DISTRICT 51
Our district of Waimānalo and Kailua is socioeconomically diverse, but we are uniformly rich in that we live in a place of rare beauty, strong communities and deep cultural roots. Our good fortune has been threatened by aggressive marketing of our home for tourism. Our beaches, parks, and trails are overrun. Traffic and parking are problems. Vacation rentals compete with residents for housing. Developers seek to change and push the boundaries on zoning protections. We also suffer from State-wide problems such as lack of affordable housing, substance abuse, and homelessness.
Fortunately, District 51 also has a wealth of talented and caring community members that lead the way to solving our problems through our neighborhood boards and associations, sports leagues, cultural organizations, non-profits and local businesses. I worked with many as a resident and now support and collaborate with them as their Representative.
State representatives write and vote on state laws and the state budget. Each represents a district in the legislature's lower chamber, which is called the House, the Assembly, or the House of Delegates depending on the state. Most serve two-year terms.