Have you checked out The Hot Seat?

It's our new opinion-page blog that brings in your elected leaders and people in the news and lets you ask the questions.

On The Hot Seat last week was state House Speaker Calvin Say.

Below is an excerpt from that Hot Seat session. To see the full conversation, go to The Hot Seat blog at honoluluadvertis er.com/opinion and click on "In The Hot Seat: Speaker Calvin Say." (Names of questioners are screen names given during the online chat.)

Ni: What do you see as the biggest obstacle for the House and Senate to overcome to work as an effective branch of government vis-a-vis the governor?

Calvin Say: Thanks for inviting me to participate on The Hot Seat.

The biggest challenge for the House and Senate will be developing a balanced budget by the end of April. At this point, we are working with the Senate in coming up with a majority package that will be presented to the public.

The other issues that we'll be working on are education, housing, crime, alternative energy and disaster preparedness. The House and Senate will work together, and we hope the administration will work with us, to solve the people's issues.

Rebecca: Sen. Sam Slom spoke to my Exchange Club last month. He was upset that you made a deal with the Republicans to bail you out of the voter fraud charge that had been filed against you. Is this true?

Say: Aloha, Rebecca, thank you for your question. There is no truth to any deals being cut. My two appearances before the Board of Registration and their decision reflects that my residency in Palolo is my official residence.

Drew Nealon: It has become clear in other states that the full public funding of elections is saving taxpayer money by reducing the cases of corruption and unfair tax handouts. Also, it helps pro-consumer and pro-taxpayer bills pass that otherwise would be stopped by special-interest lobbyists.

What is stopping the Democrats from updating our partial public funding system to a full public funding system given the proof that it saves taxpayer money, increases voter turnout, and builds trust between citizens and legislators?

Say: We continue to examine the issue of publicly funded campaigns. One of the concerns we have is the issue of cost. Estimates range from $20 million, depending on what races are included.

Bill Punini Prescott: When is the Legislature going to put an end to schools in choice areas from using schools in disadvantaged areas as a means to get their teacher vacancies filled? The BOE and DOE acknowledge the detrimental effect it's had and is having on student achievement in our schools, but they created the situation and have done nothing to correct it for over 30 years. It's time for these schools to train their own newly hired teachers and are stopped from taking our best-experienced, don't you think?

Say: Most teachers start off by being assigned to rural areas. We share your concern. We are looking at incentives for teachers to stay in disadvantaged communities. We'll look into it, and address the issue with the DOE and BOE.

Mike Minami: Lobbyists have too much influence over politicians. Are you going to ban contributions and gifts from lobbyists during session?

Say: There are constitutional and freedom-of-speech issues to deny an individual the right to contribute. We have one of the most stringent campaign spending laws in the country, prohibiting contributions from corporations and unions.

Resident: You have introduced a bill to set aside waterfront land at Kewalo Basin for a fishing club, how about making it a priority for pedestrian and bicycle access there first? More than 77 percent of Honolulu voters want such access to be a priority.

Say: We're open to bikeways and walkways adjacent to the fishing conservancy organization. It would be exciting to see the activities co-exist in the makai area of Kaka'ako, where it would be a more people-friendly area tied to Kaka'ako Waterfront Park.

Steve Doyle: On Dec. 5 you were quoted in The Advertiser as saying that you were "floored" by Gov. Linda Lingle's comments about the state moving away from land development as a core economic engine and focusing on innovation, human development and acting as a broker in east-west relations. You also stated that you would work with Gov. Lingle in the next session. Will you and your colleagues truly engage in constructive, results-oriented dialogue with the Lingle administration, or will the voters of Hawai'i find, at the end of the next legislative session, the stuff left on the "floor" is what you find in the stable after the horses have left?

Say: I was floored primarily because of the governor's comments on land-use development. It goes against our market system. Without the economic pillar of the construction industry, Hawai'i's economy would not be able to stand.

We will be working with the administration to develop a comprehensive plan to move Hawai'i forward through the 21st century, and let the issues rise to the top on behalf of the people of the state of Hawai'i.

Doyle: As a follow-up to your remark about the construction industry being a pillar of Hawai'i's economic health ... how much more can we construct on the finite resource we call the Hawaiian Islands without destroying that which we cherish the most? Our 'aina and home.

Say: We have adopted major legislation for land banking to conserve our most valued preservation lands. Part of that money will be used for preserving Waimea Falls Park, Moanalua Valley, Pupukea Heights. We are looking to acquiring more of our rainforests and coastal areas of the state.

Jon: I read somewhere that a Big Island politician pushed for a huge tax credit for some racetrack so that he can make money on the land deal. Is this guy still in office? What are you going to do to stop this kind of corruption?

Say: From time to time, conflicts arise for members. In this case, the conflict was brought to our attention. When we discussed it as a caucus, the member himself decided to withdraw the bill, and it went no further.

Al: How come your children never went to any of the schools that are in your district, where you allegedly live at?

Say: Both my wife and I are hard-working parents and work long hours. Like many families in Hawai'i, grandma, who lives outside the district, took care of getting the kids to and from school. Therefore, our children went to the school that was most accessible to grandma's house.

Harold Akamine: The paper last year said you were only cleared because the elections people found that the rules to determining residency were not as clear as they could be. Will you support better definition and tightening of the residency rules for people like you running for office?

Say: The residency issue was answered in previous responses.

Jake: Over the past few years, (especially 2003), when the Legislature and governor sparred over legislation, many Democrats fell back on the rhetoric of "we the people," (i.e., that the Legislature represents the entire state's wishes better than the single executive does). This past election, Gov. Lingle won in every single House district, (and even got more votes than Sen. Daniel Akaka). In the inevitable scenario that the House and governor disagree over something in this next session, how do you see compromise playing out, if at all? Along those lines, do you think the House and Senate have a categorical right to override any gubernatorial veto?

Say: Under the state constitution, we have the right to override a gubernatorial veto. It's part of the checks and balances of our federal and state constitutions. We will work together with the Senate and governor. Compromise is needed in order to move forward, accomplish things for the future, and solve the problems of the people of this state.