Name on ballot:

Corinne Solomon

Running for:

State House – District 20

Political party:

Republican

Campaign website:

www.solomonforhawaii.com/

Current occupation:

Retired

Age:

53

Previous job history:

Hospital Clinical Pharmacist

Previous elected office, if any:

none

Please describe your qualifications to represent the people in your district.

Aloha, I’m Corinne Solomon, and I am running to represent House District 20, which includes Diamond Head, Kapahulu, Kaimuki, and Kahala. As a longtime resident and parent of a Waikiki elementary student, I come from a humble background shaped by hard work in my family’s restaurant. I was born in Japan and my father was an immigrant from North Africa. I was the first in my family to attend college and I pursued a career in healthcare as a hospital pharmacist. My first experience in our District was about 20 years ago when I was a pharmacy resident and did a rotation at Leahi hospital.
My work has involved creating new hospital pharmacy services from scratch, where the pharmacist is integrated into the medical team in specialty areas or given direct patient care roles in the hospital and clinics.
This kind of work requires a thorough knowledge of regulations, countless hours of research, data analysis, and policy writing to ensure you’re providing the highest standards of patient care.
I love teaching; I have taught nurses in hospital classes, and healthcare students at Kapiolani Community College. A large part of my hospital work was educating patients. Patient education, along with teaching, has honed my ability to communicate complex information and make it easy to understand.
I am retired now, but my career in healthcare has given me a strong foundation in policy work, and taught me the importance of listening, empathy, and meticulous attention to detail-all qualities that will help me to be an effective and compassionate lawmaker.

What is the most-pressing issue facing residents in your district and how would you address the problem?

District 20 is diverse: there are beachfront properties and mansions, the area is also comprised of working class neighborhoods with many multigenerational homes, apartments, and ʻohana units. Residents I have spoken with are concerned with crime, homelessness, traffic safety, the quality of public education, but the high cost of living is the most critical issue to address.
The high cost of living is a main contributing factor for a myriad of issues; affordable housing, the shortage of preschool, after-school and school teachers as they cannot afford to live on a teacher salary, high grocery bills-which are especially hard for families and those living on a fixed income, the shortage of home health care aides, medical professionals and assisted living facilities for kūpuna, and homelessness in our community.
The legislature needs to be laser focused on addressing the cost of living, as this will help address the issues mentioned.
As a Representative I would advocate to repeal the Jones Act to lower the cost of goods shipped to Hawaiʻi, work to eliminate the GET entirely, reduce property taxes (eliminate them for kūpuna), and reform housing regulations to both lower the cost of residential construction and increase the availability of housing.

What would you propose to be done at the state level to help residents cope with Hawaii’s high cost of living?

As I outlined in a previous question, repeal the Jones Act to lower the cost of goods shipped to Hawaiʻi, work to eliminate the GET entirely, reduce property taxes (eliminate them for kūpuna), and reform regulations to both lower the cost of residential construction and increase the availability of housing.

What can the state Legislature do to help Hawaii home and condo owners with rising property insurance rates?

The legislature can pass legislation to stabilize the property insurance market and create a Homeowners Insurance Relief Fund. The rising property insurance rates is at a crisis level; I have attended town halls regarding this, and feel this is an issue that needs to be a high priority for the legislature to address when they reconvene in 2025. Hopefully that wonʻt be too late for our residents who are on a fixed income and struggling now to cover the exorbitant rise in insurance costs.

Can Hawaii’s tourism-dependent economy be diversified, and, if so, what can state government do to support the effort?

A recent study places Hawaiʻi in the number two spot as the most overtouristed state in the country.
We must take steps to reduce the negative impacts of overtourism. The reservation system for state parks needs to be expanded. Continue to focus on regenerative tourism and expand the Mālama Hawai‘i program.
We need to encourage local farming and agriculture. I support passing legislation to assist local farmers and restrict (or prohibit) the sale of agricultural land to foreigners. Currently 9.2% of privately held agricultural land in Hawaiʻi is owned by foreigners, which is the second-largest percentage in the US.
Our House Minority Caucus has worked on legislation to support diversification of our economy in the film, tech and agricultural sectors. If elected I will work with the Minority Caucus on bipartisan supported bills to continue to advocate for measures that expand diversification of our economy.

What would you propose to help increase affordable housing in Hawaii?

I believe we need a mindset shift-the principle of limited government to reduce regulations is key to addressing the affordable housing crisis. Government overregulation restricts housing supply and increases housing costs.
The Wharton Residential Land Use Regulatory Index creates metrics that indicate a state’s ability to produce housing outcomes. A Wharton Index state comparison found that Hawaiʻi’s regulatory environment is significantly more stringent than other surveyed communities across the nation.
As a start to increase affordable housing, I support reintroducing the House Minority Caucus bills that did not get hearings or did not pass. These bills would decrease regulations, establish a local housing market tied to resident’s income and not the global economy, and increase the pre-tax amount residents can contribute to down payment savings accounts.

What can state government do to better support and improve public education in Hawaii?

Teachers are the lifeblood of the education system. To recruit and retain teachers, they need to be able to afford to live on a teacherʻs salary. To achieve this, we must work to both increase pay and lower the cost of living.
We also need to move from a top-down system of centralization to a more localized system of school boards, as well as transition to the election of the school board, as opposed to the current system of appointment.

Should the state continue to pursue building a replacement for Aloha Stadium in Halawa? Please explain.

Yes, if the projected return on investment is favorable, and the construction timeline is realistic. The people of Hawaiʻi do not want to see another extended and costly project such as the Rail. We need greater transparency and accountability for the New Aloha Stadium development.

Should members of the state Legislature have term limits like Honolulu’s mayor and City Council members?

I support implementing term limits for state legislators. A reasonable range for discussion would be twelve years for a single office or sixteen years for combined service in the Senate and the House.
The Founding Fathers never intended for the United States to be run by professional politicians. As the French economist Frederic Bastiat wisely wrote, “When plunder becomes a way of life, men create for themselves a legal system and a moral code that glorifies it”.
An argument against term limits is that it takes a long time to build relationships and learn the inner workings of the legislature.
I believe there is so much work that needs to be done to address the many issues facing our state, and the short legislative session is inadequate to address everything effectively. Extending the length of the legislative session would give legislators the time needed to develop those relationships and learn the ropes.
Along with extending the length of the legislative session, I support prohibiting outside employment of legislators. This would help curb conflicts of interest.

What reforms, if any, would you propose to make local government more transparent to the public?

First, the Sunshine Law needs to be amended to apply to the legislature.
Second, lobbyists must be required to disclose for which bills they are lobbying.
Third, bills should not be allowed to be introduced “by request of another party”; there needs to be full disclosure on who is requesting legislation to be introduced.
Fourth, the legislature needs to change the structure of the Committees to reduce the powers of the Committee Chair and afford the members at least some degree of influence beyond just their vote. There is too much power concentrated in the Chair. Chairs decide which bills are granted hearings, and Chairs can kill bills without explanation.
Lastly, the internal rules of the House and the Senate need to be amended to implement term limits for Committee Chair positions.

What will be your top priority if elected?

Our kamaʻāina population is declining, and for the first time there are more Native Hawaiians living on the US continent than in Hawaiʻi.
We need to give our working families and young adults more opportunities to prosper. If I am elected, I will prioritize reforms that lower housing and living costs and support entrepreneurship and small businesses.
When we foster growth and economic diversity, and lower the cost of living, more residents will be able to stay here at home and not have to make the tough decision to move.

Is there anything more that you would like voters to know about you?

I believe in leading by example, so I created my 20 for 20 Pledge: if elected I pledge to donate 20 percent of my salary back to the community. I will seek input from the residents of District 20 to help decide where this money is needed most, whether it’s for our public schools, college or trade school scholarships, or a community garden for example.

Lastly, I am inviting all voters of District 20 to a friendly challenge: I would like to see our community have the highest voter turnout in the state! Please vote in the upcoming election.
Mahalo,
Corinne Solomon