George Yakowenko, who serves on the Waipahu Neighborhood Board, believes people are worried most about crime.

These issues will likely shape the campaign for the state House district that covers Waipahu, Village Park and Waikele, where residents have seen the growth of new homes and shopping centers while dealing with the frustrating problem of drug-fueled crime.

State Rep. Jon Karamatsu, D-41st, a young attorney who runs an e-commerce business, is in his first re-election campaign. His Republican opponent, Rito Saniatan, is an insurance agency owner who switched parties after finishing third to Karamatsu in the Democratic primary in 2002.

"I try to find a balance," Karamatsu said. "I say that I'm a moderate. I'm trying to do what's good for the whole state."

Saniatan said he was persuaded by relatives to run as a Democrat two years ago even though he is more ideologically aligned with Republicans. "I'm not a career politician; I'm a businessman," he said. "If I ran my business the way the Legislature runs its business, I would be bankrupt."

The campaign is not among the eight House races where Republicans believe they have a chance of making gains in November, but Gov. Linda Lingle has appeared at a rally for Saniatan and other Republicans on the west side and Saniatan was among the candidates publicly backed by the party last summer.

Traffic, crime top list

Residents say they want lawmakers to address ways to ease traffic, attract higher paying jobs and reduce crime, issues that resonate across O'ahu and where easy answers are elusive.

"There is always congestion," said Nakatani of MN Printing. "If they don't attack it right away, it's going to be another Kapolei situation here."

Karamatsu said he supports transit options such as light rail but is reluctant to commit to the new taxes that will likely be necessary to pay for such a massive infrastructure project. "If people want it, we have to find a way to pay for it," he said.

Over the past few years, Waipahu has made strides in fighting crime, in part through a federal Weed & Seed program that is linked to a drop in major felonies. But Yakowenko, of the neighborhood board, said many residents cannot understand why police do not move faster to close down suspected drug hot spots.

Karamatsu supported the Democrats' "ice" package last session that increased some penalties for drug crimes and urged healthcare providers to offer more substance-abuse treatment. "It's not just about putting people in jail. We have to find ways to prevent people from doing drugs in the first place," he said.

Saniatan said the "ice" legislation did not go far enough. "I would like to see drug offenders, especially the repeat offenders, locked up," he said. "This drug problem affects everybody."

Saniatan also mirrors the Lingle administration's position on education, supporting local school boards and giving principals 90 percent control over school budgets. Democrats have opposed the governor's school board plans but did adopt a new student spending formula and the goal of giving principals 70 percent control over school budgets.

Saniatan criticized Karamatsu for his party line votes on crime and education and, while his own positions on those issues are identical to Lingle's, he said he would break with Republicans if he felt the majority of his constituents had different views.

"People want change and they're not being represented," Saniatan said.

Karamatsu said he is not afraid to split from his party, even on important votes. In the 2003 session, he said, he was one of several Democrats who voted against a long-term-care tax on workers that Lingle ultimately vetoed.

Businesses backed

Last session, two of Karamatsu's bills became laws. One law prohibits the marketing of Ni'ihau shell jewelry unless the shells are from the island and made in Hawai'i or have at least 80 percent of Ni'ihau shells. Karamatsu has an online business that sells Hawai'i products, although not shell jewelry.

The other law requires mandatory ethics training for lawmakers, the governor, the state school board and other state officials. The law may appeal to voters in Waipahu who just turned out veteran state Sen. Cal Kawamoto, D-18th, in the primary in favor of retired school vice principal Clarence Nishihara. In July, Kawamoto agreed to pay a $21,000 fine for not reporting campaign contributions and for using contributions for personal expenses.

Harvey, the daycare provider, just moved to Village Park this year from the Mainland with her husband, a computer programmer, and said she has found that many jobs do not pay enough to match the cost of living. Unemployment may be lower in Hawai'i than on the Mainland, she said, but many people are struggling in jobs with low pay and benefits.

"I wish they would try to do something about it," she said of lawmakers.

Saniatan, who owns an Allstate Insurance agency, said he understands the pressures on businesses and would be an advocate for business interests in the Legislature.

Karamatsu said that if re-elected he would look into strategies to help small businesses, such as providing tax incentives for companies that move into fading commercial areas or allowing companies to pool resources and purchase health insurance for their workers as a group to reduce costs.

"We're trying to find creative ways to help them," he said.