Candidates for the Waimanalo-Lanikai 51st House District want to give voters a change from politics as usual, a break from the old-boy network even though one of them is part of that system.

Democrat Chris Lee and Republican Quentin Kawananakoa, who face off in Tuesday's General Election, both say they are independent voices but said how they use their voices will differ.

Lee, 27 and inspired by presidential candidate Barack Obama, wants to bring new blood, energy and direction to his party and the Islands.

"We need new leaders that are independent and unafraid to stand up to old-boy politics and do more than just toe the party line," Lee said.

Kawananakoa, an experienced legislator, said he proved his ability to stand up against the majority when he fought against a general excise tax hike in 1998 and won.

"You need an independent voice that's not beholden to my former representatives and part and parcel of the entire current establishment," he said.

Kawananakoa, 47, said he has the legislative and life experiences that make him better suited for the difficult issues the Legislature will tackle next year, including education, medical tort reform, the economy and possible tax increases.

"Our government always wants to focus on its own concerns and to raise its tax shortfalls to pay its salaries," he said. "It happened in 1998 and we need a strong voice to help defeat that and stand against it."

Kawananakoa has worked as a real estate agent, in the tourism industry, at a law firm and as a small-business operator. He said he understands the needs of parents and small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat.

"If the businesses don't come through this, if they have to close their doors and sell off all their inventory ... they'll never come back," Kawananakoa said.

Although the economy is on everyone's mind, education is a priority, he said, adding that the system isn't working well but charter school enrollment is up, underlining their success. Yet they do not receive equal funding per student that a regular Department of Education school gets and that has to change, he said.

Kawananakoa also favors medical tort changes as a means to helping keep doctors in the Islands, and wants to help the state move forward on alternative and renewable energy. As part of the Campbell Estate family, he was involved in experiments and efforts to build windmills and photovoltaic farms that will help Hawai'i become energy sufficient.

"These are areas that I have the passion, the experience and the networking capacity to bring online," he said.

Lee is a newcomer to politics, but he has had experience working for legislators. He said he's part of the young Democrats that will make up the party for the next generation and will herald change in the way things are done.

He said he wants to be an advocate for the little guy, to help solve the community problems no one else has time for. But he also expects to tackle the bigger issues such as education and the economy.

"But no matter what we do there at the end of the day this job boils down to being an advocate for the concerns of our district," Lee said. "I can come home knowing that I'm helping, at least be a voice for the concerns in my community, that's No. 1."

There are specific things the state can do to help the economy, including initiating funded maintenance and repair projects at the schools, and housing and transportation projects, he said.

"We need to accelerate projects to get that money back into the economy today," Lee said, adding that the Legislature can help individuals by implementing an earned income tax credit and altering the tax code to put money into the pockets of working families.

A top priority for Lee is education and he said he would support fully funding the DOE even as other areas are being cut. Declining enrollment is an opportunity to reduce class size, not close schools, he said.

"It's just a matter of priority," Lee said. "We need to ... really prioritize education as something that is important to us all. It deserve its own place in the budget. It deserves quality resources."