Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters is heading into the Aug. 8 primary election with a commanding financial advantage over his closest challenger as he seeks a third term representing East Honolulu’s District 4, campaign filings indicate.
According to the state Campaign Spending Commission, Waters’ campaign reported more than $321,500 in cash on hand, covering the period from April 26 to June 30, after spending nearly $130,000 this election cycle.
Trevor Ozawa, a former Council member and Waters’ chief challenger, reported more than $22,300 in cash at the end of the same reporting period and spent just over $2,000 during the latest election cycle.
That wide funding gap — roughly 14 times larger than his next fundraising competitor, Ozawa — gives Waters a substantial edge in what’s expected to be one of Honolulu’s most closely watched election races this year.
Political newcomers Tara Malia Gregory and Jason Liang also are seeking the Council seat for District 4, which spans from Waikiki to Hawaii Kai.
Waters has represented the district since winning a 2019 special election and a reelection campaign in 2022. But his latest Council bid comes as he defends against a lawsuit brought by Ozawa challenging whether the City Charter permits Waters to seek a third consecutive term.
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The lawsuit remains pending with a hearing scheduled for July 27 in 1st Circuit Court on Ozawa’s request for a preliminary injunction seeking to bar Waters from appearing on the primary election ballot.
The Aug. 8 nonpartisan primary will determine whether a candidate wins the seat outright with more than 50% of the vote or if the top two finishers advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
Meanwhile, the race for the Council seat in District 6, which stretches from Kakaako to Kalihi Valley, will not be on the Aug. 8 primary ballot, according to the City Charter, because there are only two candidates in the race.
That means Council member Tyler Dos Santos- Tam, 38, of Kakaako, is expected to face first-time candidate and city employee Corey Morihara, 39, of Honolulu, in November.
Two other incumbent Council members are on the Aug. 8 primary ballot this year but will run unopposed.
They are Matt Weyer, who represents District 2, which includes the North Shore, and Val Okimoto, whose District 8 includes Central Oahu. Both are seeking second four-year terms. Unless an unexpected challenge emerges, the two incumbents are expected to be elected after the primary and will not appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
‘Audit everything’
Gregory, 46, of Hawaii Kai, is a small-business owner who entered this year’s District 4 Council race after returning to Hawaii following the 2023 Maui wildfires, an experience she said renewed her commitment to public service.
“Seeing friends and members of my ohana displaced compelled me to sell what I had built and return home to Hawaii,” she said. “Since returning, I have immersed myself in civic engagement.”
She said her Council campaign platform is simple: “Audit everything.”
“Many candidates will say the biggest issues are homelessness, housing, permitting or the rising cost of living,” Gregory said. “Those are all real challenges, but I believe they are symptoms of a deeper problem: a lack of transparency, accountability and follow-through in government.”
She identified affordability as the biggest challenge facing residents in her district, adding that rising costs are compounded by infrastructure issues that include deteriorating roads and sidewalks, flooding concerns, stream maintenance and delays in government services.
As of Friday, Gregory said her campaign has raised approximately $12,500 and spent about $9,300. She hopes to raise an additional $20,000 to pay for mailers and advertising before the Aug. 8 primary.
Overall, Gregory described her campaign as a grassroots effort and said she is not seeking office on behalf of special interests or large donors.
“I am running to represent every resident of Council District 4 who wants a safer, more affordable and more accountable Honolulu,” she said.
Affordable housing
Liang, a 34-year-old Honolulu resident, said he entered the District 4 race because he believes many working-class residents have lost faith that city government can deliver meaningful change.
“Life in Honolulu has gotten so difficult that I cannot see a path to a better future with the leaders we currently have in office or who have been part of the establishment in the past,” he said.
A real property appraiser for the city since 2020, Liang said he decided to run after not seeing a candidate willing to challenge what he described as years of inadequate action and rising costs affecting local residents.
“I did not see a candidate who was willing to fight for working class values, to tell the people of Oahu that they deserve more, and that more is possible,” he said. “That is why I was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of O’ahu to run for Honolulu City Council — not simply to begin a campaign but to begin a movement.”
Housing is the biggest issue facing Honolulu, according to Liang.
“Those who own homes are struggling to keep them due to taxes, those who would inherit a home face the burden of paying taxes on it, and everyone is struggling to find an affordable home whether to rent or purchase,” he said, adding he believes housing is a human right. “Therefore, I will propose a funded budget amendment to bring affordable housing projects under city management.”
Liang said another immediate priority would be fully funding TheBus and making bus service “fast, reliable and fare-free.”
He also supports expanding affordable public housing, establishing rent control, creating a vacancy tax, enforcing existing restrictions on short-term rentals and investing in long-term affordability initiatives such as city-owned grocery stores and affordable child care.
Liang said his campaign has raised about $4,500 for his campaign so far and spent approximately $2,700. He expects his campaign will spend about $5,000 by Election Day.
Experience counts
Ozawa, a 43-year-old Hawaii Kai resident, said his past Council experience representing East Honolulu makes him the right choice to reclaim the District 4 seat he lost seven years ago.
A Honolulu attorney who served on the Council from 2015 to 2019, Ozawa said he’s running because the district “deserves a Council member who shows up, listens and gets things done.”
“Families in East Honolulu are squeezed by the cost of living, basic services and neighborhood upkeep have slipped, and too often government moves fast for insiders and slow for everyone else,” he said. “I have done this job before. I know how the city’s budget actually works, I have a record of delivering for this community, and I want to bring new energy and real follow-through back to this seat for all of us.”
Ozawa said his priorities include lowering the cost of living by improving the city’s permitting system, holding the line on property taxes and better managing the city’s finances before asking taxpayers for additional revenue.
He said his past Council experience gives him a strong understanding of how city government operates and how to deliver neighborhood improvements.
Ozawa cited protecting Kanewai Springs, the Kaiwi coastline and open space in the Wailupe and Aina Haina area as his proudest accomplishments, saying those decisions will benefit future generations. He also highlighted legislation making municipal golf courses free for children.
According to the candidate, his campaign has raised $42,600 to date since filing to run June 2.
“In my prior Council campaigns, my committee raised $551,255 during the 2018 election and $227,051 during the 2019 special election,” he said.
Government for ‘real lives’
Waters, 60, of Kaimuki, is an attorney who previously served as a Circuit Court law clerk, deputy public defender, private-practice attorney and state representative before joining the Council, where he’s been its chairperson since 2021.
He said his latest campaign is focused on keeping local families in Hawaii by making Honolulu more affordable and ensuring the city continues investing in essential services.
“Honolulu’s next chapter should be measured by whether local families can remain here, thrive and shape our future,” Waters said. “For years, homeowner and kupuna exemptions remained unchanged.”
He pointed to expanded property tax exemptions as one of his key accomplishments during his time on the Council.
“I will continue to protect these exemptions, cut waste before asking residents for another dollar, and invest in public safety including HPD, Fire, Ambulance and Ocean Safety, safer roads, responsive services and infrastructure including finding a new landfill that keeps pace with Honolulu,” Waters said.
He said he remains focused on lowering the cost of living for residents through tax relief and reducing other expenses, including vehicle registration costs.
“During my time on the Council, I have introduced 1,564 legislative measures,” Waters said. “While I am proud of all of them, my greatest achievement is not any single bill or resolution. It is building a record of solving problems that make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
And he highlighted his role in passing 2021’s Bill 48, which established a city permitting and enforcement system for underground storage tanks following the Red Hill fuel contamination crisis. He also cited expanding property tax relief, approving thousands of housing units and increasing funding for the Honolulu Police Department as examples of his record.
“By designing government around residents’ real lives, Honolulu can become more efficient, responsive and affordable,” Waters said.