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Lt. Gov. Josh Green has hired Brooke Wilson, who served as political and education director for the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters, as his chief of staff, as well as experts from the health care industry to staff his office on the fifth floor of the state Capitol. Read more

Lt. Gov. Josh Green has hired Brooke Wilson, who served as political and education director for the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters, as his chief of staff, as well as experts from the health care industry to staff his office on the fifth floor of the state Capitol.

Green, who was sworn into office Monday, received more than $1 million in campaign contributions from the super political action committee financed by the pro-rail carpenters union, called Be Change Now, during his campaign for lieutenant governor — a staggering amount for such a race which surprised political observers and elicited criticism from his Democratic primary rivals.

Green said it made sense to hire Wilson, 39, given her knowledge of the Honolulu rail project, the largest public works project in state history, and also stressed her experience with civil rights issues. Wilson has served on the board of the Hawaii chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii.

As deputy chief of staff, Green has hired Jeremy Lakin. Lakin worked for the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, a trade association for hospitals, skilled-nursing facilities and other businesses operating in the health care sector. Lakin, who is also an attorney, has specialized in public policy, government administration and litigation, according to Green’s office.

J.P. Schmidt, who served as the state’s insurance commissioner under former Gov. Linda Lingle and has worked in the insurance sector since leaving office, has joined Green’s office as a senior policy adviser.

“Having a person who understands health insurance, having a person who understands civil rights, having a person who understands the largest project in our state — the rail — makes a lot of sense because I think people want me to be competent,” said Green.

The office of lieutenant governor is an attractive draw for politicians who can use it as a springboard to higher office, such as governor, but it technically wields little authority unless empowered by the governor. Green, however, has set high goals for his term, hoping to use his office to aggressively tackle the homeless problem, the opioid crisis and the state’s shortage of health care providers.

A physician who served for 14 years in the Legislature, Green said he hopes to bring his experience and the expertise of his staff to bear on those problems. Prior to being elected lieutenant governor, Green and a partner founded a nonprofit called the Hawaii Homeless HealthCare Hui, also known as H4, which has come up with a model for addressing the needs of the chronic homeless and reducing the costs of providing them health care. H4 has operated a free clinic in Chinatown that provides services to the homeless and has sought to expand to locations throughout the state.

Though not required, Green said that he had resigned from the board of H4 prior to taking office to ensure he acted independently. Still, he said he hopes to draw on his connections to help address the state’s homeless problem, which was a central issue of his campaign.

“I’ll continue to work with my private-sector friends and match them with the public-sector opportunities,” said Green. “It’s kind of a nice way to be the matchmaker as lieutenant governor and get solutions.”