The decision on whether to run for governor [in the 2006 election] or stay here as Mayor of Hawaii County was one of the greatest decision-making dilemmas of my life. Decisions made in the past to leave teaching, to leave the Law Enforcement Assistant Administration, to leaving coaching, to take the job at Civil Defense, and then to retire, and finally to run for mayor, were all such very easy decisions, when I look back at them, compared to this one.
The difficulty lies simply because of what I felt I wanted to do versus what I felt I should do. The dilemma was due to the commitment made to the people of Hawaii Island and staff to serve as mayor for the full term when I was re-elected, and because of the many tasks that remain to be completed in this job. At the same time, the reason to consider seeking the job as governor was because of an absolute belief that I would present a clearly different choice to Hawaii