OHA's Hee to run for lieutenant governor
Advertiser Staff
Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Clayton Hee yesterday filed to run for lieutenant governor as a Democrat.
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Hee, 49, said he would like to "give a place of prominence to economic development, specifically tourism," and that it's time for the Legislature to establish a cabinet-level department of tourism.
Clayton Hee, a Democrat, says he can pull Hawaiian votes from Linda Lingle.
He also said labor needs to have a bigger role in business, and that the lieutenant governor's office should be charged with ensuring the accountability of the public education system.
Hee cited his Hawaiian ancestry and said he would be able to take votes away from Republican gubernatorial front-runner Linda Lingle, who generally polls strongest among Caucasian and Hawaiian voters.
He noted that his wife, Lynne Waters, is from Texas and "I'm the blalah running for lieutenant governor for the Democratic Party."
Hee, a former Hawaiian language teacher, has been an Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee for 12 years and has served in both houses of the state Legislature.
Other Democrats running for lieutenant governor include state Sens. Matt Matsunaga and Ron Menor, and Board of Education member Donna Ikeda.
