Tommy
Waters
Honolulu City Council Chair
District IV
District IV
Serving District IV and the people of Honolulu has been the greatest honor of my life."
About Tommy
Leadership with Aloha.
Integrity with Respect.
30+
Years of Service
D-IV
Your District
As a lifelong resident of Oʻahu Tommy Waters is the fifth of six kids born to Morris and Leola Waters, and a proud father of Emma and Kai. Tommy has deep roots in East Honolulu, having lived there since 1979. Tommy now resides in Kaimukī. He embodies the local spirit and commitment to our community.
As a lifelong resident of Oʻahu Tommy Waters is the fifth of six kids born to Morris and Leola Waters, and a proud father of Emma and Kai. Tommy has deep roots in East Honolulu, having lived there since 1979. Tommy now resides in Kaimukī. He embodies the local spirit and commitment to our community.
Tommy is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools (℅ 1983) where he washed dishes in order to pay for his tuition. Working his way through college, Tommy earned his B.A in Political Science and Speech from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and his law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law (℅ 1993). His extensive public service career spans over 30 years, including roles as a public defender, Representative in the Hawaiʻi State House, and member of the Neighborhood Board. Throughout this journey, he has volunteered with various local organizations and advocated for Native Hawaiian legal rights and environmental stewardship.
As your Councilmember and Chair of the City Council, Tommy has prioritized community needs by concentrating on key issues affecting our families. His leadership focuses on lowering costs, protecting homeowners, expanding housing options, improving public safety and infrastructure, and ensuring accountability of the City Government.
Guided by a leadership foundation rooted in aloha, integrity, and respect, Tommy is committed to delivering meaningful results. He has worked tirelessly to bring people together and address the challenges facing our residents. Together, we can continue to build a stronger, more resilient, and more affordable Oʻahu for future generations.
As a lifelong resident of Oʻahu Tommy Waters is the fifth of six kids born to Morris and Leola Waters, and a proud father of Emma and Kai. Tommy has deep roots in East Honolulu, having lived there since 1979. Tommy now resides in Kaimukī. He embodies the local spirit and commitment to our community.
Tommy is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools (℅ 1983) where he washed dishes in order to pay for his tuition. Working his way through college, Tommy earned his B.A in Political Science and Speech from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and his law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law (℅ 1993). His extensive public service career spans over 30 years, including roles as a public defender, Representative in the Hawaiʻi State House, and member of the Neighborhood Board. Throughout this journey, he has volunteered with various local organizations and advocated for Native Hawaiian legal rights and environmental stewardship.
As your Councilmember and Chair of the City Council, Tommy has prioritized community needs by concentrating on key issues affecting our families. His leadership focuses on lowering costs, protecting homeowners, expanding housing options, improving public safety and infrastructure, and ensuring accountability of the City Government.
Guided by a leadership foundation rooted in aloha, integrity, and respect, Tommy is committed to delivering meaningful results. He has worked tirelessly to bring people together and address the challenges facing our residents. Together, we can continue to build a stronger, more resilient, and more affordable Oʻahu for future generations.
Priorities
What Tommy Stands for
From housing to the environment, here's how Tommy is fighting for District IV.
Affordability & Opportunity
Lowering our Cost of Living: Protecting our Kūpuna and Keeping our Residents and Keiki Home.
In our pursuit of a brighter future for Honolulu, we have taken significant steps to provide tax relief, expand housing options, and invest in safer neighborhoods. These achievements are a testament to the trust you have placed in me, and I am deeply grateful for your support. However, I am acutely aware that our work is far from complete.
As a father to Emma and Kai, I often reflect on the kind of Hawaiʻi we will leave for our children. It is heartbreaking to see so many young families leave our beautiful islands due to the high cost of living. I believe every keiki raised here deserves a fair chance to build their life in the place they grew up. It is vital that our kūpuna feel secure, our families receive the support they need, and our neighborhoods get the attention they deserve.
The affordability crisis in our community is personal, and the cost of living remains prohibitively high. Basic city services require responsible funding, and every neighborhood in District IV deserves a dedicated Councilmember who understands its unique needs, listens with respect, and is committed to taking action.
Honolulu must remain a place where local families can thrive, not a city where rising costs force them to leave. Many residents are feeling the pressure of escalating housing costs and economic uncertainty. While there is no single solution to the affordability issue, we have a responsibility to lead with experience, fiscal discipline, and a clear focus on the needs of our local families.
As Council Chair, I have consistently worked to implement practical solutions to increase housing opportunities, protect homeowners, and ensure that our government operates within its means. My guiding principle is simple: each decision should be evaluated on one critical question—does it make life more affordable for Honolulu's residents?
This affordability crisis has taken years to develop, and addressing. it requires steady leadership, practical solutions, and a steadfast commitment to ensuring that Hawaiʻi remains home for future generations. We must strive for a Honolulu where local families can build their future in the places they were raised.
As a father to Emma and Kai, I often reflect on the kind of Hawaiʻi we will leave for our children. It is heartbreaking to see so many young families leave our beautiful islands due to the high cost of living. I believe every keiki raised here deserves a fair chance to build their life in the place they grew up. It is vital that our kūpuna feel secure, our families receive the support they need, and our neighborhoods get the attention they deserve.
The affordability crisis in our community is personal, and the cost of living remains prohibitively high. Basic city services require responsible funding, and every neighborhood in District IV deserves a dedicated Councilmember who understands its unique needs, listens with respect, and is committed to taking action.
Honolulu must remain a place where local families can thrive, not a city where rising costs force them to leave. Many residents are feeling the pressure of escalating housing costs and economic uncertainty. While there is no single solution to the affordability issue, we have a responsibility to lead with experience, fiscal discipline, and a clear focus on the needs of our local families.
As Council Chair, I have consistently worked to implement practical solutions to increase housing opportunities, protect homeowners, and ensure that our government operates within its means. My guiding principle is simple: each decision should be evaluated on one critical question—does it make life more affordable for Honolulu's residents?
This affordability crisis has taken years to develop, and addressing. it requires steady leadership, practical solutions, and a steadfast commitment to ensuring that Hawaiʻi remains home for future generations. We must strive for a Honolulu where local families can build their future in the places they were raised.
As your City Councilmember and Chair, I’ve helped deliver real relief and responsible budgeting by expanding housing availability while providing assistance for houseless individuals. While leading the City Council, we’ve:
- Successfully secured the largest affordable housing allocation in the City’s history and approved 27 new housing projects, creating more than 10,800 homes for local families.
- Allocated more than $23 million to help houseless individuals and families with services for housing, in-patient healthcare and outreach support.
- Appropriated $2 million to appropriately house and support those fleeing from domestic violence.
- Hosted a virtual eviction moratorium town hall for tenants and landlords to outline rights and responsibilities.
- Approved a Charter amendment asking voters to increase the amount of real property tax revenue to be set aside for affordable housing development from a .05 to 1 percent.
- Passed legislation to alleviate the crush of illegal short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods and help alleviate the housing crisis by returning homes to the local rental and owner-occupant markets.
- Urged state lawmakers to allow the counties 90 days, instead of 45, for action on proposed housing development under 201H of the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, to allow for greater public involvement and transparency.
- Implementing real property tax relief to include a one-time $350 tax credit for eligible owners and long-term renters, an expanded income-based real property tax credit, and increases to the standard home exemption and senior home exemption.
- Taking action to reduce the burden of steep sewer fee increases.
- Adding stronger budget reporting so the Council can see where City departments are leaving money unused
Safety & Resilience
Safe Neighborhoods. Strong Communities.
When residents feel secure, families thrive, businesses grow, and neighborhoods prosper. Tommy Waters recognizes that public safety extends beyond emergency response; it includes well-maintained parks, safe streets, reliable infrastructure, and effective city services. Our government must be responsive and accountable to the Community’s needs.
As your City Councilmember, Tommy supported investments in public safety, emergency management, road maintenance, flood mitigation, and community services that strengthen neighborhoods to improve our quality of life. His proactive approach emphasizes resolving issues before they become crises and ensuring our city government remains responsive, accountable, and prepared.
Strong communities begin with safe neighborhoods. Tommy is dedicated to creating places where families can live, work, and thrive with confidence, ensuring all residents feel safe in their homes by delivering practical neighborhood results:
As your City Councilmember, Tommy supported investments in public safety, emergency management, road maintenance, flood mitigation, and community services that strengthen neighborhoods to improve our quality of life. His proactive approach emphasizes resolving issues before they become crises and ensuring our city government remains responsive, accountable, and prepared.
Strong communities begin with safe neighborhoods. Tommy is dedicated to creating places where families can live, work, and thrive with confidence, ensuring all residents feel safe in their homes by delivering practical neighborhood results:
✓ Most funding for public safety in the history of the city
✓ Public safety initiatives at East Honolulu lookouts
✓ Better rules for street festivals and parades in Waikīkī
✓ Support for Kūhiō Beach Park revitalization
✓ Public safety initiatives at East Honolulu lookouts
✓ Better rules for street festivals and parades in Waikīkī
✓ Support for Kūhiō Beach Park revitalization
✓ Queen’s Beach Promenade restoration
✓ Pedestrian signal in Kapahulu at Campbell
✓ Speed mitigation at Diamond Head Road and Makalei Place
✓ A new play area at Nehu Neighborhood Park
✓ Pedestrian signal in Kapahulu at Campbell
✓ Speed mitigation at Diamond Head Road and Makalei Place
✓ A new play area at Nehu Neighborhood Park
While serving as your City Councilmember and Chair, Tommy led significant initiatives to enhance community safety and resilience through emergency management operations. This included establishing a standalone Department of Emergency Management with civil service standards, creating an Ocean Safety Commission to oversee ocean safety measures, and restructuring to form a standalone Department of Ocean Safety.
The City Council enacted measures to fulfill our kuleana — the responsibility to keep our communities safe — by:
- Fully funding public safety budgets, including an additional $1 million for the understaffed Patrol Division of the Honolulu Police Department (HPD).
- Allocating over $2.5 million for HPD headquarters.
- Providing $2 million for stations and facilities and nearly $4 million for equipment.
- Obtaining a City audit of HPD's overtime policies which further led to operational upgrades, technological implementation, and streamlined processes for better use of taxpayer dollars.
Tommy also introduced a number of legislative amendments to improve HPD's effectiveness, collaboration, transparency, accountability for misconduct, and public trust, and support for first responders with appropriate tools to assist those suffering from dementia. Tommy remains committed to securing essential funding to reduce staffing vacancies at the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) while continuing to propose measures to enhance accountability in law enforcement.
Protecting What Matters
Preserving Our Island. Strengthening Our Future.
Tommy Waters believes responsible development is not about choosing between progress and preservation. It is about ensuring growth strengthens our communities by planning carefully, listening to residents, and protecting the places that define who we are for a more resilient Honolulu for generations to come.
As an island community, sustainability is critical to the survival of our communities. We have seen our beaches shrink, our streams dry up, our forests wane, we’re experiencing more significant weather events each year, and have seen the effect of sea- level rise across our island home. Now, more than ever, we need to protect our precious resources and brainstorm new ways to increase our self-sufficiency.
We must continue to take the big and small actions, from protecting our precious water supply from fuel contamination to ensuring that the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency has resources to support sustainable policy and administration. If we fail, our children will never be able to experience the things that make our community such a great place to live.
Together, we have been able to make meaningful changes to support sustainable development and protect our precious resources, but our fight won’t stop here. We will continue to succeed in the downzoning of land and the fight for public access to our beaches to preserve our beautiful natural landscapes for future generations.
As an island community, sustainability is critical to the survival of our communities. We have seen our beaches shrink, our streams dry up, our forests wane, we’re experiencing more significant weather events each year, and have seen the effect of sea- level rise across our island home. Now, more than ever, we need to protect our precious resources and brainstorm new ways to increase our self-sufficiency.
We must continue to take the big and small actions, from protecting our precious water supply from fuel contamination to ensuring that the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency has resources to support sustainable policy and administration. If we fail, our children will never be able to experience the things that make our community such a great place to live.
Together, we have been able to make meaningful changes to support sustainable development and protect our precious resources, but our fight won’t stop here. We will continue to succeed in the downzoning of land and the fight for public access to our beaches to preserve our beautiful natural landscapes for future generations.
Since taking office, we have worked together to:
- Downzone land in ʻĀina Haina for preservation purposes and revitalize Wāwāmalu Beach with the installation of natural rock barriers– preventing off-roading vehicles.
- Successfully work with community stakeholders to acquire and steward lands in the back of Kuliouou and prevent sprawl development.
- Worked with critical stakeholders to pass an updated East Honolulu Sustainable Communities Plan (EHSCP) that reflects communities’ desires to preserve our natural landscapes and prevent sprawl development.
- Advocated for public access to our beaches as in the case of resolving the private gate put up at Lane N in Portlock.
- Approved a measure urging the Department of Parks and Recreation to establish a site-specific permit system for such activities as commercial surfing instruction and establish a policy on a total number of permits allowed so that no single site is overused; and to increase enforcement.
- Enacted an ordinance banning most commercial activities at Hūnānāniho (formerly known as Waimānalo Bay Beach Park); Kaiona Beach Park, Kaupō Beach Park, Makapu’u Beach Park, Bellows Field Beach Park, and any city-owned or-operated beach rights-of-way and easements from Makapu’u Point to Kapoho Point (Castle Point).
- For Red Hill – Kapūkakī: ensuring a safe drinking water supply for O‘ahu residents, dedicated $25 million for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to fund critical infrastructure development and prevent future contamination of our underground storage tanks.
- For Future Sustainability:
- Enacted an $8 Million a year directive in support of the Climate Resiliency Fund
- Council efforts won the city a major victory in the national climate deception case against “big oil” companies. A state judge issued two final rulings, providing a sweep of favorable decisions to the City and County of Honolulu and the Board of Water Supply in their pioneering case, seeking to hold large oil corporations accountable for decades of misrepresenting the scale and severity of climate change impacts from the use of their fossil fuel products.
- Passed legislation to stand up the Oʻahu Historic Preservation Commission to preserve irreplaceable historic treasures and sacred sites, including the ancient burial caves in Wailupe and so many others. This measure is one of many efforts that we worked on at the Honolulu City Council to protect and preserve our sacred sites, culture and history.
Tommy is committed to:
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Protecting neighborhood character and quality of life
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Preserving beaches, open spaces, and natural resources
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Supporting infrastructure that keeps pace with growth
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Promoting transparent and accountable land-use decisions
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Ensuring development reflects community priorities and long-term sustainability
Economic Growth & Opportunity
DIVERSIFYING OUR ECONOMY AND REDUCING UNEMPLOYMENT
While serving as your City Councilmember and the Chair, we:
- Dedicated $5 million to reducing unemployment and diversifying the economy by providing job training in industries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Approved legislation providing for city curbside collection of food waste by January 1, 2024 as a positive environmental measure.
- Appropriated $5 million for cesspool conversions in high-risk areas, especially for low-income owners.
Economic Growth & Opportunity
DIVERSIFYING OUR ECONOMY AND REDUCING UNEMPLOYMENT
While serving as your City Councilmember and the Chair, we:
- Launched our new Council website to streamline the navigation experience and increase community engagement with tools enabling residents to readily find their council representative; legislation, watch live meetings and more.
- Implemented a special feature, the Hale Ho‘okele portal, which answers questions about council processes including the city budget; provides up-to-date community resources as well as instruction on submitting testimony, and connects people with their council members.
- Introduced legislation to require the city to provide data-rich electronic reports to increase transparency and trust with the public.
- Funded a position for a Chief Technology Officer to serve the Department of Information Technology and the city as a whole.
