Ben Shafer
(D)
Senate District 23
Kāneʻohe • Kahuku • Kaʻena • Kunia
Aloha Lōkahi Pono
Here are some of the key issues I will prioritize as your Senator.
Climate Change: The effects of climate change are being seen along Kamehameha Highway from Heeia to Haleiwa. Left alone, the road could fall into the ocean in less than a year in a few areas. We need to have serious talks on acknowledging the problems and producing solutions now.
Cost of Living: I support the tax breaks enacted by the Legislature this session As your Senator, I will keep a critical eye on tax law changes and the state budget to make sure our financial structures favor residents, keeping our families together and our keiki and kupuna at home.
Affordable Housing: We need to look at all our options to free up housing stock and not rely only on building new units. We need to eliminate illegal vacation rentals, increase taxes on vacant homes or second homes, and incentivize fixing up abandoned homes.
Education: I support funding part-time social services for children in vulnerable households. We need to review and revise the school funding formula to ensure rural schools receive enough to fund core and accelerator programs and ensure equity for our area compared to urban schools.
Agriculture: We must prioritize food security over development. Too many developments are looking to exploit agricultural land with no consideration for supporting local farms and our long-term food viability. I will make food security a goal and work to put barriers in place that limit developers, whether local or mainland, from converting valuable ag land into housing or "fake agriculture."
Tourism: I support a visitor green fee and strongly support that the money be allocated fairly among the islands and impacted hot spots to ensure cultural and natural resources are truly protected. Let's do a real study on our carrying capacity to find out the level of visitors we can sustainably welcome.
I welcome your input on these and other important issues. Mahalo.
Ben