Gov. Josh Green reflected on his one year in office with a video message released Tuesday, specifically noting the "difficult challenges" the state has faced over the past several months.
His address to the state highlighted the administration’s efforts to tackle issues ranging from Hawaiʻi's high cost of living to shortages of teachers, medical workers and affordable housing.
“When our administration took office a year ago, we pledged to serve the people of Hawaiʻi and provide trusted, effective leadership,” he said. “We said that our actions would be rooted in our shared values — ʻohana and aloha, investment in our keiki and respect for our kūpuna, supporting working families and fighting for justice, equality, and inclusion.
His record has been mixed with some successes and setbacks, such as his initially controversial proclamation to speed up the creation of 50,000 affordable housing units.
The suspension of transparency laws in his initial housing proclamation earlier this year drew wide criticism, though he was commended for rolling them back later.
Earlier in the year, he used his emergency proclamation powers to expedite the development of housing meant for Hawaiʻi's homeless community.
That series of proclamations elicited concerns about the potential broad use of his emergency powers to achieve his policy objectives.
Green also called his administration’s gun buyback program, which is meant to help reduce gun violence, a success. There was debate about how much buyback programs actually reduce gun violence, but hundreds of guns were surrendered during the program.
He also touted his administration’s Green Affordability Plan, which he said provided more than $100 million this year in direct income tax relief for ALICE — asset-limited, income-constrained, employed — families in Hawaiʻi, and noted plans to include more tax relief, including for children and dependents.
Green also praised the community spirit of Hawaiʻi residents in dire times, namely following the devastating fires on Maui in August.
“The past 12 months, and especially the last four, have been full of difficult challenges, devastating loss and unimaginable heartbreak for us in Hawaiʻi. But it also has been a time when we have seen the best in each other on full display — the aloha, sacrifice, and unwavering support we have for every member of our ʻohana," he said.
"This year we have shown the rest of the country and the entire world our true character and our values."
