Good Government & Accountability

The Challenge

Too many Hawaiʻi residents feel disconnected from government and frustrated by a lack of transparency, accountability, and measurable results.

Government agencies often report activities, programs, and spending, but residents rarely receive clear information about whether those efforts are actually improving people’s lives.

Taxpayers deserve a government that is responsive, transparent, efficient, and accountable for results.

Trust in government is earned through performance, not promises.

Daniel’s Position

Daniel believes government should be judged by outcomes.

Public officials work for the people, and taxpayers deserve to know how their money is being spent, whether programs are working, and whether agencies are meeting their responsibilities.

Good government means transparency, accountability, measurable goals, and a willingness to correct problems when they arise.

The public should never have to fight to obtain information about how government is performing.

Action Plan

Create Public Performance Dashboards

Establish publicly accessible dashboards tracking key government performance metrics across agencies.

Residents should be able to see how government is performing in real time.

Measure Outcomes, Not Activity

Shift agency reporting away from inputs and announcements and toward measurable outcomes that directly impact residents.

Improve Public Access to Information

Strengthen transparency and improve access to public records, government data, budgets, and agency performance reports.

Increase Agency Accountability

Require agencies to establish measurable goals, report progress publicly, and explain when performance targets are not met.

Modernize Government Operations

Encourage modernization of systems, permitting processes, reporting tools, and public services to improve efficiency and responsiveness.

Measuring Success

Daniel supports annual reporting on:

  • Agency performance scorecards

  • Public records response times

  • Permit processing times

  • Budget performance metrics

  • Project completion rates

  • Public satisfaction measures

  • Government service delivery benchmarks

  • Transparency and reporting compliance

Government should not be judged by how much it spends. It should be judged by what it accomplishes.