State House District 51 spans the economic spectrum, from multimillion-dollar homes on the beach in Lanikai to low-income, government-subsidized apartments on Hawaiian Home Lands in Waimanalo.

Yet many of the problems residents cite are similar: traffic congestion, school funding, quality-of-life issues and preservation of the environment, according to the four men running to represent the area in the state House.

Incumbent Tommy Waters decided not to run for office this year.

Facing off in the Sept. 20 primary election are Democrats Ikaika Anderson, 30; Shawn Christensen, 48; and Chris Lee, 27. Quentin Kawananakoa, 46, is the only Republican running, so he will advance to the Nov. 4 general election to represent his party.

The Democrats come with varied experience. Anderson is an aide to City Council Chairwoman Barbara Marshall and has worked at the state Legislature as an assistant committee clerk, researcher, administrative assistant and budget analyst.

Lee is the office manager for state Rep. Scott Saiki, D-22nd (Mo'ili'ili, McCully, Kaimuki). He also served as office manager for state Rep. Della Au Belatti, D-25th (Makiki, Tantalus), as well as a researcher for the House Judiciary Committee.

Christensen has a film and television background.

Kawananakoa has served as state representative, is an attorney and serves as president of the James Campbell Family Organization, which was set up to make decisions about the dissolution of the Estate of James Campbell.

Recognizing the diverse nature of their community, which includes Lanikai, Keolu Hills, Coconut Grove and Waimanalo, the candidates spelled out how they would address some of the area's issues once in office.

Smaller class sizes, community input into school curriculum and equal funding for charter and public schools top Anderson's focus. To address those problems, he said he would start by working to shift longtime vacant positions from other state departments to the state Department of Education.

"Rather than looking at existing services to cut or what areas that are currently provided by government that we'll have to do without, I'd rather look at monies that are already appropriated but are not used," Anderson said.

The district on the Kailua and Lanikai side is residential. In Waimanalo, the district consists of a mix of residential and agricultural lots.

About 22,000 people live in the communities, which are known for their beautiful beaches.

In Kailua and Waimanalo, people are concerned about the communities' changing character, especially with more commercial activities and illegal vacation rentals on the coast, Lee said.

"Preventing situations like that from arising and trying to figure it out now is key before we completely transform the place," he said. "So I'll try to find a way to work with the city to lay down some ground rules so you don't have the gray areas."

Lee also wants to pave the way for a long-term-care facility in Waimanalo, and to ensure state funding for schools and the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

A newcomer to politics, Christensen said he wants to focus on preserving the environment, maintaining open spaces and supplying more water to farmers.

"I'd also like to push for funding to start and build a Hawaiian cultural center somewhere in the district," he said, adding that it could be used to perpetuate the culture and help people who didn't finish high school. Kalaheo and Kailua high schools offer courses but transportation is a problem for many, Christensen said.

Kawananakoa said he wants to strengthen agriculture in the local economy, preserve the district's residential way of life, give more control of education to local schools and shift the state's dependence on oil to clean renewable energy that's already here in the form of wind, waves and thermal heat.

"Our lifestyle is at risk, especially since 90 percent of our oil comes from foreign sources," he said, adding that a fickle oil supplier bending to terrorists' will could shut down the supply. "We could be shut down overnight."