Shaun Stenshol

Party: Independent

Age: 43

Job: President, Maui Recycling Service. President, Bio-Beetle Eco Rental Cars.

Born in Utah. In Hawaii since 1997, arrived from Austin, TX

Lives: Kihei

Contact: 808 283-6878, nadermoore@yahoo.com

Job history past 10 years:
Maui Recycling Service, January 1997-present. Bio-Beetle Eco Rental Cars, January 2003-present.

Ever run for public office? When? Outcome?
Austin City Council 1996 - lost. Hawaii State House Dist. 11 2000 - lost. Hawaii State Senate Dist. 6 2004 - lost.

Other civic experience or community service:
Chairperson, Independent Party of Hawaii, 2008-present. Advisory Board Member, Maui Recycling Group, 2004-present. Member, Mayor's Recycling Task Force, Maui County, 2002.

Anything else you'd like voters to know about you?
Most of my adult life has been spent working at supporting renewable energy.

1) Why are you running for office?
I'm running for office because I believe the "Two Party System" is making significant progressive change impossible. To enact progressive policies, like Single Payer health care, ending the war in Iraq, implementing a sustainable energy infrastructure, etc., we need comprehensive election reform. My number one priority will be to enact Instant Runoff Voting and 100% Publicly Financed campaigns.

2) Should the U.S. set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq? Explain.
Yes. I believe the Iraq war is an illegal war based on lies and deception, therefore we need to get out of Iraq as soon as possible.

3) Should the federal government impose stricter fuel- and energy-efficiency standards on cars, appliances, etc.?
Yes. Stricter efficiency standards have the potential to drastically reduce our consumption of oil, nuclear power and coal. Combined with renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass/biofuel, etc.), efficiency and conservation can eliminate the use of the non-renewable energy sources.

4) How would you get affordable health care to more Americans?
I will work for a Single Payer national health care insurance system - The U.S. pays far more per capita than any other industrial country for health care. By adopting a single payer national system we can reduce the cost and cover every American.

5) Do you support the restriction that only U.S.-flagged cargo and passenger ships may serve Hawai'i? Why?
No. This restriction increases the cost of shipping goods to and from Hawaii. I would support amending the "Jones Act" to allow non US flagged ships to serve Hawaii.

6) Do you support a Native Hawaiian recognition bill?
Yes.

7) What changes, if any, would you make to the No Child Left Behind education law?
I would vote to repeal the No Child Left Behind law. There are better ways to achieve higher education than this very limited and ineffective law.

8) What's the No. 1 piece of legislation you'd work to pass in 2009?
Instant Runoff Voting (IRV). With a IRV voting system voters rank candidates in order of choice: 1, 2, 3 etc. The end result is that the winning candidate has a majority of the vote, and there are no "spoiler" candidates. Basically, IRV allows voters to vote for who they really want to win, not the "lesser evil" candidates we usually get. A more detailed description of IRV is at fairvote.org