Colleen Hanabusa Announces Run for First Congressional District

October 01, 2009

Hawaii has been truly fortunate to have representatives in Washington D.C. like Senators Dan Inouye and Daniel Akaka, and Representatives Neil Abercrombie and Mazie Hirono, who have stood for what is best for Hawaii and preserved our interests while delivering what we need in our home state. And it is time to move forward, to continue and build upon that tradition in our nation’s capitol.

That is why I have decided to run for Congress, to serve the First Congressional District.

I grew up in Waianae, where my family made it’s home for four generations, and where my parents ran a business that kept us in touch with our neighbors. Waianae has seen more than its share of challenges, but has always been a place where the community works together to address its problems, and opens its arms to those in need. It is where I learned that a shared burden is a lighter burden, and that responsibility doesn’t stop at my doorstep, but extends to any community I call home.

I learned that a shared burden is a lighter burden, and that responsibility doesn’t stop at my doorstep, but extends to any community I call home.

In my eleven years as a State Senator, right up Punchbowl Street at the State Capitol, I have seen first hand the power and the promise of effective legislation in helping serve the needs of our community. I learned that it is not just the time you spend in office that counts; more important is whether you have had an impact, whether you have been able to introduce and pass laws that help the community and serve those who elected you to represent them. Effective service means leading effective change.

When I was still a freshman senator, a group of teachers from Maili Elementary School on the Leeward Coast came to see me about a problem they were having. The school is located near a pig farm, which had the kind of effects you would expect: smells and flies. Let me tell you, you might imagine you know what a pig farm is like, but until you’ve been near one, you have no idea. So the Maili teachers and students had two choices: close the windows and live with the sweltering heat, or open the windows and live with the smell.

Neither was an acceptable solution, but they were on the bottom of the list for school improvements. So I worked with the Maili Elementary community to lobby my colleagues, find the funding, and air condition not only the classrooms, but the cafeteria as well. And beyond that, I also worked with them to convince Hawaiian Electric to upgrade the power at the school to support the new air conditioning.

It took a lot of people and a lot of effort to get that done: teachers, administrators, families, and good neighbors. But I am proud to have played a part, to have helped move the funding through the legislature and make a change that helped my community.

We find similar challenges in many—too many—areas. In education,how the top-down, one-size-fits-all mandates of No Child Left Behind have affected our schools, our teachers and most of all our students. In our economy, how we provide the jobs and opportunities that preserve the dreams of those who strive for security and a better life. In the quality of life we offer in this, the greatest nation on the face of the Earth, as we work toward health care solutions that will finally ease the burdens of those who have faced devastating illness or financial ruin. In our natural environment, and how we preserve our beautiful aina and the oceans that surround us.

And, finally, the rights of Native Hawaiians, our host culture, how we must continue to fight for their fundamental rights and the programs that serve their unique needs.

We face the challenge in the simple question: how do we improve the lives of those in the district, in our state, and in our nation?

I have heard some say that I am not a very good politician, and that’s okay with me. The First Congressional District doesn’t need just another politician. I ask for your support and vote because the First Congressional District and Hawaii need a strong and effective legislator. I made one promise when I ran for the State Senate eleven years ago, and that was to be a loud and effective voice for my constituents. I believe I kept that promise. And now I make that same promise to everyone in the First Congressional District.

My years in the Senate have taught me what it takes to be an effective legislator. It takes a deep understanding of what means most to our community, the values that we rely on, the concerns that form the foundation of what Hawaii is to us. It takes the courage to stand for what is right for the people we serve, not what feeds our individual ambitions or personal agendas. And it takes a deep personal commitment that means you never turn your back on what you promise to do.

Hawaii is a special place. We have a lot that we can teach the rest of America about preserving our environment, about caring for others, about maintaining our core values. I am ready to bring that message to Washington. I am ready to stand for Hawaii and Hawaii’s people. I am ready to run this race, and I am ready to win.