06-18-2014, 12:51 PM
Aloha Dakine,
I'm so sorry you cannot make the candidate forum on Thursday but maybe you will be able to watch the proceedings on Na Leo TV. I will address your questions here briefly.
Regarding my experience, on Maui I worked for 4 years for Wayne Nishiki as a legislative aide and in case you are not aware, it is the legislative aides who often actually draft the legislation to be put forward by their legislator, seek support from others, and build consensus around the position advocated by the legislator. From that work I gained a deep understanding of the inner workings of government and parliamentary procedure, and more recently have followed many state level proceedings in my work on the Fugitive Dust Committee in HPP. I'm not sure why you feel it is necessary for a candidate to the legislature to have experience defending or judging laws. That's what lawyers are for, and creating legislation is a very different task.
As for public policy, I would argue that formulating it is the responsibility of the collective body of legislators. And as such, the skill sets necessary to have an impact on that process include consensus building, networking, and listening. And I have plenty of experience doing all that. Our next representative will have to be as comfortable trying to persuade a group of fellow lawmakers as she is mingling with her constituents at home and listening to their opinions. I'm a people person and that's not something you learn in law school, but it is an effective tool on the belt of any legislator.
Finally, as for my "colorful" history... I wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm proud of my life. I'm proud of my service to the people of Maui and Oregon, as well as my service to the people of Hawaii County, where as co-president of the League of Women Voters I championed the recent Clean Elections Act. I'm also proud of my activism, working to protect the coastlines and near shore waters off Maui, and working here on the Fugitive Dust Committee in HPP. I've lived in many places, and learned many things about the people of the world. As you must know from reading my bio, I never really lived much on Palau, having been hanai'd to Hawaii at a very early age. My parents made a difficult decision to allow me to leave so I could be educated in an environment where I would have an opportunity for a better life. I am grateful for their sacrifice and proud of my heritage, but I consider myself a kama'aina after all these years.
I have lived in Hawaii since 1966, so I'm hardly a newcomer. It's true that I attended college on the mainland, but so have many who now serve our county and state. When I came back home, I tried Maui for awhile until the wild, sprawling development and rapid growth got to be too much for me and my husband. Since 2005 I have lived in HPP. And if Maui is any indication, I've seen Puna's future, and unless we work very hard and very quickly to protect it, we may lose the way of life here that we all love. It can be done, and I'm inspired and ready to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
I hope that addressed some of your concerns.
Mahalo,
Leilani Bronson-Crelly
Candidate for State House Representative, District 4
I'm so sorry you cannot make the candidate forum on Thursday but maybe you will be able to watch the proceedings on Na Leo TV. I will address your questions here briefly.
Regarding my experience, on Maui I worked for 4 years for Wayne Nishiki as a legislative aide and in case you are not aware, it is the legislative aides who often actually draft the legislation to be put forward by their legislator, seek support from others, and build consensus around the position advocated by the legislator. From that work I gained a deep understanding of the inner workings of government and parliamentary procedure, and more recently have followed many state level proceedings in my work on the Fugitive Dust Committee in HPP. I'm not sure why you feel it is necessary for a candidate to the legislature to have experience defending or judging laws. That's what lawyers are for, and creating legislation is a very different task.
As for public policy, I would argue that formulating it is the responsibility of the collective body of legislators. And as such, the skill sets necessary to have an impact on that process include consensus building, networking, and listening. And I have plenty of experience doing all that. Our next representative will have to be as comfortable trying to persuade a group of fellow lawmakers as she is mingling with her constituents at home and listening to their opinions. I'm a people person and that's not something you learn in law school, but it is an effective tool on the belt of any legislator.
Finally, as for my "colorful" history... I wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm proud of my life. I'm proud of my service to the people of Maui and Oregon, as well as my service to the people of Hawaii County, where as co-president of the League of Women Voters I championed the recent Clean Elections Act. I'm also proud of my activism, working to protect the coastlines and near shore waters off Maui, and working here on the Fugitive Dust Committee in HPP. I've lived in many places, and learned many things about the people of the world. As you must know from reading my bio, I never really lived much on Palau, having been hanai'd to Hawaii at a very early age. My parents made a difficult decision to allow me to leave so I could be educated in an environment where I would have an opportunity for a better life. I am grateful for their sacrifice and proud of my heritage, but I consider myself a kama'aina after all these years.
I have lived in Hawaii since 1966, so I'm hardly a newcomer. It's true that I attended college on the mainland, but so have many who now serve our county and state. When I came back home, I tried Maui for awhile until the wild, sprawling development and rapid growth got to be too much for me and my husband. Since 2005 I have lived in HPP. And if Maui is any indication, I've seen Puna's future, and unless we work very hard and very quickly to protect it, we may lose the way of life here that we all love. It can be done, and I'm inspired and ready to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
I hope that addressed some of your concerns.
Mahalo,
Leilani Bronson-Crelly
Candidate for State House Representative, District 4