Name: Jeremy Low
Age: 55
Current occupation: Research Analyst
Political experience: 

  • Research Analyst, Office of Language Access, Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (Lingle Administration Appointee)
  • Legislative Aide, Hawaii State Representative Gene Ward
  • Community Liaison, Hawaii State Representative Barbara Marumoto
  • Member, Kuliouou-Kalaniiki Neighborhood Board
  • Legislative Aide, Hawaii State Representative Mike Liu
  • Member, Hawaii Republican Party
  • Life Member, National Rifle Association
  • Hawaii State Senate Candidate 1992; Won Contested Republican Primary Election
  • Honolulu City Council Candidate 2010
  • Hawaii State House of Representatives Candidate 2012; Won Contested Republican Primary Election

The duties of the lieutenant governor include legal name changes, certifying and processing 
documents, managing official documentation for the public, and becoming acting governor when the governor is away from the state. What would you do outside of these duties to bring value to the office?

The Office of Lt. Governor has been underutilized for years. As Lt. Governor, I will be a very pro-active advocate for good public policies. I also see the Lt. Governor becoming an unofficial Inspector General which would be very different than the State Auditor.  

The Lt. Governor is part of the Executive Branch. The State Auditor is part of the Legislative Branch. The Lt. Governor is elected by the people. The State Auditor is selected by the majority of the Legislature.

The State Auditor just writes reports, and can’t fine or sue anyone. The Lt. Governor could actually root out the waste and fraud in the state government bureaucracy.

As a Hawaii State Constitutional Officer, the Lt. Governor has the duty and authority to do much more than past Lt. Governors have done. It’s a matter of backbone and political will, and not just waiting around as a political understudy.

Hawaii’s public school system consistently ranks in the lower half of the country. What would you do to change this? 

High expectations, academic competition, critical thinking, and discipline should be the standard.

Teaching the Hawaiian Language should be a mandatory subject in the public schools. Teaching the Hawaiian Language should be a recommended subject in the private schools. Teaching Hawaiian History and Hawaiian Culture should be mandatory subjects in the public schools. Teaching Hawaiian History and Hawaiian Culture should be recommended subjects in the private schools.

Increase public school teachers’ salaries by double or triple depending on a years of service pay scale from $50,000 to $150,000. This will massively improve teacher recruitment and retention. It will also create a huge new pool of very qualified applicants who would not have previously considered a career as a public school teacher. In exchange for this significant increase in pay, the teachers and their union would give up the present tenure-like system. A merit based system would be used. Most of the funding for these pay raises would come from cutting and streamlining the bloated bureaucracy of the Hawaii State Department of Education.

The cost of rail continues to rise. Do you support future state tax increases to fund rail construction or operations? Why or why not?

No, I do not support tax increases. I oppose tax increases, and I support tax cuts. Businesses will invest, expand, and create more jobs when their tax burden is low.

The Rail boondoggle is $5 billion dollars over budget, and it will get worse. There should be a real in-depth financial audit not the shallow one the Democrats are using to pacify and soothe the general public. The Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to hide their incompetence, waste, and fraud. The Democrats will bankrupt our state if we allow them to continue down this ridiculous path. To stop this nonsense, please vote for Republicans in Hawaii, and please vote Jeremy Low for Lt. Governor in the Republican Primary Election on August 11th.

As more housing developments are announced and built, it appears very few actually cater toward Hawaii’s working class. Do you think this should change, and if so, how? 

Streamline the process to build more affordable housing. Too much bureaucracy and over-regulation exist presently. I would make building affordable housing a real priority unlike the present government which just talks about it.
   
As an incentive, significant tax credits should be offered to those willing to build much needed affordable housing.

I will push the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to be much faster and more efficient in fulfilling their obligations and duties to place Native Hawaiians on Hawaiian home lands for homesteads.

Is there a pressing issue in Hawaii that has gone overlooked and requires action?

I support initiative, referendum, and recall at the state level. I support freedom and democracy. I support the convening of a Hawaii State Constitutional Convention. I believe the Hawaii State Attorney General should be an elected position as it is in most states.

I know that we all work hard to make a better life for our families. I will promote good public policies where government gets out of our way when we don’t need them and helps us when we do.

Website: https://votejeremylow.com