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Malama Solomon
Malama Solomon is a former Democratic member of the Hawaii State Senate, representing District 4 from December 2010 to November 2014. She was first appointed to replace Dwight Takamine.
Biography
Solomon earned her B.S. and M.S. in education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, her B.S. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Hawaii at Hilo and her Ph.D. in education from Oregon State University. Her professional experience includes working as the owner and manager of Waiaka Farms and Ranch.[1]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Solomon served on the following committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Commerce and Consumer Protection |
| • Tourism and Hawaiian Affairs |
| • Transportation and International Affairs |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Solomon served on these committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Water, Land, and Housing, Vice Chair |
| • Commerce and Consumer Protection |
| • Economic Development and Technology |
| • Hawaiian Affairs |
Campaign themes
2012
Solomon's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[2]
- Geothermal Energy Development
- "Fast tracked development of our island’s firm, renewable – safe -- indigenous power resource to take care of Hawai’i Island residents first..."
- Agriculture
- "Facilitated private sector initiatives to develop and support ag businesses to 'grow' our capacity to produce our own safe, healthy food."
- Public Land Development Corporation
- "An innovative, pro-active government-private initiative to better use state lands to the economic, environmental and social benefit of Hawai’i’s people."
- Higher Education
- "I am a long-standing champion of the development of West Hawai’i’s Palamanui campus and secured release by the Governor of $7.5 million to finally begin construction. Also supported adult ed programs, UH-Hilo’s School of Pharmacy, NHERC’s community classes and secured funding for urgently needed student housing at UH-Hilo."
- Water
- "Wai o ke Ola! Water is life! Secured a $5 million appropriation, which is critical to meeting the needs of today and tomorrow, including food self reliance. With a resident population of 183,000 on Hawai’i Island and 681,000 or more visitors annually, it is imperative that we protect this valuable resource."
Suit against the state
Solomon brought a suit against Hawaii over a water usage issue on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands pastoral property her family holds on the Big Island.
Solomon is among a group of plaintiffs who filed the suit in 2009, alleging that DHHL reneged on promises to provide water for livestock that graze on pastoral land leased to the plaintiffs.
The state argued that it advised the lessees to depend on catchment systems to water their cattle and that bringing water lines to the land would be prohibitively expensive.[3]
In late December 2010, Solomon withdrew as a plaintiff from the suit.
“I will be withdrawing from the suit,” Solomon said. “I kind of forgot about it.”[4]
Opposition to redistricting decision
Although Democrats on the Hawaii Reapportionment Commission were strongly supportive of the decision, voting 3-1 for the inclusion of non-resident/military populations, there has been strong push back from fellow Democrats on the Big Island. Solomon, along with Rep. Cindy Evans, Rep. Robert Herkes, and several others, have pressured the Commission to reverse its decision. In addition, some have threatened to challenge the decision in court.[5] The change in policy is expected to benefit Oahu and prevent it from losing a state senate seat.[6]
Elections
2014
- See also: Hawaii State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Hawaii State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 9, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 3, 2014. Lorraine Rodero Inouye defeated incumbent Malama Solomon in the Democratic primary and defeated Alain Schiller (L) in the general election.[7][8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Lorraine Rodero Inouye |
77.8% | 8,882 | |
| Libertarian | Alain Schiller | 22.2% | 2,536 | |
| Total Votes | 11,418 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Lorraine Rodero Inouye |
58% | 4,373 |
| Malama Solomon Incumbent | 42% | 3,161 |
| Total Votes | 7,534 | |
2012
- See also: Hawaii State Senate elections, 2012
Solomon won re-election in the 2012 election for Hawaii State Senate District 4. Solomon defeated Lorraine Inouye in the August 11 Democratic primary and defeated Kelly Greenwell (G) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[10][11][12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Malama Solomon Incumbent |
66.6% | 9,828 | |
| Green | Kelly Greenwell | 33.4% | 4,934 | |
| Total Votes | 14,762 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Malama Solomon Incumbent |
50.4% | 4,068 |
| Lorraine Inouye | 49.6% | 3,999 |
| Total Votes | 8,067 | |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Hawaii scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2014
In 2014, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 15 through May 2.
- Legislators are scored by Paychecks Hawaii on their "support and advocacy for small business and an improved business climate."[13]
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills highlighted by the organization.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 16 to May 3.
|
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Solomon was born into the Beamer family, known for its contributions to Hawaiian music and hula dance.[1]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for Malama + Solomon + Hawaii + Senate
See also
- Hawaii State Senate
- Hawaii Senate Committees
- Hawaii State Senate District 4
- Hawaii State Legislature
External links
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2006, 1998
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hawaii Tribune-Herald, "Election profile: State Senate District 4," August 2, 2012
- ↑ Malmama Solomon, "Distirct 4 Priorities," accessed September 26, 2012
- ↑ Hawaii Reporter, "New State Senator Suing State," December 23, 2010
- ↑ Hawaii Reporter, "Solomon Withdrawing From Lawsuit," December 29, 2010
- ↑ Hawaii Reporter, "Democrat Lawmakers Threaten Legal Action Over Reapportionment Decision," July 13th, 2011
- ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Hawaii Panel Votes to Include Military, Students," June 28, 2011
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official primary candidate list," accessed June 6, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed November 12, 2014
- ↑ civilbeat.com, " Unofficial 2012 Primary election candidate list," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official 2012 Primary election results," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official 2012 General election results," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ Paychecks Hawaii, "PAYCHECKS HAWAII Ratings of the 2013 Hawaii State Legislature," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ Paychecks Hawaii, "PAYCHECKS HAWAII Ratings of the 2013 Hawaii State Legislature," accessed July 11, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Shan Tsutsui (D) |
Hawaii State Senate - District 4 2012–2014 |
Succeeded by Lorraine Inouye (D) |
| Preceded by Dwight Takamine (D) |
Hawaii State Senate District 1 2011–2012 |
Succeeded by Gilbert Kahele (D) |
