Grassroot Institute of Hawaii applauds the pro-taxpayer position of Gene Ward, Chaminade University adjunct faculty and state budget analyst, who is running for state House Representative District 17. Ward is the former House minority leader who resigned to run for Congress in 1998, and soon after, accepted a position with the Peace Corps.

Now back in Hawaii, and running for the seat he once held in the East Oahu area, Ward demonstrated his dedication to the taxpayers of Hawaii by signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge on August 29, 2006. By signing the Pledge, he commits “to oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.”

As of today’s date, over 1,200 state legislators nationwide have signed the Pledge. Six governors and six Lt. Governors have also signed.

Governor Linda Lingle has signed the pledge.

Five Hawaii Senators have signed:

•Sam Slom (S-8) •Gordon Trimble (S-12) •David Ige (S-16) •Bob Hogue (S-24) •Fred Hemmings (S-25)

11 Hawaii Representatives have signed the pledge:

•Bertha Kawakami (H-16) •William Stonebraker (H-17) •Barbara Marumoto (H-19) •Anne Stevens (H-23) •Corinne Ching (H-27) •Bev Harbin (H-28) •Lynn Finnegan (H-32) •Mark Moses (H-40) •Kymberly Pine (H-43) •Colleen Meyer (H-47) •Cynthia Thielen (H-50)

Other Candidates who signed the pledge:

U.S. House candidate:

•Richard Noah Hough, 1st Congressional District

Gubernatorial Candidate:

•George Peabody, Governor

House/Senate Candidates

• Jeffrey Alameida (H-46) • Julia E. Allen (H-20) • Nolan Kido (H-18) • Michael Peters (H-23) • J. Williams Sanborn (H-7) • Michael Peters (H23) • JoAnne Georgi (H-16) • Lawrence “Bud” Ebel (H-45) • Aaron Anderson (H-4) • Carol Philips (H-46)

• Paul Smith (S-13) • Robert Fong (S-19)

Gene Ward joins numerous lawmakers who are dedicated to serving the people of Hawaii in keeping government limited and focused on effective and reliable core government functions instead of concentrating on making government larger and more intrusive.

Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform adds, “Gene Ward starts his run for office on message. We are confident he will stay on course."

This program is part of a national project of Americans for Tax Reform in Washington. D.C. They offer the Taxpayer Protection Pledge to all sitting elected officials and candidates for public offices at the state and federal levels.

Richard O. Rowland is president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. Reach him via email at mailto:grassroot@hawaii.rr.com