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Up Close- Marie Minichino for Hawaii State House District 11 on Maui, Hawaii, visits with Jason Schwartz 2014
Summary & Timestamped Transcript Below…
The video features an interview with Marie Minichino, a candidate running for the State House of Representatives in Hawaii’s District 11, which includes Kihei and Wailea. Marie introduces herself as a pharmacist with diverse professional licenses, including real estate and mortgage brokerage, and shares her motivations and plans for running for office. She expresses disappointment with the incumbent representative, emphasizing the need for stronger leadership focused on community needs rather than tourism or vacation-oriented development.
Marie highlights critical local issues such as the long-standing absence of a high school in Kihei, which forces children to endure long commutes to other towns, negatively affecting their education and well-being. She also discusses the severe shortage of low-income and senior housing, proposing innovative, privately funded solutions including cooperative housing and work-study models for homeless individuals to help them pay rent and reintegrate into society.
Drawing from her experience assisting homeowners through mortgage crises and foreclosures, Marie recounts the systemic challenges Maui residents face with banks and the ongoing foreclosure crisis, emphasizing the need for legislative reform to protect vulnerable homeowners. She criticizes the influence of large banks and the slow governmental response, advocating for community-driven efforts to resolve housing and foreclosure issues.
Marie also touches on environmental concerns, such as air quality affected by cane burning, and advocates for exploring alternative methods to protect the health of local residents. She stresses the importance of sustainable living and better food quality, praising local farmers markets but calling for overall improvements.
Another significant topic Marie raises is healthcare and alternative treatments. As a pharmacist, she supports patients’ rights to access alternative and homeopathic treatments, citing tragic cases where individuals had to travel abroad for non-FDA-approved therapies. She proposes adopting “right to try” legislation similar to that in other states, which would allow terminal or severely ill patients to seek alternative treatments legally in Hawaii, possibly positioning the state as a health tourism destination.
Marie shares her views on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), acknowledging her opposition but also expressing willingness to engage with biotech companies on potential uses like biofuel. She raises concerns about GMO components potentially being present in pharmaceuticals without proper labeling, underscoring the need for greater transparency.
Throughout the interview, Marie emphasizes her independence from special interests, highlighting her grassroots campaign funded privately and her commitment to representing the real needs of her community. She critiques the predominance of attorneys in the legislature, arguing for more diversity in professional backgrounds to better serve the public. Finally, she invites constituents to contact her directly with questions or concerns, demonstrating accessibility and openness.
Highlights
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[01:28] ?ﾸﾏ Marie expresses disappointment with the incumbent and stresses the need for stronger representation for Kihei.
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[03:06] ? Kihei still lacks a high school, forcing students into lose expanding healthcare, right to try, ng commutes that impact their education and family life.
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[06:51] ? Severe shortage of low-income and senior housing in Kihei with long waiting lists; proposes private funding solutions involving work-study programs.
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[10:08] ? Environmental concern over cane burning and calls for alternative methods to improve air quality.
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[12:27] ? Advocates for “right to try” legislation to allow terminal patients access to alternative treatments in Hawaii.
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[15:29] ?ﾸﾏ Highlights the foreclosure crisis in Maui, the prevalence of empty homes owned by banks, and suggests cooperative housing and equity sharing as solutions.
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[18:58] ? Raises concerns about GMO presence in pharmaceuticals and the need for labeling transparency.
Key Insights
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[01:28] ?ﾸﾏ Need for Effective Local Representation: Marie’s decision to run stems from dissatisfaction with the current representative’s performance. This underscores a broader issue where local leaders may not prioritize community-focused development, leaving essential needs unmet. Effective representation requires accountability and a clear commitment to local welfare, especially in growing communities like Kihei.
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[03:06] ? Impact of Educational Infrastructure Deficits: The lack of a local high school in Kihei illustrates how infrastructure gaps directly affect families’ quality of life and educational outcomes. Long commutes lead to decreased student engagement and parental stress, highlighting the need for investment in accessible, quality education facilities to foster community stability and growth.
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[06:51] ? Innovative Approaches to Housing Shortages: Marie’s proposal for privately funded low-income and senior housing with integrated work-study programs offers a pragmatic and sustainable model. By involving residents in upkeep and community activities, this approach not only provides housing but also promotes dignity, self-sufficiency, and social cohesion, potentially reducing homelessness and wait times.
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[12:27] ? Expanding Healthcare Options via Right to Try Laws: The advocacy for alternative treatment access reflects a growing recognition of patient autonomy and the limitations of current FDA regulations. By adopting right to try legislation, Hawaii could become a pioneer in compassionate care, balancing regulation with patient choice and potentially attracting health tourism that benefits the local economy.
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[15:29] ?ﾸﾏ Foreclosure Crisis and Housing Market Dysfunction: The discussion of bank-owned empty properties and ongoing foreclosures reveals systemic failures in housing policy and financial regulation. Cooperative housing and equity sharing represent innovative ways to reclaim these assets for community benefit, empowering individuals to build equity and stability rather than perpetuating cycles of displacement and vacancy.
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[18:58] ? GMO Transparency and Public Health Concerns: Marie’s concern about GMO elements in pharmaceuticals and the lack of labeling transparency highlights a critical and often overlooked public health issue. The call for clearer disclosure aligns with consumer rights movements worldwide and emphasizes the importance of informed choice in healthcare and food consumption.
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[20:42] ? Political Independence and Grassroots Engagement: Marie’s campaign is notable for its independence from corporate or special interest funding, emphasizing direct voter engagement and transparency. This approach challenges entrenched political dynamics, advocating for representatives who prioritize constituent needs over party or donor agendas, which could lead to more responsive and effective governance.
This comprehensive summary captures the multifaceted issues Marie Minichino highlights in her campaign for the Kihei-Lea State House District 11 seat, reflecting her professional expertise, community commitment, and innovative policy ideas aimed at improving education, housing, healthcare, environment, and political representation in Maui.
Transcript
00:09
Aloha I’m Jason Schwartz you know me probably this is Marie Minichino hello aloha how are you guys doing today now many of you say I think I’ve seen her around Marie you are living in Kihei and what city are you running for I’m running for a state representative Kihei Lea State House of Representatives District 11. you see we all have districts now in your District there’s a young kid I think his name is um iela ing okay so he ran one term I knew I knew but I’ve seen him for a couple of
00:51
years decided to run what motivated you to run well I actually did start to run when kaniello was running but I had issues with my son and I thought it would be best to postpone it until such time I could really devote myself to doing a good job for the people and so I did vote for Connie Ella a young guy and I thought that it would be great to have somebody young to step forward and represent Kihei Leia however I’ve been disappointed by his performance and what he was able to get for our community and
01:28
I do feel we need someone stronger will who can do more for the community for some of the things that are necessary to make the people in Kihei be able to work and live here and not be on vacation um I want to pick a couple of things specifically that you want to address or would you I’d rather share this thinking to let them know more about you because I know that from what I know about you you are a no-nonsense gal and you like to get on things and ride them to their conclusions well I do like
02:04
to do that you’re absolutely right um well I was raised on the east coast and I’m a pharmacist educated I’m licensed both here in Hawaii and in California I was licensed in Connecticut but I kind of get that go because you can’t really keep up those million licenses can you I also have a license as a realtor and a mortgage broker I let them go inactive while I’m trying to work on this campaign and really focus on the needs of the people and going forward what are some of the things that
02:33
are the issues I am a single mom I was a single mom for 14 years here on Maui 12 of those in Kihei and we’ve been waiting for a high school and I was promised that we would have a high school and my son has been here graduated is in college and we still don’t have a high school in Kihei and it’s absurd really it’s success school a separate deal PHA Charter is a separate deal my son did a 10 there for one year it has its own gifts for the independent child that is able to do self-study and with minimal
03:06
um kind of supervision and unfortunately my child was not one of those children so he needed a little bit more than they were able to give well he did end up graduating in his senior year from there after spending most of his time at Saint Anthony’s I mean I see that’s right but here you have people from here that have to drive their children either to Maui uh Maui high or Baldwin or Saint Anthony’s or even some people take their children up to Seaberry is there a bus system for that
03:35
there is a bus system but when you get children up really early and you drag them over you know 35-40 minutes they’re not that happy when they get to school and they’re not willing to do the type of learning that they need so a lot of moms do the carpooling with the kids and a lot of moms do the couple and yeah and a lot of distance a lot of distance and you know we we should be able to have a good high school for our children here do you have any um experience at legislative kind of stuff
04:05
I primarily have been working with people who’ve lost their homes in foreclosure and I’ve gotten involved in the religious and I’ve gotten involved in legislation as far as pushing for certain laws to be changed and things like that on the mainland people made strides a lot of the mortgage foreclosures were flowing as you know and were just pushed through by the big Banks um I was able to talk to the vice president Indie Mac Bank who when I was helping people with loan modifications I
04:39
asked her why there are so many uh foreclosures in Hawaii it was such a small little state yet we were number five after Florida Arizona California and Nevada and she said it was because the people here in Hawaii are compliant in other words if the bank send you a letter it tells you to get out of your house they’re going to get out of your house and they’re not going to fight even though they have a sense of that there’s something not quite right with how the process is going and but they
05:09
don’t know where to turn to there was no one here helping the people to fight back and a lot of them would say to me well you know Marie I can’t really fight you know I got family to run I’ve got to make a living I’m trying to make my payments I can’t get a loan modification you know and you know what can I do so I did call Washington and I was able to get 30 loan modifications through through IndyMac unfortunately after that they just stopped giving them to me they would not work with us and they
05:40
basically called me a troublemaker and I have suffered both in on the internet and um myself for fighting for other people and I was considered troublemaker and you know honestly you know I think that a lot of laws need to be changed you’ll notice there’s still more foreclosures on the newspaper every day there’s three or four foreclosures it’s not stopping um Citibank I just heard this morning was fine astronomical amount in the billions for the things that they have done that were illegal and I had a
06:13
Citibank Mortgage which then became me too we’ve all been victimized and now there’s no one to redeem our challenges I lost you don’t want to know something yeah yeah we all have lost and unfortunately that’s just what happened but I think that we can still make strives change laws and and do other things um some of besides the Kihei high school we have an issue with low-income housing in Kihei a big time issue we have a senior low-income housing it’s got a four to six year waiting list and you have to be
06:51
62 just to apply well you know here you are and you’re not 62 and you’re wondering what you’re going to do and you get on a list and it’s four to six years and you kind of feel like that’s not a solution for you I know people living in their cars never mind the system of how they deal with homelessness which is a separate deal but these waiting lists two and four and four to six years is crazy so you join at 62. you don’t know what the future is coming now you’re having a need for it but you
07:26
don’t know if you’re going to be able to have housing would you have any solution I do have a solution for that I would like to do private funding for low-income housing seniors vets and um also for homeless um the homeless would have to be on like a work study similar to what we did when we were in college we would have the people that could work in that situation um they would be able to then pay their rent by either helping with a group Farm or doing cleanup in you know maintenance and you have a schedule or something
08:00
like that the seniors would pay on a cost basis and or be that would be acceptable to them the low income and the veterans would also have that option depending on their income and we would do it all privately funded so there wouldn’t be any outside interference as far as you know how we have to do everything funded you have sources that are open and interested in them we do have sources that are open interested in it and I would also be contributing through a private placement situation and a private placement people put up x
08:33
amount of dollars they let the bank borrow the money and for that the bank pays them on a weekly basis and once we had enough money we then purchased the land and then immediately start building and um get that set up as soon as possible I haven’t really delved into it as far as looking for the land yet simply because the funding isn’t here and I’ve been working on it for four years and I feel we’re very very close very very close we’re gonna take a little lunch break here at burritas and we’re going to come
09:05
back with some more questions in a minute thank you so much we’re back lunch here at Rita’s I must say it very very good I really enjoyed it and I hope you all join us on the 30th for our fundraiser here from 46th of July oh you’re here right here in Rita’s and it’s only five dollars in a can a can of food for the food bank how nice food food air water we’ve got quite a place here you think we’re taking advantage of what we need today be self-sustainable I think that there’s
09:39
always room for improvement although I love the farmers markets and everything I think that our quality of food needs to be improved our air quality you know with the smokestacks and everything like that though they claim it doesn’t bother us it does bother us in the cane burning I’ve been told and I’ve been doing some research on it there are other ways they can do eliminate the king without cane burning and I think we should look into it two decades and a half we’ve been telling them
10:08
I think they’re going to do it when it doesn’t make Financial sense they’ve got to tell the government to stop can you say the word freeze who do you think it makes us more human anyway you’re in an interesting place because you’re representing Kihei and Wailea are there any things in kihei Wailea that you think specifically I mean I I know I like to talk about homelessness because it’s so apparent but I I know the planning that’s gone on in Kihei they’ve tried the community plan all
10:47
kinds of meetings and then it becomes an abortion it really does um basically I’ve been told is that you know Kia Wailea doesn’t vote and because you’re going to have to get our funding through private funding and that’s kind of my focus because I’ve already been told forget about getting funding for Kihei because we’re here on vacation and they don’t appreciate the fact that there are people who live and work here and try to survive here and it’s not an easy thing to do
11:19
theKihei High School is a very big thing of mine I want to get funding for that I want to be an entrepreneurial school a school that we can teach our children to become entrepreneurs not just in real estate but in any facet that they want focus on engineering and Mathematics which are the most wanted most sought after for jobs and also for creative things so I think that’s very very good um another thing that we need to do is take care of our people who have been affected in some way either by
11:54
cancer or some kind of an illness that they’re not able to feel like they’re getting adequate treatment here and I’m talking about alternative treatment um there are I know two people who one flew to Mexico and one flew to Switzerland with a terminal illness and died on the way and it was because the treatment that they sought was not FDA approved right and so what I’d like to do is follow Arizona and Colorado and Oregon on the right to try Bill whereby someone with an illness that is severe
12:27
enough can bring anything that they want to this country to Maui or Hawaii and treat themselves in the manner that they feel would best help them yeah I think what also adds to The credibility of your stance on this you’re a pharmacist you’ve been dealing with people and their illnesses and all the things they’ve been trying for a lot of years and so your experience that in that area I think adds to your credibility I think it does too and um the longer I am a pharmacist The more I’ve seen miracles happen when people
13:06
boost their immune system and are able to believe in themselves and believe in that they can beat their illness but they can’t do it if they’re held back by FDA regulations so um I think that homeopathic and alternative medicine that they want to try whether it’s a device or an actual medication they should be allowed to do that if you want to sweeten it by calling it health tourism I don’t have a problem with that charge a hundred dollars for a fee for someone to set up Health tourism in their home where they
13:42
would provide quiet place with a room and a bath where someone could come here treat themselves quietly with whatever it is that they have if they feel that they necessarily it’s going to make them better and miracles would do happen and they will how old do you think this woman is I mean I don’t want to give her age but let’s say she’s decades old and she’s a an anti-aging specialist which is why she looks so young she actually very experienced we’re almost contemporaries
14:16
almost the same age yeah that’s right but really I I must commend you you know you look young and I don’t want your young look to connote lack of experience because I know you have a lot of experience your background in the mortgage business always intrigued me because you’ve helped a lot of people you have helped a lot of people I have helped people um to turn around their mortgages and either refi or get a loan modification unfortunately the the big fast banks are against us here on Maui and um
14:56
we were a like a big Bullseye for them we were number five in foreclosures and I helped as many people as I could with loan modifications and then you know we’re now back into another foreclosure crisis you see three or four foreclosures in the paper every other day and such a manipulated Market I mean there’s a ship the shadow inventory I’ve seen things that have been off the market for years oh no there’s empty houses in my neighborhood in pilani and you go what happened to those people oh they
15:29
just picked up and left and and there was one house like right across from p93 and it’s still owned by the lady theoretically but if you talk to the neighbors it’s a fight between Bank of America and Fannie Mae so the house is boarded up and it’s a flight and you know there’s no reason when we have people that need a place to live why can’t we work with some of this inventory and help provide Cooperative housing I’ve always said that Cooperative housing could be very interesting and Equity
16:01
sharing it’ll put someone in and as they’re responsive on their payments why couldn’t they become owners why can’t we turn this around I think we can I think we can I’m sort of sick of the rich getting richer not that there’s any problem with getting richer just there’s so many people struggling right now it takes people that have to realize they have enough and when is enough enough you know yeah what do you do with 19 houses and all that extra money share it there are a lot of people that really could
16:33
use help now I think there are a lot of people that could use help and you have the right attitude um Kihei and what I’ve always heard from people that are working in the State House it takes a lot of cooperation have you been out on this campaign Trail you see do you see a lot of cooperation happening even on their campaign Trail you see it an interest the candidates talk out there do they talk um I’ve talked to several of the candidates um I feel like I’ve really thought out what I want when the direction I want to go
17:15
and I feel that some of the other candidates although they have a good intentions have not really thought out the direction that they want to go I mean this GMO thing I know a lot of people a lot of people that understand it no it’s not some Fringe movement it takes a lot of people to registered to get this thing on the ballot so it’s a thousand eight thousand yeah yeah there was quite a few people so I’ve seen commercials that are going to come out to talk about it this is a small Fringe group not so
17:47
small not so Fringe and that’s why I guess they’re with commercials like they are but it’s too bad besides that you know these candidates that have come out a lot of things that they seem to know it is I want to say a lot of Housewives but it’s more than that people are running for positions and they’re just coming out anti-gmo and that’s all they’re really there for I found that to be true as well um although I am against GMO I think that it would be good if we could work
18:23
with Monsanto and someone has suggested that some of the GMO corn could be used for fuel I don’t know enough about it but I am doing some research on that I do know that they have planted uh GMOs corn in Lahaina behind that pie shop the old pie shop there between ooluwalo and Lahaina and I happen to go to a party where there was somebody that worked for Monsanto and I just happened to chat him up and he told me don’t worry about it we burnt all the corn I go well what did you do it with it well we took the silt
18:58
silk and we’re putting it into Pharmaceuticals that is a concern of mine that means that medication that you may be taking could have GMO in it and it’s going to be considered inert in other words it won’t have to be listed on the on the label because it’s considered inert object and it’s not a nerve so um some of this labeling that we’re talking about it needs to be done Wow that’s scary it is pretty scary you know depends where you look the whole world is fighting Monsanto we’re
19:31
trying we see commercials of them trying to show how much they give and they may give and they have jobs and all the people working here I’m sure have really good Hearts we do but it is clear they are demonized around the world and uh some would say they take risks and chances at our expense they do we have been actual guinea pigs at you know an unpaid guinea pig and I don’t really appreciate being an unpaid guinea pig for as long as I don’t even want to be a paid Guinea he doesn’t even want to be a
20:04
baby yeah but I mean I think that you know I watch a lot of the politicians sitting in the seats oh we want the people to vote they don’t want to open their mouth to tell you what they feel and I I think it’s crazy and all the people that get money from Monsanto I used to think well these companies that are being demonized why not take their money you can do something good so you know I didn’t hold that against any of these candidates no that’s how they vote that others self-monetizing my own campaign you know
20:42
me really but uh it’s going fine and and I’m happy to do it because I don’t have anyone to be responsible to I don’t have anyone calling me up and telling me I have to vote a certain way or do anything that way and I I hope that this video goes to every household and then you guys share it around because in the district here that you’ve got people will share it with their neighbors and Friends people will be able to see you these forums don’t offer really enough room for anyone to get up close and ask
21:14
you a few questions and you know if if someone says oh I hear you were the anti-aging no there’s one question what a waste of a question do you want to talk about that you want to talk about some issues so as I see it you are running because you feel you have experience that you can put to work while sitting in the seat and deliver for the people of Kihei in all of Hawaii and I do and I I think that our legislature is full of attorneys who have a whole different agenda and we need more people in the medical industry
21:49
we need more people and real estate industry other Industries so that it’s more fear for everyone and and not just set up as a special interest group for attorneys excuse me and um that is another reason why okay if you have questions and you have things that you’d like to ask Marie you have time to pick up the phone or email it let’s do you have an email because you have an email Dr Marie Dr Marie m-a-r-i-e -i-e-o-r South s-o-u-t-h Maui m-a-u-i gmail.com okay you’re going to see it on the screen
22:34
what’s the phone number 808 205-9059 and since I’m a workaholic I’ll usually answer it well I’m I’m hoping that all of you take the time to look into this candidate and uh it’s funny I’ve known you now number in real estate and so are you working hard in the mortgage industry and like I say you were ferociously active in trying to help people and uh I’ve always appreciated that about you well thank you very much and thank you for running I know it it takes guts people look and
23:10
say who is that person it’s true you know but on scrutinization script scrutinization thank you thank you for joining me all right and thank you for listening aloha aloha very very close very very close we’re going to take a little lunch break here at garitas and we’re going to come back with some more questions in a minute thank you so much
