Tommy Waters

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Waters obtained a B.A. in political science and a J.D. from the University of Hawaii. His professional experience includes working as a defense lawyer. He represented District 51 as a Democrat in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008. During his tenure, he chaired the Judiciary (2006 to 2008) and Higher Education (2004 to 2008) committees and served as the majority whip (2004 to 2008).[1][2]

Tommy Waters did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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Campaign websiteWaters' campaign website stated the following:Affordability & OpportunityLowering our Cost of Living: Protecting our Kūpuna and Keeping our Residents and Keiki Home.In our pursuit of a brighter future for Honolulu, we have taken significant steps to provide tax relief, expand housing options, and invest in safer neighborhoods. These achievements are a testament to the trust you have placed in me, and I am deeply grateful for your support. However, I am acutely aware that our work is far from complete.As a father to Emma and Kai, I often reflect on the kind of Hawaiʻi we will leave for our children. It is heartbreaking to see so many young families leave our beautiful islands due to the high cost of living. I believe every keiki raised here deserves a fair chance to build their life in the place they grew up. It is vital that our kūpuna feel secure, our families receive the support they need, and our neighborhoods get the attention they deserve.The affordability crisis in our community is personal, and the cost of living remains prohibitively high. Basic city services require responsible funding, and every neighborhood in District IV deserves a dedicated Councilmember who understands its unique needs, listens with respect, and is committed to taking action.Honolulu must remain a place where local families can thrive, not a city where rising costs force them to leave. Many residents are feeling the pressure of escalating housing costs and economic uncertainty. While there is no single solution to the affordability issue, we have a responsibility to lead with experience, fiscal discipline, and a clear focus on the needs of our local families.As Council Chair, I have consistently worked to implement practical solutions to increase housing opportunities, protect homeowners, and ensure that our government operates within its means. My guiding principle is simple: each decision should be evaluated on one critical question—does it make life more affordable for Honolulu's residentsThis affordability crisis has taken years to develop, and addressing. it requires steady leadership, practical solutions, and a steadfast commitment to ensuring that Hawaiʻi remains home for future generations. We must strive for a Honolulu where local families can build their future in the places they were raised.As your City Councilmember and Chair, I’ve helped deliver real relief and responsible budgeting by expanding housing availability while providing assistance for houseless individuals. While leading the City Council, we’ve:Successfully secured the largest affordable housing allocation in the City’s history and approved 27 new housing projects, creating more than 10,800 homes for local families.Allocated more than $23 million to help houseless individuals and families with services for housing, in-patient healthcare and outreach support. Appropriated $2 million to appropriately house and support those fleeing from domestic violence. Hosted a virtual eviction moratorium town hall for tenants and landlords to outline rights and responsibilities. Approved a Charter amendment asking voters to increase the amount of real property tax revenue to be set aside for affordable housing development from a .05 to 1 percent. Passed legislation to alleviate the crush of illegal short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods and help alleviate the housing crisis by returning homes to the local rental and owner-occupant markets.Urged state lawmakers to allow the counties 90 days, instead of 45, for action on proposed housing development under 201H of the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, to allow for greater public involvement and transparency. Implemented real property tax relief to include a one-time $350 tax credit for eligible owners and long-term renters, an expanded income-based real property tax credit, and increases to the standard home exemption and senior home exemption.Took action to reduce the burden of steep sewer fee increases.Added stronger budget reporting so the Council can see where City departments are leaving money unused.Safety & SecuritySafe Neighborhoods. Strong Communities.When residents feel secure, families thrive, businesses grow, and neighborhoods prosper. Tommy Waters recognizes that public safety extends beyond emergency response; it includes well-maintained parks, safe streets, reliable infrastructure, and effective city services. Our government must be responsive and accountable to the Community’s needs.As your City Councilmember, Tommy supported investments in public safety, emergency management, road maintenance, flood mitigation, and community services that strengthen neighborhoods to improve our quality of life. His proactive approach emphasizes resolving issues before they become crises and ensuring our city government remains responsive, accountable, and prepared.Strong communities begin with safe neighborhoods. Tommy is dedicated to creating places where families can live, work, and thrive with confidence, ensuring all residents feel safe in their homes by delivering practical neighborhood results:Most funding for public safety in the history of the cityPublic safety initiatives at East Honolulu lookoutsBetter rules for street festivals and parades in WaikīkīSupport for Kūhiō Beach Park revitalizationQueen’s Beach Promenade restorationPedestrian signal in Kapahulu at CampbellSpeed mitigation at Diamond Head Road and Makalei PlaceA new play area at Nehu Neighborhood ParkWhile serving as your City Councilmember and Chair, Tommy led significant initiatives to enhance community safety and resilience through emergency management operations. This included establishing a standalone Department of Emergency Management with civil service standards, creating an Ocean Safety Commission to oversee ocean safety measures, and restructuring to form a standalone Department of Ocean Safety.The City Council enacted measures to fulfill our kuleana — the responsibility to keep our communities safe — by: Fully funding public safety budgets, including an additional $1 million for the understaffed Patrol Division of the Honolulu Police Department (HPD). Allocating over $2.5 million for HPD headquarters. Providing $2 million for stations and facilities and nearly $4 million for equipment. Obtaining a City audit of HPD's overtime policies which further led to operational upgrades, technological implementation, and streamlined processes for better use of taxpayer dollars.Established a gambling room task force to identify and develop solutions to combat illegal game rooms in our city.Tommy also introduced a number of legislative amendments to improve HPD's effectiveness, collaboration, transparency, accountability for misconduct, and public trust, and support for first responders with appropriate tools to assist those suffering from dementia. Tommy remains committed to securing essential funding to reduce staffing vacancies at the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) while continuing to propose measures to enhance accountability in law enforcement.Protecting What MattersPreserving Our Island. Strengthening Our Future.Tommy Waters believes responsible development is not about choosing between progress and preservation. It is about ensuring growth strengthens our communities by planning carefully, listening to residents, and protecting the places that define who we are for a more resilient Honolulu for generations to come.Together, we have been able to make meaningful changes to support sustainable development and protect our precious resources, but our fight won’t stop here. We will continue to succeed in the downzoning of land and the fight for public access to our beaches to preserve our beautiful natural landscapes for future generations.Since taking office, we have worked together to: Downzone land in ʻĀina Haina for preservation purposes and revitalize Wāwāmalu Beach with the installation of natural rock barriers– preventing off-roading vehicles.Successfully work with community stakeholders to acquire and steward lands in the back of Kuliouou and prevent sprawl development. Worked with critical stakeholders to pass an updated East Honolulu Sustainable Communities Plan (EHSCP) that reflects communities’ desires to preserve our natural landscapes and prevent sprawl development. Advocated for public access to our beaches as in the case of resolving the private gate put up at Lane N in Portlock. Approved a measure urging the Department of Parks and Recreation to establish a site-specific permit system for such activities as commercial surfing instruction and establish a policy on a total number of permits allowed so that no single site is overused; and to increase enforcement.Enacted an ordinance banning most commercial activities at Hūnānāniho (formerly known as Waimānalo Bay Beach Park); Kaiona Beach Park, Kaupō Beach Park, Makapuʻu Beach Park, Bellows Field Beach Park, and any city-owned or-operated beach rights-of-way and easements from Makapu’u Point to Kapoho Point (Castle Point).Tommy is committed to:Protecting neighborhood character and quality of lifePreserving beaches, open spaces, and natural resourcesSupporting infrastructure that keeps pace with growthPromoting transparent and accountable land-use decisionsEnsuring development reflects community priorities and long-term sustainabilityResponsible ResiliencyProtecting our most precious resourcesAs an island community, sustainability is critical to the survival of our communities. We have seen our beaches shrink, our streams dry up, our forests wane, we’re experiencing more significant weather events each year, and have seen the effect of sea- level rise across our island home. Now, more than ever, we need to protect our precious resources and brainstorm new ways to increase our self-sufficiency.We must continue to take the big and small actions, from protecting our precious water supply from fuel contamination to ensuring that the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency has resources to support sustainable policy and administration. If we fail, our children will never be able to experience the things that make our community such a great place to live.While serving as your City Councilmember and the Chair, we: For Red Hill – Kapūkakī: Ensured a safe drinking water supply for O‘ahu residents, dedicated $25 million for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to fund critical infrastructure development and prevent future contamination of our underground storage tanks.For Future Sustainability: Enacted an $8 Million a year directive in support of the Climate Resiliency FundCouncil efforts won the city a major victory in the national climate deception case against “big oil” companies. A state judge issued two final rulings, providing a sweep of favorable decisions to the City and County of Honolulu and the Board of Water Supply in their pioneering case, seeking to hold large oil corporations accountable for decades of misrepresenting the scale and severity of climate change impacts from the use of their fossil fuel products. Passed legislation to stand up the Oʻahu Historic Preservation Commission to preserve irreplaceable historic treasures and sacred sites, including the ancient burial caves in Wailupe and so many others. This measure is one of many efforts that we worked on at the Honolulu City Council to protect and preserve our sacred sites, culture and history.Approved legislation providing for city curbside collection of food waste by January 1, 2024 as a positive environmental measure. Appropriated $5 million for cesspool conversions in high-risk areas, especially for low-income owners.Access & TransparencyExpanding Public access and strengthening accountabilityWhile serving as your City Councilmember and the Chair, we: Launched our new Council website to streamline the navigation experience and increase community engagement with tools enabling residents to readily find their council representative; legislation, watch live meetings and more. Implemented a special feature, the Hale Ho‘okele portal, which answers questions about council processes including the city budget; provides up-to-date community resources as well as instruction on submitting testimony, and connects people with their council members.Introduced legislation to require the city to provide data-rich electronic reports to increase transparency and trust with the public. Funded a position for a Chief Technology Officer to serve the Department of Information Technology and the city as a whole.— Tommy Waters' campaign website (June 15, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

Congressional election

Tommy Waters did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Honolulu City Council election

Tommy Waters did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

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Tommy Waters did not complete the candidate survey.

Waters addressed the following issues in an interview with Civil Beat, a local Honolulu newspaper, on July 1, 2014:[8]

Urban Housing

Excerpt: "The [city] can and should remain flexible enough with permits, planning, and zoning to encourage continued development of affordable homes, apartments, and rental units."

Traffic

Excerpt: "The rail is still a long way off, and our traffic problems must be addressed right now. Repair and modernization are critical to any immediate solution. Potholes continue to plague our drivers and slow down traffic; patchwork is relatively simple and effective. Traffic signals can be synchronized based on real-time traffic data without great effort or expense. And, when it does approach readiness, the rail must service the University of Hawaii."

City Revenues

Excerpt: "Revenues rise with a growing economy. I would incentivize investment, support partnerships to create educational and vocational opportunities, and create a stable, dependable municipal government that responds fairly and equitably to business. We need to support the current economy, with tourism, construction, agriculture and military. But we must continue to pursue the economy we need, with diversification, renewable energy, healthcare, science and technology."

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