GIL REBELLEDO, resident on Maui in District 8, was interviewed by Jason Schwartz, June 2016. Gil is running as a challenger to Rep. Joseph Souki, Speaker Emeritus and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the State of Hawaii. Gil is the Vice-chair of the Maui Republican Party.
Summary & timestamped Transcript Below…
The video features an in-depth, candid interview with Gil Rebelledo, a candidate running for the State House of Representatives in Hawaii’s District 8, which covers areas from Wapoo through Wuku to Kakala. Gil shares his personal background, motivations for running, and his vision for the community. Originally from Los Angeles, Gil’s family roots connect deeply to Maui, where he has lived for many years. He brings a wealth of experience as a business owner, educator, musician, and community volunteer. His campaign is driven by a heartfelt passion to serve and improve the lives of his neighbors, focusing on critical issues such as homelessness, sustainable development, agricultural revitalization, and government accountability.
Gil emphasizes his commitment to maintaining Maui’s natural beauty and slowing irresponsible development. He speaks candidly about the state’s homelessness crisis, highlighting the lack of coordinated leadership despite many organizations working independently. He believes that with proper leadership, the community can pool resources and efforts more effectively to address homelessness. Gil criticizes government inefficiency, particularly regarding the costly and poorly managed rail project on Oahu, underscoring the need for common-sense governance.
A strong proponent of self-sustainability, Gil envisions Maui becoming an agricultural leader by restoring degraded soil and diversifying farming practices. He advocates for local economic independence, especially in light of global uncertainties and shifting economic landscapes.
Throughout the interview, Gil reveals his grounded and spiritual nature, drawing strength from faith and community ties. He stresses the importance of voter participation and civic responsibility, encouraging citizens to engage actively in their democracy rather than remain passive or cynical. Gil’s approach to campaigning rejects traditional fundraising methods in favor of grassroots community involvement and supporting local nonprofits.
In summary, Gil Rebelledo presents himself as a dedicated community advocate ready to bring practical solutions, genuine aloha, and a cooperative spirit to the State House, with a deep commitment to preserving Maui’s culture, environment, and well-being.
Highlights
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[03:52] ? Gil recounts touring the first-ever Boeing 747, highlighting his diverse life experiences.
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[13:08] ? Gil shares his deep personal connection to his district, emphasizing his lifelong ties to the land and community.
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[19:38] ? Expresses strong opposition to irresponsible development on Maui, highlighting environmental concerns.
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[20:30] ?ﾸﾏ Identifies homelessness as a critical issue, noting the lack of coordinated leadership despite many efforts.
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[29:30] ? Critiques the mismanagement and soaring costs of the Oahu rail project, calling for accountability.
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[27:26] ? Advocates for restoring Maui’s agricultural soil and promoting self-sustainability to reduce dependence on external resources.
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[44:20] ? Urges community involvement and voting as essential to effecting meaningful change in government and society.
Key Insights
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[01:45] ? Deep Community Roots Enhance Authentic Representation: Gil’s lifelong connection to Maui and District 8, combined with his diverse life experiences, provides him with a unique understanding of local needs and values. This authenticity is critical in political representation, enabling him to advocate effectively for his constituents. His personal narrative of moving from urban Los Angeles to rural Maui also offers a broader perspective on socio-economic challenges.
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[13:08] ? Leadership Driven by Love and Personal Investment: Gil’s spontaneous, heartfelt response to what he brings to the House—love for his family, community, and land—reflects a leadership style grounded in genuine care rather than political ambition. This personal investment often translates into more ethical, community-focused governance, contrasting with detached or self-serving political figures.
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[20:30] ?ﾸﾏ Homelessness Crisis Requires Strategic Coordination: Despite numerous organizations working to address homelessness in Maui, Gil highlights a critical gap: the absence of unified leadership and coordinated efforts. This fragmentation limits effectiveness, suggesting that political leaders must prioritize systemic solutions that align community resources, streamline services, and create measurable outcomes.
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[29:30] ? Government Projects Demand Transparency and Accountability: Gil’s critique of the Oahu rail project exposes widespread issues in government infrastructure management, including cost overruns and lack of clear budgeting. His perspective as a business owner underscores the importance of fiscal responsibility and transparency in public projects. Without these, public trust erodes, and economic burdens fall unfairly on future generations.
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[27:26] ? Revitalizing Agriculture as a Pillar of Self-Sufficiency: The degradation of Maui’s soil due to decades of chemical use in the plantation era presents a major challenge but also an opportunity. Gil’s vision to restore soil health and promote diversified, organic farming aligns with global trends toward sustainable agriculture. This strategy not only addresses food security but also economic resilience in an isolated island environment vulnerable to global supply chain disruptions.
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[44:20] ?ﾸﾏ Voter Engagement is Crucial for Meaningful Change: Gil confronts voter apathy and distrust head-on, acknowledging the widespread disillusionment with government but emphasizing that real change requires active participation. His call for voters to “put their whole heart into it” reflects the democratic principle that collective action is essential to hold leaders accountable and shape policy.
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[37:29] ? Campaigning with Integrity and Community Focus: By rejecting traditional fundraising and instead holding meet-and-greets at nonprofit organizations, Gil models a campaign rooted in service rather than self-interest. This approach builds trust and strengthens community ties, setting a standard for ethical political engagement that prioritizes people over money.
Additional Analysis
Gil Rebelledo’s candid discussion reveals a candidate who is not only politically aware but deeply empathetic and connected to his community’s struggles and aspirations. His multifaceted background—as an educator, businessman, pastor, and volunteer—equips him with a broad set of skills and perspectives to tackle complex issues. The interview highlights his balanced approach to governance: combining practical business acumen with spiritual and community values.
His criticisms of political inefficiency and corruption underscore a broader systemic challenge in Hawaii’s governance, where legacy projects and entrenched interests often hinder progress. Gil’s emphasis on aloha—understood as giving and community love—positions him as a counterpoint to cynical political culture.
Furthermore, his focus on agriculture and sustainability is particularly insightful given Hawaii’s geographic and economic vulnerabilities. By promoting local food production and environmental restoration, Gil aligns his campaign with long-term resilience goals that can benefit not only his district but the entire state.
Overall, Gil’s campaign message is one of hope, responsibility, and active participation. He calls for cooperation without sacrificing principles, encouraging voters to overcome apathy and embrace their civic duties. His personal testimony about overcoming adversity and his commitment to serving regardless of political outcome add a compelling human dimension to his candidacy.
This interview offers voters a comprehensive understanding of Gil Rebelledo’s values, motivations, and plans, making a persuasive case for why he could be an effective and heartfelt representative for District 8.
Transcript
aloha welcome to another up close and personal I’m Jason Schwartz you probably know me or if you don’t aloa I know him this is Gil Rebelledo now I say that slowly REBELLEDO right correct Gil is running in what race are we this is state house district yes I’m running for a State House of Representatives District 8 which is uh covers the areas from wapoo through wuku all the way to kakala okay yeah wow now many of you don’t know but District 8 has had a fixture in office for a while yes
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there’s a man that many of us know he was speaker of the house and he was speaker of the house and then he was speaker emeritus and Speaker of the House again and he’s been here a long time his name isi who’s a wonderful man so I know you know and like him yeah what brought the passion in you to say this is the time to run uh well you know I don’t think the decision from a a sensible person comes comes right away you know it takes it takes a a period of time and certain instances in your life you know to make
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you decide to run for office but uh you know I’ve been in I’ve been so interested in politics I think since I was a little boy to tell you the truth and uh I’ve always kept up with uh current events and you know even as a young boy I I was very unusual I would read the newspaper all are you from this area have you grow up in this area no actually I was born in Los Angeles Compton oh East LA I actually used to uh work in the County of LA oh and no Compton quite an interesting area and uh
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we also migrated to um Nevada uh I lived in Las Vegas off the old strip and uh also in Seattle Washington um where my dad became a a engineer for Boeing and uh I think one of the most memorable moments I had was we had as a family the opportunity to um tour the very first 747 that was ever built wow before it was even flown we got a chance to go on the plane and actually you know tour it and check it out I used the bath I was one of the first ones to use the bathroom on the 74 that’s something
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memorable but um you know um so you moved to Maui a while ago though cuz I know you talk to like you been here a while yeah my mother and dad uh my mother and father met on Maui my mother was from pukal ani she was born in just above Lahaina and my dad moved here from Honolulu and they both met and eloped to California and where I was born and um we we did our thing over there but my mom um had become ill and so um you know we made a a family decision to move back to Maui I see yeah well Maui’s a richer place for
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us I love Maui boy and I know that you um are family man yes you um have you talked to your family about what this means to them have they prepared to have you going off to the State House my wife is a wonderful woman you know um she she’s uh a Maui girl and she supports me um in whatever Endeavor I do um we argue behind closed doors but she she does I think that I’ve married a wonderful woman and she has been reciprocated by marrying a wonderful man so we do support each other in many ways
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my uh my son who’s um in high school I told him my intentions to run for office and he said dad does this mean I’m going to be famous that’s what he said I said yes son yes son absolutely so said go for it Dad you know he’s a good he’s a good boy he um he just finished his freshman year at Baldwin and uh he had Straight A’s he’s uh in the on the track team in the football team and he’s um he’s a he’s is everything a a father would want from a son you know that’s
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wonderful to you my two daughters are doing well and I have four grandkids um wow who have me wrapped around their fingers of course I was going to say you look young but you’ve had years of experience I have four grandkids who are four grand kids wonderful kids so yeah so what’s the passion that’s motivating obviously like you said yeah you don’t come upon the decision to run no quickly what what’s making you want to run well my years is in business here on Maui um for one of the things that has
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been a um a benefit for me is to meet a lot of the community people um I’ve run a number of restaurants and a number of different businesses here um I I was very good friends with uh Hannibal sarez Linda lingo um georgeo uh just a myriad of different people who were involved in the community in some respects so um we built relationships over the years and um it was very interesting to hear a lot of the things that they had to say that they were involved with you know and I did I did call on um a couple of the
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Mayors for a couple of favors here and there and they you know it’s um it’s interesting you know um getting kind of favors you kill somebody and they get you out of gym no opening different businesses and stuff you know they they have a way of talking to people and they do convincing them uh of certain things but um Linda lingo was a I I tell you it was a very interesting time meeting her my my family and I went to the War Memorial Stadium for 4th of July celebration okay and we were sitting
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right in the middle of the stadium and I looked over and I saw this lady shaking hands with everybody and I was like I wonder who this lady oh and then I thought oh my gosh she’s coming our way and um she eventually made her way to us and um I introduced myself and she introduced herself and it was Linda was she mayor at the time or no no she was uh actually running for her first position on Council oh I see and um she was I introduced myself um I told her I was a teacher my my wife was a teacher
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and uh we were both Educators and she said well I’m an educator too and I went wow and you know so we started talking story and um um shortly after that the the show started the 4th of July show started and instead of walking away she she stayed with us she sat with us and we watched the 4th of July celebration together and um that really impressed me you know this lady who actually could be talking to anybody or be with anybody she wanted to um took the time to get to know you a little bit sit and watch the show with
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me and my my kids and we developed a relationship after that um I worked at different areas in different businesses in the community and um Linda would Patron them quite often and um I uh supported her throughout all her campaigns and uh of course she finally became governor and um I don’t know maybe it it’s just me but maybe um position and things like that um causes people to have a memory lab sometimes if you know what I mean but um uh she changed a little over time huh she did I think
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the well it happens to everybody I think you know well but you know that’s a good observation yeah but I imagine as you become well as your son becomes famous you’ll probably uh think about changing but I know you’re a very spiritual man and so well I did tell I did say this is you know I met some uh old longtime Republican people um um at one of our district uh elections and you know the they’re very good friends of mine but um his wife said oh be careful now if you’re going to be running for off
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there’s a lot of naughty people out there and I’m like you know like a motherly thing and I’m like but her husband went like this Mr REO if you run for State House of Representatives what is it that you have to offer I mean what’ you say and that’s you know that’s the kind of question that you would get from an oldtime um long time Republican who uh you know has been in the I guess they call him rhinos now right so all I know is when you say the word Republican now you think of a group of 12 people right
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that got slaughtered by a guy coming in and I know decimating them all on a national level so Rhino to me is you’re talking about someone that’s kind of died in the wool in the old fabric of the party very judgmental very slow moving well this is what I answered him with you know we were sitting in um at the Maui Seaside and um as soon as he asked me that question what have you got to offer for the House of Representatives and I I looked up and there was a picture window right behind you and I I immediately saw
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the West Maui mountains and I told them turn around and look out at those mountains over there you see a white cupol my family all is I get family out there I go there every day I volunteer at the prison I volunteer at the homeless shelter you see that there over there you see that Valley eow Valley my wife and I had our first kiss over there and not more than 2 years later in the river I asked my wife to marry me you see uh why here and and uh CAW I built my house in y i i i have family out there I’ve
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worked out there this is that’s my home and you know what I’m going to be bringing to the House of Representatives all of that I’m going to be bringing the love I have of my family the love I have for for my friends and the love I have for where I grew up and I’m never going to forget who I am or where I’m from and you know what he did he reached in his pocket and he pulled out his checkbook and I said okay how much do you want you know I told him put your checkbook away I don’t I don’t really
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need your money I want cash there you go sounds like other politicians we but you know that’s that’s really was from my heart it was a spontaneous response but uh I’ll never never forget it yeah you have a a big effort coming I know you got a lot of time before our November election but I’m sure you’re going to be out getting to know the people in your District have you started going house the house and stuff well you know I know a lot of people in my district already because of course I grew up there I mean
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I’ve Built Homes there I’ve worked on homes I’ve worked in businesses I I know a lot of people in my area already um and I think it’s just a matter of for now I’ve been having you know small meetings here and there which is small groups of people um and letting them know I’m running um I have signs and things like that but I haven’t put them up yet well it’s early um and uh yeah you know I am allowing um I’m not rushing if I’m going to do it I’m going
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to do it right and I know that the some of the candidates have told me that they’re expecting that in mid July when the Maui News comes out with its stuff all their positions are coming out and that’s when they’re going to start to get it take it seriously and some of them have primary races right so they have to really hustle it up but you can do this like you say not like a rhino but like the slow but steady yeah thing go out there so I’m still busy though uh this next Saturday I’ll be in the makawa
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parade um and um I’ve been making a few um engagements here and there I know I’ll be involved with the kapuna lunching to tell you the truth though I’ve been in the kapuna lunchin every year you know I usually end up with one of the groups that play music or you know I’m I’m there working at the hotel that they’re at or you know so so I’ve always been a part of the Capa luncheon and um the Capas oh my gosh that’s another love uh my wife and I we often go we’re volunteers for the
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halua health services and we just uh we just love going in and talking story with them and bringing people SP and of course I was a resident right so when I first met him actually we met casually and then suddenly it was wasn’t very long maybe a couple of weeks even you got injured on the job and I came so at Holly makua this is a rebuilt man oh I mean we built from the ground up that was an amazing experience I know it was more amazing for you but you had a really positive spirit yeah and it was just really very
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refreshing not only to meet you but see how you really pull together what was your secret I’ll tell you what you know when I got out of surgery the first thing I asked the doctors was am I going to be able to use my right arm again am I going to be able to walk normally again because I had broken bones all over my right side and and being a musician I was very concerned about am I going to be able to play the piano or guitar and that was I was more concerned about that than anything else you know um and actually I
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got negative reports you know they told me that well you probably will not be able to use your arm as well as you you can from now and more than likely you may probably walk with a limp and so it was really depressing news from the doctors but yeah I prayed every single day and I I talked to my bones and I I refused to accept ccept that report and I I every single day like clockwork and I um I would pray and I would um I would literally talk to myself plus you had a lot of physical therapy yeah
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wonderful people too wonderful people is awesome people you know and it was a it was a wonderful environment um and I attribute everything to the fact that now um I’m a testimony and I don’t take that lightly I I I’m a testimony for people you know you can you can literally change your circumstances with the right attitude and the right spirit I so so um so hit me up with a couple of your pet issues because I know that I can ask questions like what do you think about housing what are you going to do
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about the homeless how I can yeah but I’d rather think to start where your passions are and work from there what kind of things are important for you to that you want to get quot accomplished well you know of course Maui is um I think Maui is the most beautiful place in the islands you know I was on a waho a couple months back and I literally my wife and I we were in our car I literally stopped the car in the middle of the road and we cried we we just literally cried and looked at what they were doing to
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a you know and I I just am set in my heart never to see that kind of development that kind of um irresponsible governing happen on Maui I just I am I I Cry right what would you like to not see happen here that you about the obviously development happens but do you have a specific goal I mean in this area that we’re talking about as we look out um I know one of the main things that’s on my heart is to attack homelessness you know in my the nature of my business I’m On Any Given area of the island
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every day and everywhere I go now I see homeless people yeah and what’s a little bit you know um we’ve heard Gil has have been a teacher yes a musician mhm you’ve been a lot of things what are you working on now I mean obviously you opened up restaurants what are you doing now I’m still a business owner I own a a a property management property maintenance business I see um I’m the associate pastor at my church um I’m I’m always talking with different people about opening different
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businesses um I assist um different real companies cako realy right now and um taking care of commercial properties I see um um I um I volunteer I’m a volun COR vol uner at the Maui Correctional Center so I go in every week sometimes twice a week um and I am also volunteer at the kahal aola homel shelter and I’m going to stop here for a second I don’t know if you guys can hear it but I think that this must be a spot where all the loud cars go by these guys have stereos with the huge
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face I’m shaking still shaking a little bit I hope you can hear us all you know it’s interesting when I first moved here with my mom and and Dad when my dad and I first came um from the airport all the way to wuku we didn’t see a living Soul there was this was back in the 70s wow you know there was I didn’t see a car I didn’t see a living person and I said dad are we really moving here oh really just but Maui has uh developed so much in the past 20 25 years it’s um I think in some ways it needs to slow
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down uh we need to kind of catch up and um concentrate on things that are really more important you know like well another area I’m I’ve been involved with a lot is um there’s a very good friend of mine on mikai 8 who runs a natural farm and um I got a chance to meet him at Malia camp and we we uh spent several days together and he would enlighten me about things and you know with the plantation business um coming to an end um and now all this talk about um Diversified farming and and all
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these other issues you know one thing that I’m very uh disappointed with with a lot of uh our our political figures is nobody’s concentrating on the more important things of course water is a big issue but in a lot of these areas you know if you put your hand into the soil and you pick up the dirt the dirt has literally been killed it has been it’s dead in many areas the Ina has been murdered you talking the Central Valley mostly or uh you know some of the areas most mostly the areas where uh the sugar
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Plantation industry has been prevailing over decades you know and yeah lots of decades you know I’ve done I’ve I’ve done some investigating and you know as early as as what I recall and the information that I’ve looked at as early as uh in the early 80s they were doing studies you know on what um would happen if the sugar industry were to come to a halt in Hawaii and and in those studies there were U very detailed information given on the dirt specifically all the different chemicals that were infused into the
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into the dirt in order to grow um their their products and um just the way the dirt was treated and um listen if you’re a farmer besides water you got to have good dirt you got to have good soil you know that is the life blood of a farmer so what do you think we can do now um it’s going to take a long it it’s going to take finances it’s going to take time for a lot of these areas to be um res restored you know for the dirt to be restored but uh my ambitions are high I really do believe that Maui can be
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become in an an agriculture giant I don’t know if you’ve seen there’s been some I guess a fair number of efforts hcns has one I’ve heard about a couple of other independent ones where people are trying to start um different organic farms and are looking to do things with large tracks of land you have any feeling about I mean you say all they did to the soil well there’s chemicals in chemicals out chemicals it’s like a laboratory right do you are you at all in touch with any of the groups that think to
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want to do anything with that or yeah not all this relates to your seat I’m just curious no no um I am uh very in uh I want to stay intricately involved in the development of Agriculture on Maui because to tell you the truth I like I said my ambition my ambitions are that Maui could be an agricultural giant not only can we feed the people here but we could we have the potential of growing the best products in the world we really do and we can be a you know um the whole principles of self-sustainability for our people um I
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I don’t think it should stop were just agriculture I think in in our uh in our Commerce um in almost every aspect of our community we need to be more self- sustaining you know we’re in the middle of the ocean you know we shouldn’t have to depend on outside sources for our viability I think that we really need to focus our our governing really has to focus more towards our State being able to be self- sustaining you know that’s what I really I really feel strongly about that’s a passion
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that I have that’s going to be u a mighty task yeah because to be self- sustaining we have to have something to start yeah and I almost think of it like the thing I don’t know if you guys have been watching the news but the British decided not to stay part of the European common market right and the union and it is setting the world on its ear it’s an interesting time how things are going to be happening independent of all that’s going on in the world we have to figure out how to be self-
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sustainable yeah whether money goes up or down or left or right and we have to figure out how to do that pretty quickly because the world you know we know what the Bible says these may be the end times but I know about you I’m not ready to go down without a fight no I’m not I am not going down with a fight as a matter of fact that’s kind of where I’m at I see our government in trouble I seriously do I mean uh when you think of the way that our Health Care system has been handled here the way um the our
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department of transportation is doing a very terrible job right now with the rail system I mean it is terrible our grandchildren and our and our grandchildren’s children are going to be paying for that thing you mean they want in a w right oh we’re all paying for it yeah they’re they’re going to ra you know right now I I I got the headlines from the newspaper yesterday it’s estimated to cost um over $10 billion now now for this rail and uh I I see that as um it’s going to go up unless something
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is done you think it’s going to be helpful enough to be worth it you know um even people that I’ve I’ve spoken to several people and I’ve I’ve read studies what the rail was purposed to do from its Inception they’re I’m saying it’s not going to accomplish what it was intended to do which was a course to alleviate traffic it’s not going to oh boy and here’s the thing I I would challenge any politician any governing official on aahu right now answer this question to
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me what is it going to cost to build this real and I will bet you not a single one of them will be able to give us an answer that is ridiculous you know for me as a as a man who who uh is involved in building projects um I I throw up bits and I and I um I follow through with the work and everything it is it is it is ridiculous to enter into a project that you don’t know how much it’s going to cost and you can’t tell the recipients of that project how much it’s going to cost that is ridiculous I am totally
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convinced that politicians are the worst business people in the world I don’t think you’ll find anyone that this is that disagrees with you yeah I think we all and you know the thing that really are in an ideal world yeah people you know people want a lot more than the quote we can afford there’s no such thing as a balanced budget not anymore I don’t see no this this bothers me too you know they have a project uh a similar project in California right now and they they are calling it the same
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thing the price is is going up the cost of this project is going up exactly the same kind of thing that we’re going through in honolu um there have been several projects in Europe and Asia exact same pattern where they start so what do we do with these tunnels now we turn them into I don’t know restaurants I don’t know you giant empty tubes it’s a very funny it’s odd we’re faced with the you know you start something and then you stop in the middle well stop in the middle I’ll tell
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you we spent billions already haven’t we it’s ridiculous I mean you’ve you’ve got you we’ve got uh different um officials saying we can’t afford to stop and then you got other on saying well we have to stop you know and and it’s like you guys this is a total mess you know what you need to do I it it’s it’s uh it’s common sense you got a project that’s out of control you stop it you just stop it completely it doesn’t matter who’s going to get hurt it doesn’t matter what what
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the implication you know the ramifications are you need to stop it and you need to you need to reassess everything and you need to come to tangible Common Sense answers on where to go forward but these people are refusing to stop they refused to stop uh last year they’re they’re refusing to stop now but now now they’re now because of public pressure now I guess they’ve decided to stop at Middle Street which is um I I grew up I GRE know where that is I grew up right there I I I used to walk
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home from school right along there all the time I live just below cam school and um I’ll tell you what I did a lot of growing up on aahu and I I am not kidding you when I went to aahu I cried when I saw what they were doing to that to to that Island I was so where where is it built now is it built from the NorthShore down toward Honolulu or is it being built from Honolulu toward well their intentions are to go all the way to all want they they really didn’t have um an answer to that either they wanted to
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stop at Allana shopping center uh others were saying well we need to go to the uh um College uh it started out in cap at Beach area um you know are any sections done yet no well they’ve got things done all the way up to about where Pearl City is you know starting from the coming in you can see the big pillars coming up over there right you know right along Pearl Ridge yeah um they have these big pillars going along right now um and but nothing’s usable nothing’s functional well they did it’s some kind of grand
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opening and you know it’s just uh I think it’s just um I think politicians are trying to cover up just trying to set up smoke screens the project is just totally out of control and and we’re not talking about thousands or millions of dollars we’re talking billions of dollars and then it’s going to destroy our economy well I just don’t know how they could have allowed it to get this far you know and that kind of mentality is what I need I do you remember when it was started gosh that was back in
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2007 or 2008 and who was the governor I can’t recall I think it was your old friend Linda oh yeah you know what I to tell you the truth as far as I’m I am the vice chairman of the County Republican party and I’ll tell you what when I’m running for office I tell people this I’m not here to party I am not here to party I’m not into a party I’m here to take care of business you know uh this this mentality uh taking money from people and and using it for your that’s got to
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go that mentality has to go in fact I am not making fundraisers oh I’m not I in fact I have have a an arrangement here with the Lila Club just right here next to the next building and they they are a state run organization that um helps um mentally challenge people to get um incorporated into the community to be able to handle the challenges of um you know having a a job and being a viable member in the community I think that’s a great great organization right down here and uh they have a they have a couple of
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nonprofit um arms where they sell vegetables you know and it gives their clients the chance to interact with the community um you know helping with trans money transactions and things like that so I’m going to be having my my first meet and greet over here I’ll probably have a couple of them you know I feel more better about that I feel a lot better about doing that kind of thing helping promote these kind of organizations then to put something in in the paper and say well I’m going to
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have a fundraiser and you know you can come and you you you spend $20 or $25 you know we’ll take your donation you know I don’t want to go into office with this mentality of taking people’s money that’s not the kind of mentality I’m going to go in with I’m going to go in with the attitude of you know what people need money they need their money to work for them you know so you want to be a definitely public servant for sure I’ll tell you what they’re going to I’m going
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to shake things up I’m definitely going to shake things up I guarantee you well when I hear that I always think we can I can shake things up without having to be in office but obviously I made a decision years ago mhm not to run for office unless I was drafted ah cuz you know there some people run because they think they can do the job mhm so so sounds I’m trying to understand you’re running because you want to put someone in the seat um you have specific things that you’re looking to accomplish
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specifically um you were talking about wanting to address homeless anything specifically that you want to do um I do I want to um I think that our homeless situation right now there are a lot of people out there doing work for the homeless there’s a lot of initiatives a lot of people are doing things um you have you know security people you have uh faith-based organizations you have social organizations you have private organizations all doing things for the homeless um and the problem I I hear
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that but I don’t really know what that means the problem is this is there’s there isn’t that governing or leadership mentality of listen we have an army of people people out there that can attack this situation there’s no coordination if we have people who are if we have leadership where all of our efforts are focused in the same areas we can take care of the situation because we are number one in the nation per capita for homelessness you know is that right we are number one in the
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nation that’s not good it is not good and you know I’m I deal with them every day I deal with homeless people every day and I see amazing people we have amazing people who are doing things for them but you know the problem is this we’ve got an army there’s an army of people out there but there’s no leadership there’s nobody saying listen let’s let’s all focus on the same things and you feel that being in office would help you to do that better you know I can’t I can’t predict the future
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no but but I do know this you know that’s another thing that me and my wife we were on W walk We Cried we we drove by Al Moana we drove by um cap and ever Beach and we I cried I literally cried at looking at all the people who are homeless you know I I’m at the Republican convention okay and in this beautiful building and I I decided to take a little break and I’m on the balcony and just maybe about 25 feet away from me there’s a sidewalk and I see these homeless people walking up and
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down you know here we are we’re we’re we’re sitting here in this beautiful building you know talking about you know these political things and here we are there’s these people walking right in front of us homeless you know know and a guy in his underwear and a jacket pushing a a a cart wow I cried I I can’t help something’s got to be done I I can’t tell you specifically but I want to be in a position to make a difference gotcha I don’t want to I don’t want to sit back
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and talk about it I bet all you out there realize that is the thing that we all need to do sitting at home and not voting and not being part of it because you don’t think you can make a difference you can make a difference yeah people like Gil who are running for political office to make a difference for him for me for you be sure you take a look at the candidates that you see out there and vote with your heart to make a difference really I think very important these are not the kind of times to be sitting at home and saying
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oh we can’t make any difference y because we are the only ones that can make a difference otherwise it be like a bulldozer and our society is changing just radically I mean we we see it in the news we feel insulated here but like you said we’re the number one homeless per cap capita in this country number one state in America right now with homelessness maybe it’s because we have good beaches but they block everyone off for the be I tell you you know um aahu is scary when I see the homeless situation it is I
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mean you could be walking down W down kalakal Avenue and there’s this guy sitting on the sidewalk in his own urine and his own his own vomit right in the middle of the road you know it’s it’s terrible um and you know what concerning homeless homelessness listen I own a home here all right and I know many people here all here homeowners you know what this is our home in your home in your house would you just allow anybody in and um go in your refrigerator use your bathroom mess up your house you know we as people need
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to take control of this situation because I hate to say this what government is not helping us they’re not helping us enough they’re managing the situation they’re not trying to take care of it they’re managing it and if you ask them solutions they don’t really have any solution and you know we as a people need to come together and make it happen and you know my my my whole thing about voting is this is that you know um as a as Vice chairman of the Republican Party one of the things I’ve been doing
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for the last two years is going and talking to people and encouraging them to vote and my response has overwhelmingly been this I don’t vote ah I don’t trust my government ah those Crooks those backstabbers you know all you know I put I I helped and I supported my government but they always let me down and I look them right in the eye I look them right in their eye at point I’m and tell you know what this is what I have to tell you about that and this is what I want to tell you about that I
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don’t blame you one bit but if we’re going to make a change we need people we need local good local people we could we need people to get out and vote and put the right people in office you’re the first one going on the ballot aren’t you yes am see that alphabetical you didn’t think you could get to be first that are that’s good I know but you know people need to get involved you know we I I’m just one person you know you and me we’re two people but you know there’s only so much
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that we could accomplish but you know we really unless we hold hands and have common purpose and co-operate and that’s a funny word word yeah co-operate that doesn’t mean lay down and lay down to your principles it means honor each other and see what we can do to co-operate both of us be able to operate even though we may or may not have the same position we have to find a way to make it good for everyone what did Jesus say he said a lot of things but for sure he said we’re brothers and sisters yes
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and that we need to understand that the most important thing has nothing to do with accumulation on Earth it’s using our heart and showing a love for each other I’m real glad to hear that you’re running cuz I know you’re running for the family you’re running so your son is going to be famous yes I’ll tell you what I told people this too you know what I really don’t have anything to lose you know if if if if I don’t win if I don’t win you know what I’m going to
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do I’m going to go home I’m going to grab my paddle board I’m going to go surfing and if you do win you probably grab your paddle board and go see I’ll tell you what if I win here you guys can take this um to heart if I win I refuse I will refuse the uh the office unless I win by a landslide how do you define Landslide everybody better vote for [Laughter] me now i’ I’ve kind of wiggled you through this conversation anything that you’d like to be able to say to these voters or tell them that’s very
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important that you want to be sure you tell them well you know um the most important thing is don’t just vote don’t just well don’t just get involved because well somebody told me to get involved and then you just go through the motions you know we uh um one of the principles that I I hold very highly from uh the the platform of the Republican party is kulana you know every individual kulana everybody has a responsibility you have a responsibility first of all to yourself you know you need to be accountable to
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yourself more than anything else and after that you need to you you need to build Bridges with with uh your family and your friends and your community and realize that we all play a part we all have a say you know that is the number one excuse that people have for not voting oh my vot my vote it’s not going to mean anything that’s what I hear it is the number one reason and that’s not true you know um you got to put your if you don’t put your whole being and your whole heart into it um I
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don’t think it’s going to mean anything there was a song written you put your right foot in you put your right foot out yeah you do the hokey pokei and you turn yourself around that’s what it’s all about yeah I’m laughing but you got to put yourself into things yeah you can’t just sit in the sidelines and yeah are we allowed to say that’s all right I guess I am I got away sensors didn’t catch me but truthfully I think that uh involvement is everything and yeah it’s
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nice to know there are people like you who are involved in our community and have been and will be like you say no matter what you’re involved I do I I’m I’m uh I’ve always been somebody who’s had a very difficult time saying no those that simple word of two letters you know usually when people come up to me and ask me um my opinion or my help and stuff I’m usually well we can do this we can do that okay my my my response is usually what time where and and how much you know well God’s
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watching you so um you know when I met you that was a very um profound time for me um I had I had been a man of service um before that incident uh for a long time but you know I was struggling you know um like many people out on our on our Island Home are struggling financially and um with their families and you know we’re struggling here in Paradise right um and just when I thought things might be able to get better they got worse I ended up in the hospital yeah uh but one very very profound thing that happened was
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um uh when I was in the Care Facility uh the nurses came up to me and said you know we have somebody that we want to put in the room with you as a roommate I said said sure that’s fine and um it it was uh I call him Uncle Uncle Charlie Uncle Charlie Maxwell W and um you know they don’t call him the kind um talking story man for nothing we spent hours and hours at a time uh sitting up and and talking story and he uh in those Twilight times of his life was able to uh you know endow me with
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um you know that’s another thing I I’m I’m so thankful for is that uh people like Uncle um have have have blessed me with their wisdom and their uh understanding uh through their experiences and um their wisdom and understanding of the world um it has blessed me tremendously great and you know Uncle Charlie told me this you know I told him all the things that I was involved with and he said you’re not doing enough you need to get out there and you need to do more and I and I told
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him what what uncle I stay I I stay doing this and that and that he says no you know you cannot be the kind you can’t be lazy you you need to go out there and you need to go out there and talk to people you need to get involved because people need you and um that really spoke to my heart and I have found that no matter how busy I get there’s always more there’s always more I can do so I’m doing that she carry a what’s your son’s name Gil my son is Michael Michael we call him pey we should put
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signs up for him so he gets famous I’m hold on I think it’s great that you’re involved and that you’re you’re not full you still have room to help some more it’s a great thing I think you need to here’s another thing that Uncle Charlie told me he said you know in order for you to give out more I mean in order for you to have more to give you need to give out you need to give because that’s what true Aloha is Aloha is giving it’s not taking the more you give the more
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you’re going to receive so may he rest in peace yeah I know over the years he mellowed and he kept growing yeah he was a wonderful man he was a good guy I think uh we we his life crossed mine uh at just the right time you know and help compel me towards the path I’m in now gotta yeah thank you for taking the time thank you to be here with me and with you guys AR we happy to see Gil Rebelledo running for State House Representatives District 8 from why all of wuku and yeah kakala yeah well you guys who are in that District
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probably know and you who aren’t in that District if you don’t don’t have a chance to vote for Gil remember you probably know people in that district and share with them so they can get to know Gilbert rebelledo state house district number eight it’s really been a pleasure thank you thank you Jason God bless you God bless thank you for joining us we’ll see you again HOH that’s awesome [Music] n [Music] n
