With ballots hitting mailboxes this week, Sen. Donna Mercado Kim spoke with Hawaii News Now about HGEA’s campaign against her and our support for primary opponent, Christy MacPherson. “When they start accusing me of things that are not true and lies, well, that’s where I draw the line,” said Kim.
We’re not sure what lies she’s referring to. Here’s what we’ve said about her and the facts to back them up:
She attempts to micromanage public employees. Educators in her district have reported to HGEA that Kim has a habit of showing up to their schools unannounced. And they are forced to undergo grief and unreasonable demands.
She berates testifiers who stand up to her. When educational officers showed up en masse to oppose SB 3334 – which would’ve changed how they’re selected and evaluated – Kim took to the Senate floor to call them “mob-like” and accuse them of “disrespectful” behavior. HGEA condemned these remarks in a letter to her and her Senate colleagues.
She’s pushed to limit telework and spend millions monitoring employees. Kim introduced SB 2598 to limit telework and criticized reasons for teleworking such as commuting or office environment as insufficient. In 2023, she supported SB 725 which would’ve established a pilot telework monitoring system at an estimated price tag of $1 million per participating department.
Then there’s her record of missing critical votes that would’ve improved the working conditions and benefits of public employees.
Look at the travel reimbursement bill that would’ve ensured public employees received reimbursement for work travel in a timely manner rather than racking up interest on credit cards they used to cover those costs. Kim wasn’t there to vote. Meanwhile, she’s racked up 58 taxpayer-funded trips herself.
She also ghosted the vote on our repricing bill which would have allowed us to negotiate better pay in the midst of a staffing crisis across government.
The truth is that we’re calling Kim out on her behavior and she doesn’t like it. Public employees keep Hawaii running every single day. They deserve a representative who respects them and, given Kim’s record, HGEA believes that person is Christy MacPherson.