A CALL TO THE STATE CONVENTION

Message to Supporters from Hawaii Republican Party

Fellow Republicans, our Annual State Convention is upon us, a Convention through which we can set the stage to lead us to big electoral wins in 2016 and beyond.

The people of Hawaii need us more than ever before. The Democrat Party, which has been in control of our state for as long as most of us can remember, is finally showing the “chinks in their armor.”  They do not seem to be able to focus and solve the many problems our people face.

Oahu’s traffic mess has gone from bad to worse, and we’re called out nationally as having one of the worst cases of gridlock. What’s the Democrat Party solution? Use public funds to build an elevated high-speed 20-mile rail project with deficits that are skyrocketing, and whose leaders refuse to tell taxpayers how much it will really cost.

Is it any wonder the public is losing confidence in the multi-billion dollar project?

While government spending is spinning out of control, some senior members of the Hawaii Democrat Party have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. When was the last time our Legislative leadership had to formally investigate two of its own party members to determine whether those lawmakers legally live in the districts they represent?

And hardworking taxpayers and state and municipal workers are being treated to the shocking saga of the current Mayor of the Big Island and his use of an official credit card for tens of thousands of dollars of personal purchases, including hundreds of dollars spent at hostess bars. Where’s the public integrity and respect for constituents that we rightly expect from our leaders? How disappointing! I expect proper disciplinary action both legal and political will be meted by the tax payers affected.

While our free spending political leaders show little concern, hard -working taxpayers continue to struggle to afford a home in Hawaii. How many more decades are we going to make middle-class residents in Hawaii work two and three jobs just to make ends meet, to buy a home and educate their children?

Speaking of housing, how many more front page stories about the “Shame” of our out-of-control homeless situation will we have to read before our state and municipal leaders finally do something to truly begin offering effective programs to reduce homelessness in Hawaii? The previous governor was going to reduce homelessness. The current Honolulu mayor had a plan to get the homeless out of Waikiki and our public parks. Guess what? It isn’t working.

That’s what one-party rule has given the people of Hawaii – failed public policies, out of control spending, and political leaders who have to be investigated.

What this means for the Republican Party of Hawaii is an unprecedented opportunity to show voters that we can do better, much better than the failed Democrat Party. But to do that, we  must develop quality leaders and help them win elections. And we won’t win elections if we’re spending our precious time and resources on petty internal bickering based on ideology.

The upcoming election cycle is our best opportunity in at least a generation to win races at the state and federal levels. We must start now preparing for those races – recruiting top-flight candidates, helping them prepare for tough races, training party cadres to use the tools of modern successful campaigns and raising the funds we’ll need to take our message of change and opportunity to Hawaii voters. We’ll win, and win big, if we can field a slate of trained quality candidates who promote solutions that are fiscally sound, socially respectful and who are committed to truly expanding economic opportunity for all residents.

We have to work harder and smarter than our opponents to take advantage of their many failed policies and practices. And we also must work together – united – if we’re going to have any real chance to win the races that I know can be won.

All of our County Conventions have been held and we now have Fritz Rohlfing, re-elected Chair to Oahu County, Gunner Mench also reelected as Big Island Chair, and two new Chairs – Dr. George Powell, Chair for Maui County, and Steve Yoder, Chair for Kauai County.

All are raring to go and we look forward to their leadership.  They are at the core of membership since their principal responsibility is to organize the Districts and through them, the Precincts.

We must do this the old-fashioned way, one voter at a time, one precinct at a time, one district at a time. That’s how we won races in the past, and that’s how we’re going to win in the coming election cycle. And we’re going to do it bolstered by the latest technology that allows our trained volunteers to quickly and effectively reach tens of thousands of voters.

Let us come together on May 2nd as Delegates to our State convention, and let us be committed to set the stage for victory.  The people of Hawaii deserve a strong two- party system.  It is our responsibility to us provide the leadership that the people of Hawaii want for themselves and their children.

Sincerely,

Pat Saiki

Chairman

Republican Party of Hawaii

REGISTER FOR THE STATE CONVENTION

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KEYNOTE Speaker, Sharon Day, Republican National Committee

The Republican Party of Hawaii is proud to announce that Sharon Day, Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee, will keynote our 2015 State Convention on May 2nd at the Kroc Center in Kapolei!

Sharon Day was elected Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee on January 14, 2011, and reelected on January 25, 2013 and January 16, 2015 respectively. From 2009-2011, she served as RNC Secretary, and she has served at the grassroots level of the Republican Party in Florida for more than 20 years. She has served as Florida’s National Committeewoman to the RNC since 2004, and she continues to hold that position today.

During the election recount of 2000, Sharon played an important role by identifying and deploying Republican ballot counters in Broward County to ensure a balanced and transparent review occurred. Following that effort, she was appointed to serve on the Committee for Election Reform for the State of Florida by Governor Jeb Bush.

In 2006, Sharon was elected one of eight members on the Site Selection Committee for the 2008 RNC Convention, where she was also selected as Chairman of the Convention’s Special Events. She was appointed to the Committee on Arrangements for 2008 and was instrumental in getting the 2012 Convention in her home state of Florida.

Sharon was appointed to the Broward County Housing Authority, where she served as the Chairman, and has served as a Commissioner on the Florida Commission on the Status of Women. During her service to the Republican Party, Sharon has recruited numerous successful candidates and worked closely with party activists and supporters to spread the Republican message of fewer taxes, less spending and more freedom. In addition she has made opening the doors of our party to women and minorities a priority.