Full name: Charles Djou

Name on ballot: Charles Djou

Age: 45

Email address: Charles@Djou.com

Current job: Attorney; U.S. Army Reserve soldier; professor, political science, Hawaii Pacific University

Place of birth: Los Angeles

Campaign website: www.djou.com

Job history past 10 years:

City Councilmember; U.S. congressman; attorney; professor; Army Reserve soldier

Ever run for public office? If so, when? Outcome?

U.S. representative, City Councilmember, state representative

Other civic experience or community service?

American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars; Association of the United States Army

Anything else you’d like voters to know about you?

I love Hawaii. My wife, Stacey Kawasaki Djou, and I are so blessed to raise our kids here. If I’m fortunate to be your mayor, I will fight to end the rail cost overruns and stop our city from going bankrupt. We need honesty and transparency from our leaders.

What makes you qualified to be mayor?

Having served in Congress, the state House, and for seven years on the Honolulu City Council, I believe I have the experience and ability to lead our city in tackling the pressing issues ahead: Rail cost overruns and delays, growing homelessness, undermining of ethics by the mayor’s office.

What is your one big idea?

Build rail with the resources our community can afford, not the unlimited blank check Caldwell wants to give rail contractors. Unless we address this situation now, we risk bankrupting the city, leaving us with few financial resources to address skyrocketing homelessness and neglected infrastructure.

What steps should elected city officials take next regarding the rail project?

>> Cap rail costs.

>> Select a reasonable alternative that can accomplish our mass transit goals.

>> Utilize the portion of the rail system that is already built to find a transit solution to take us not only from Kapolei to Ala Moana, but to Waikiki and the University of Hawaii.

Why has the city not been able to take more homeless off the street and what would you do to improve the situation?

Homelessness has increased due to lack of leadership and planning. I support a combination of enforcement of existing law, funding for nonprofits to assist with drug and mental health counseling, and connecting those in need with business and charitable organizations to provide jobs and long-term housing.

What steps can elected officials take to ensure city employees behave ethically?

The mayor needs to lead by example. This means an immediate end to the administration’s efforts to undermine ethics and good government, as shown by the coercion placed on the ethics director to resign after he started asking the “wrong” questions about the mayor’s political fundraising practices.

As an elected city official, what would you do to improve the city’s affordable housing supply?

Hawaii families find it increasingly difficult to live here. The supply of affordable housing has decreased while the cost increased. I support public-private partnerships that facilitate expansion of low-income housing, and support a proposal to allow low-income housing residents to build equity to buy their own home.