of Hawai'i are first met. This combined with rent controlled affordable units, legislation to prevent the quick sale of affordable units for a profit, and pressure on the City & Counties to enforce the existing short term rental unit regulations will help to stabilize the housing and rental market here in Hawai'i so that hopefully we can prevent future residents from being forced out of their home state.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?

I am dedicated to giving the people of Hawai'i a voice in the legislature and representing them, not the corporations and special interest groups that control so many of our current legislators. I have taken a pledge to not accept corporate donations and will work to pass legislation that will return the government here in Hawai'i to the people it is supposed to be representing.

I grew up here on the windward side, as did my wife, and as my daughters will too. Over our lives, we have witnessed more and more friends and family forced to move away from the land they call home because they could no longer afford to live here, while more and more of our homes have been snatched up as investment properties by foreign investors and corporations looking for a safe place to invest their money. These homes too often become vacation rentals, or even sit empty for much of the year, taking away much needed homes for families that actually live here, causing the price of homes and rent to to skyrocket out of reach of the average resident. This has to end if we ever want to preserve the communities that make our towns so special. The same goes for commercial real estate companies that jack up the rent for businesses so much that small local companies are being forced out in favor of large foreign companies. These foreign owned businesses then take most of the profits out of the State of Hawaii's economy. If we want a place where our future generations can call home, we have to protect their ability to earn a living wage, and stop giving preferential treatment to a small group of organizations so that they can make more profit while the people of Hawai'i suffer financially.