Lance Widner

Party: Nonpartisan

Age: 33

Job: Assistant Vice President & Investment Officer; First Hawaiian Bank.

Born in Memphis, TN. In Hawaii since 2004, arrived from Missouri via California

Lives: Royal Kunia

Contact: 808-375-5401, lancewidner@yahoo.com

Web site: www.lancewidner.com

Job history past 10 years:
FHB since 1/2005. AXA Advisors, Certified Financial Planner, 3/2004-1/2005. Merrill Lynch, Financial Advisor, 9/1999-1/2003. World Cooperage, Wine Barrell Sales, 7/1998-9/1999.

Ever run for public office? When? Outcome?
N/A

Other civic experience or community service:
Government Affairs Chair & Board Member, Royal Kunia Comm. Assoc., since 2005. Member-Ho'opili Task Force since 2006. Board Member & Founder of Annual Economic Forecast Dinner, CFA Hawaii since 2004.

Anything else you'd like voters to know about you?
I view government as a business, and analyze various vantage points of issue(s) before taking a position. My goal is to raise the voter turnout percentage by attracting the 'next generation' voters.

1) Why are you running for office?
First, I have been involved with my local community since 2005, and have had interesting and wonderful experiences, whether it's protecting land in our area, working to get a much-needed school built, or addressing traffic problems in Royal Kunia; I want to continue my positive impact as a public servant. Second, we need more youth participation in government as the next generation of leaders.

2) Do you support the city’s rail transit plan? If not, what alternative do you support?
Yes. I have seen this model work well in other metropolitan areas, and as energy prices rise, it makes increasingly more sense. However, there are still practices we can adopt to further reduce energy consumption and congestion, including remote office, 4-day work weeks, business mixed use development, etc. Also, while I personally support rail, I feel that this issue needs to be on the ballot.

3) Should the city extend/expand the Waimanalo Gulch landfill? How else should the city deal with its solid waste?
Because landfills take 5-7 years to complete, we need to look at short-term solutions to ease the pressure on the Waimanalo landfill. Using our current Garbage-To-Energy plant is more environmentally friendly and reduces the volume of waste that gets sent to the landfill. What we can't send there, we can send out of state until the new landfill is ready. This will give us the 5-7 years we need.

4) What role should the city play in helping homeless people who are moved out of public parks and beaches?
While I believe this to be more of a state issue than a City & County issue, I understand that there are more than enough beds at shelters to accommodate those who are moved out of parks and beaches; it's now a matter of getting the homeless to utilize them. City & County is more involved in transitional housing to help people get back 'on their feet' when cost of living becomes unbearable.

5) With revenues in decline, should the city increase property tax rates or cut programs? Be specific.
The reliability of our sewage pipes leaves something to be desired, but the treatment of sewage itself is quite adequate. Currently our sewage pipes run two miles out, a standard for rivers and lakes, not a deep ocean, and studies support Hawaii's responsible treatment of this issue. Therefore, I believe the billions of dollars needed for an upgrade could be better utilized elsewhere.

6) What is the No. 1 quality-of-life issue facing O'ahu, and what would you do about it?
The #1 issue I have seen since coming to Hawaii is lack of foresight and regulation to ensure infrastructure is built ahead of its time. We can't continue to build thousands of homes without the roads, schools, sewers, businesses, etc. to support it. Before a home is built, the City & County must work to enforce infrastructure development ahead of residential construction to alleviate problems.

7) What’s the No. 1 initiative you would pursue in 2009?
I will work to adopt technology to increase quality of life here on Oahu. Technology allows us to decentralize, which reduces commuting to a central office, which reduces congestion, fuel consumption, and travel costs. It also allows us to reduce energy costs by adopting solar cell technology, CFL and LED lights, wind energy, etc. The time is now, and the cost savings/benefits are enormous.