Tommy Waters

03/06/2025

03/06/2025

03/05/2025

: March newsletter now available! 📰🤙🏻

Honoring women’s paddling legend Hannie Anderson, demystifying the City’s legislative process, and reducing the congestion caused by too many street festivals in Waikīkī are among the many notable District 4 news items in our March newsletter.

For news you can use, or to submit an item for consideration, contact us at (808) 768-5004 or email [email protected].

Mahalo for the privilege and honor of serving the residents of District 4, from Kaimukī to Hawai‘i Kai!

02/25/2025

Last Friday, my District 4 Team and I had an opportunity to tour our City’s H-Power and Waimānalo Gulch Landfill facilities, to gain a new perspective on where our ʻōpala goes after it’s thrown in the blue, green, and gray bins. This is a particularly important topic as the City deliberates where the next landfill siting will be. We met up with the Cityʻs Energy Recovery Administrator Ahmad Sadri and Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill’s District Manager Tina Alder (with Waste Management Hawai‘i) to learn more about the status of O‘ahu’s waste processors and landfill since our last visit in 2019, and ask what they need from us to support their initiatives. We had some eye-opening conversations, and I am looking forward to continuing the important community discussion surrounding O‘ahu’s next landfill.

I wanted to express a big mahalo to the dedicated staff at both facilities for the crucial work they do, working around the clock to manage nearly 700 tons of waste and converting it into renewable energy, condensing our trash and transporting it to the landfill. These huakaʻiʻs are invaluable to my team and I. They help us have a clearer vision on how we can better support the communities that we serve and beyond, and push us even more to get things done.

02/22/2025

This week, Councilmember and Radiant Cordero and I were invited to participate in a critically important panel discussion focused on "demystifying" the City’s legislative process. The discussion was hosted by the Holomua Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping local families in Hawai‘i by creating cross-sector solutions and executing sustainable pathways to make sure they can afford to stay - a vision that the Council wholeheartedly shares.

Over the course of our time with the group, we discussed the community's access to Councilmembers, the process of deliberating over bills and resolutions, and quite importantly, issues around transparency, trust in government, and making your voice heard. We were encouraged by the thoughtful questions we received, and truly excited about how engaged the audience was. Both Radiant and I answered with the candor and transparency that we try to do our jobs and serve our communities with. I want to thank the Board and Staff of the Holomua Collection for inviting us. It was time well spent, and we look forward to participating in future events!

02/05/2025

Aloha District 4! I’m pleased to present our February newsletter, highlighting news and information about our community, city policies, and some of the progress and improvements we’re making on city services and facilities. To download this newsletter go to honolulucitycouncil.org/district4. Mahalo for the continuing privilege and honor of serving as your Councilmember!

01/31/2025

I am continually amazed at, and tremendously grateful for, the wonderful school administrators and teachers in my district who give their all for their students, schools and communities. Today, I had the great honor of congratulating Niu Valley Intermediate School Vice Principal Marlyn Hutton on her selection as Hawaiʻi’s Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year by the Hawaiʻi Association of Secondary School Administrators (HASSA). This honor highlights her outstanding leadership, dedication to students and teachers, and commitment to academic excellence. The award was presented to her in front of the entire student body, faculty, parents and neighboring school district leaders.

Vice Principal Hutton has served at Niu Valley Intermediate for nine years, implementing innovative academic programs that positively impact teaching and learning. With 15 years of experience as an assistant principal, she has been a guiding force in fostering student success, professional development for teachers, and a positive school culture. Vice Principal Hutton’s leadership and passion for education will be recognized nationally as she represents Hawaiʻi this April in Washington, D.C. at the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) National Assistant Principal of the Year celebration event.

I am truly humbled by leaders like Vice Principal Hutton who have the enormous kuleana to cultivate engaged students and develop our future leaders, and I wish her the very best in representing her students, her colleagues, and our community later on this year in D.C.!

01/24/2025

I want to send my fondest aloha to Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, who today delivered his very last State of the Judiciary address at the Legislature. I have known Chief Justice Recktenwald for many years, and as a former State Representative serving as chair of the Judiciary Committee, I had the great honor of taking part in his nomination as Chief Justice in 2010. The Chief Justice's impacts on our judicial system have been monumental and wide-ranging, always ensuring that cases are decided fairly and efficiently, providing equal access to justice for all, creating innovative and inclusive pathways to navigating our judicial system, and building public trust and confidence in the courts. And while we will all miss his reassuring guidance and leadership during good times and bad, we also recognize that we are all much better off because of the contributions he has made to our community, and his enduring commitment to truth, justice and equality for all.

01/18/2025

Today, my District 4 Team and I rode out to Hālawa to meet with DFM’s Chief of Road Maintenance Tyler Sugihara to thank him and his hard-working staff for the incredible work they do in keeping our roads safe and our city running, and maintaining the fleet and equipment it takes to get that done. We also stopped by one of our city beach parks just outside of Waikīkī to talk with beachgoers and residents to better understand how they use the park, and what we can do to make that experience even better. Finally, we ended our huaka‘i with a conversation with retired HFD Battalion Chief Keoni Kino who showed us the work he and his team of volunteers have done to transform Kuilei Cliffs in Diamond Head from an overgrown thicket of kiawe into a vibrant green space for better land and recreational use, reducing runoff into the ocean, and decreasing the impacts of invasive species on our ecosystem.

These outings are very important to me and my team. They connect us to the communities we serve in ways that can’t be accomplished sitting behind a desk. We are privileged to visit the communities that comprise District 4, so that we can see first hand exactly what we are doing to enhance the quality of life for our residents, and where we can impact positive change for the future.

01/16/2025

Hoo‘maika‘i to our friends and colleagues from across the street who today celebrated the opening day of this year's Hawai‘i State Legislative session. I am always so honored to be invited to the pomp and circumstance of opening day, and tremendously impressed by the wonderfully preserved traditions and the meticulously coordinated ceremonies. But at the end of the day, it is all about reconnecting with old friends, making new ones, and preparing ourselves to work together to create the programs and laws that will ultimately make Hawai‘i a better place to live, and O‘ahu a more livable place to thrive.

01/15/2025

Last night I had the honor of speaking at the Korean American Foundation's annual celebration of pioneering Korean immigrants who arrived in Hawai‘i 122 years ago—102 individuals in search of opportunity, and whose resilience and sacrifices have left an enduring legacy that continues to enrich the cultural fabric of our city and state.

In one of the highlights of the evening, businessman and community leader Hyo Kyu Lim was given the Light of the Orient Donald Chang Won Kim award for extraordinary contribution to the life and culture of the Korean Community in Hawai‘i. Mr. Lim founded and expanded successful businesses including Pālama Supermarket, and has played a vital role in shaping Korean culture and influence in our community. Mr. Lim has been named Retail Business of the Year, he has received the President's Volunteer Service award, and in 2022, Governor David Ige honored him for his outstanding contributions to the community. Incredibly, since 1999, he has also awarded annual scholarships to nearly 180 students in Hawai‘i.

Our state's greatest strength lies in our cultural diversity, which the Korean community beautifully exemplifies. Together, we honor our shared past and look toward a future defined by unity, collaboration, and shared prosperity.

01/12/2025

Aloha to the residents of Honolulu City Council District 4 and everyone across O‘ahu. I'm pleased to present the newly formatted District 4 Newsletter for January, featuring the themes of Aloha, Kūpono, and Po‘okela.

To download a copy of this, go to honolulucitycouncil.org/district4. I wish you all the very best in 2025, and I want to thank you for allowing me to serve you as your Councilmember and Council Chair. Mahalo!

12/24/2024

As we celebrate the peace and joy that defines the holiday season, let us honor the spirit of aloha—the gentle yet powerful force that unites our community. Let’s live aloha, cherishing one another this season bound by hope, humility, and love. May the light of this season shine brightly, filling our hearts with gratitude and our days with the promise of a better tomorrow.

Hauʻoli lānui wā hoʻomaha me ke aloha pū, please have a happy holiday season with much aloha! May this time bring peace, joy, and warmth to you and your ‘ohana.

12/07/2024

As some of you know, I’m a big fan of nostalgic and welcoming neighborhoods, classically designed architecture and the hometown feel of places that just take you back to “small kid time.” The iconic Queen Theater was once the crown jewel of Kaimukī, but has sat vacant and abandoned for decades, despite many requests and meetings with the owner - and I think it’s time we do something about it. How do you feel? Should the City Administration start the process of condemnation so we can restore and rejuvenate Queen Theater to benefit the surrounding community?

A) Yes, it’s an eyesore and safety issue
B) No, that’s government overreach
C) Maybe, but give the owner more time to do something about it

(vote A, B, or C in the comments below)

We’ll be taking this up at the next Full Council meeting on Dec. 11, and I’d love to hear your how you feel through testimony, written, remote or in person. For more information on how to testify on this or any other measure at the City Council, go to our website at https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/testimony

Our city’s legislative process only works when you take an interest, get involved, and make your voice heard. I welcome you to come and help shape the future of our great city together!

11/28/2024

Living in Hawaiʻi, we all have a lot to grateful for - beautiful year-round weather, wonderfully connected communities, and an abundance of aloha wherever you go. As we kick off the holiday season this Thanksgiving Day, I want to wish everyone peace, love and aloha. Mahalo to all of you who make this city, our city, such an amazing place to live, work and play.

11/26/2024

Year after year, thousands of our friends and relatives leave the islands because they simply can’t make ends meet - and it terrifies me that my own children may face the same choice one day. Even still, there is some confusion about whether or not the Empty Homes Tax (Bill 46) will actually make a difference in our housing crisis. For those on the fence, consider what the experts at the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), have to say. Associate Professor Justin Tyndall just released a blog that says Bill 46 could potentially increase Oʻahu’s housing inventory by 14,000 housing units, and result in approximately $144 million annually to help the city build and maintain additional affordable housing units and address the impacts of global, national, and local increases in the cost-of-living, which have crippled many of our local residents and families.

“The potential housing supply and revenue effects are both significant,” said Professor Tyndall. “An increase in 14,000 housing units amounts to a 4% increase in Honolulu County’s total housing stock. In recent years, Honolulu has only expanded its housing supply by roughly 2,500 units per year, so this change represents several years of new housing supply. On the revenue side, $144 million represents about 4% of Honolulu’s entire county operating budget.” If this sounds at all familiar to you, it should - a 2021 study on the impacts of an Empty Homes Tax by the University of California at Los Angeles, commissioned by the City and County of Honolulu, clearly cited similar data and findings.

There is an abundance of research on this topic, but only scarce and scattered conjecture from the special interests that have opposed it. I know this bill is not a silver bullet, and I’ve said that it will take a combination of efforts from the public and private sectors. But Bill 46 represents an opportunity to put a dent in the crisis, as one of several strategies to help our residents live and thrive here at home. You can read the entire blog on UHERO’s website, and please make your voice heard at the Full Council meeting on December 11.

11/07/2024

It breaks my heart that the once iconic Queen Theater on Wai‘alae Avenue in Kaimukī has remained dormant for decades. It now stands as a vacant and rundown eyesore in the middle of a thriving residential neighborhood, supported by a resurging and vibrant restaurant scene. This week, I’ll be introducing a measure to ask the City Administration to begin the work necessary to take control of the property. I have been working with the building's owners for several years in hopes of finding a productive solution, but they have been slow to restore it to a state that would benefit the entire community.
I’m passionate about taking action on this, and I want to know how you feel. Please submit your testimony on Resolution 176, remote or in person, so that we can start the process of restoring the property to its former glory. The first reading of this measure is on Friday, November 8, at 9 a.m. at Honolulu Hale.