Will Espero (born November 6, 1960) is an

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who served as a

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for the 19th district of the State of

Hawaiʻi Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

from 2002 until 2018. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life and education

Born on November 6, 1960, at a United States naval base in

Yokosuka, Japan is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city is ...

, Espero is the son of Victor and Paulina Espero. Originally from Bacnotan, La Union,

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, Victor served in the

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for 21 years while his wife, Paulina, originally from Santiago, Ilocos Sur, Philippines, retired as a licensed practical nurse. As entrepreneurs, Victor and Paulina also operated a restaurant, catering service, and carehomes.Win With Will

Biography - Senator Will Espero. Growing up in a military family, Espero lived in

Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California, United States, and the second largest city in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the ci ...

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, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,

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, and

. Espero attended

Seattle University Seattle University (Seattle U or SU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and grad ...

where he received his

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in Business Management in 1982. Later that year, he moved to Hawaiʻi and established a home. He worked in the finance and banking industry, property management, local home development, and the Coalition for a Drug Free Hawaiʻi. A few years later in 1987, he entered politics, working with former mayor

Frank Fasi Frank Francis Fasi (August 27, 1920 – February 3, 2010) was an American politician who was the longest-serving Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii, serving for 22 years. He also served as a Hawaii State Senate, territorial senator and member of the Ho ...

and his administration as the executive secretary of the City and County of

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Neighborhood Commission.

Political career

From 1987 to 1994, Will Espero was an appointee of Mayor Frank Fasi. He was the executive secretary of the Neighborhood Commission in charge of Oahu's Neighborhood Boards. In December 1999, Espero was appointed to the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives by Governor Ben Cayetano to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of then-representative Paul Oshiro. In 2002, he ran a successful campaign and was elected into the Hawaiʻi State Senate.Espero for Congress

Espero for Congress - About Will, 2013. He represented District 20, which stretched from lower Waipahu, Hawaii, Waipahu to ʻEwa Beach, where Espero resides. After the reapportionment of Hawaiʻi's districts, Espero became the senator for District 19 which now includes 'Ewa Beach, Ocean Pointe, 'Ewa by Gentry, Iroquois Point, and a portion of 'Ewa Villages. Espero had formerly served as the Vice President of the Hawaiʻi Senate. He had also served as the Majority Floor Leader and Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs (PGM). He was a member of both the Committees on Transportation and International Affairs (TIA) and Ways and Means (WAM). Espero was instrumental in getting the Law Enforcement Officer Independent Review Board (2017) and the Law Enforcement Standards Board (2018).

Leadership positions

* State Senator, 2000–2018Senator Will Espero

Hawaiʻi State Legislature. 2013. * Chair, Senate Housing Committee, 2016-2018 * Vice President, 2015–2016 * Majority Floor Leader, 2010–2015; 2017-2018 * Chair, Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, 2010–2015 * Co-chair, Transportation and International Affairs

Legislation introduced

* Act 094, SLH 2002 (main sponsor) - Hawaiʻi's version of Kelsey's Law * Act 101, SLH 2012 (main sponsor) - creates opportunities for

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in Hawaiʻi * Act 235, SLH 2012 (main sponsor) - appropriates funds for an advisory group for Honouliuli Camp Site, a World War 2 internment camp on Oahu, Hawaiʻi * Act 070, SLH 2011 (main sponsor) - designates Gold Star Family plates to the family members of fallen soldiers * Act 125, SLH 2011 (main sponsor) - requires persons convicted of violation of privacy in 1st degree & all persons convicted of promoting prostitution in 1st degree to register as sex offenders * Act 027, SLH 2010 (main sponsor) - requires Office of Veterans Services to ensure the burial & inurnment of veteran's remains who is without immediate surviving family members * Act 165, SLH 2010 (co-sponsor) - establishes the crime of intentionally or knowingly taking of a Hawaiian monk seal as a Class C felony * Act 160, SLH 2009 (co-sponsor) - clarifies animal cruelty law by prohibiting the confinements & restraining of a pet animal in a cruel or inhumane manner * Act 133, SLH 2008 (co-sponsor) - creates new misdemeanor offense of harassment by impersonation * Act 164, SLH 2008 (main sponsor) - allows the Hawaiʻi teacher standards board to suspend a teacher's license when the teacher has been convicted of sexual offenses & to initiate proceedings to permanently revoke their license * Act 127, SLH 2005 (main sponsor) - designates the path from Halawa landing to Waipahu as the Pearl Harbor Historic Trail

Community involvement

* 'Ewa Beach

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, Board of Directors * Friends of the 'Ewa Beach Library, Founder and president * Friends of the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum, Board of Directors * Mele Murals and Estria Foundation, Advisor * Operation Homefront of Hawaiʻi, Board member * Re-entry Collaborative Population Management, Board member * State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision, Board member * West Oahu Economic Development Association, Founder and board member * Workforce Development Council, Board member * Clean and Sober Homes and Halfway House Task Force, Member * Government Contracting Task Force, Member * 'Ewa Beach Lions Club, Member * 'Ewa Beach Community Trust Fund, Member * Steering Committee of the Hawaiʻi Justice Reinvestment Initiative, Member * Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Committee, Member * Correction Population Management Commission * 'Ewa Beach Community Association * 'Ewa by Gentry Community Association * 'Ewa Neighborhood Board * Hawaiʻi Fashion Month * Hawaiʻi Impaired Driving Task Force * Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision * Oahu Filipino Jaycees * Oahu Going Home - Reintegration of Ex-Offenders

Awards

* Civil Air Patrol, Certificate of Appreciation * 'Ewa Beach Lions Club, Distinguished Service Award * Kanu O Ka'aina, Certificate of Appreciation * Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization, Certificate of Appreciation * 'Olelo Community Media, Certificate of Appreciation * USS Ronald Reagan, Honorary Naval Aviator on Board

2014 U.S. House of Representatives election

On Sunday, July 21, 2013, Espero announced his candidacy campaign for the 1st Congressional District of Hawaiʻi, the seat Hawaiʻi U.S. Representative

Colleen Hanabusa Colleen Wakako Hanabusa (, born May 4, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran for her party's nomination for ...

vacated to run against Hawaiʻi U.S. Senator

Brian Schatz Brian Emanuel Schatz ( ; born October 20, 1972) is an American educator and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Hawaii, a seat he has held since 2012. A member ...

.Garcia, Oksar

"The Associated Press." May 2, 2013. In the Democratic primary, Espero lost the party nomination to

Mark Takai Kyle Mark Takai (July 1, 1967 – July 20, 2016) was an American politician from the state of Hawaii who served in the United States House of Representatives, representing , from 2015 to 2016. He served in the Hawaii House of Representatives ...

2018 lieutenant gubernatorial election

In September 2017, Espero tweeted that he would run for

Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii The lieutenant governor of Hawaii () is the assistant chief executive of the U.S. state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Article V, Sections 2 though 6 of the Constitution of Hawaii. Elected by popular suff ...

. He lost the Democratic primary to his colleague Sen. Josh Green.

Personal life

Since his retirement in 2018 from state government, Espero has written two novels. ''Passion In Paradise'' and ''Vengeance In Paradise'' are both novels about prominent Hawaii families involved in politics, business, love, and a lot of drama. He has also taken up acrylic painting with artwork displayed in the Pamana Art Exhibition 2023 at Honolulu's City Hall and the Matchbox Plus XIX Miniature Art Show (11/23-1/24 Cedar Street Galleries).

References

External links

Win With Will

Hawaiʻi State Legislature

Hawaiʻi Senator Will Espero
Willespero.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Espero, Will 1960 births Democratic Party Hawaii state senators Hawaii politicians of Filipino descent Living people Democratic Party members of the Hawaii House of Representatives Asian-American people in Hawaii politics 21st-century members of the Hawaii State Legislature