Perry Arrasmith
Perry Arrasmith has been navigating the historical complexities of Hawai‘i since his early childhood days on Center Street in Kaimukī. Born in southern Illinois and raised on O‘ahu, Perry earned a Bachelor's in History from Harvard University before returning home to earn a Master's of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. In his free time, he enjoys searching for strawberry guava in the hills of ʻAiea. He is a columnist for Aloha State Daily; the views expressed are his own.
Latest from Perry Arrasmith
The best Youtube videos on Hawai‘i’s problems
Content creators from outside the Islands have made compelling, long-form videos about conditions in Hawai‘i, observes ASD columnist Perry Arrasmith. Here are some of the best, plus a call for Hawai‘i's own filmmakers to get in the game.
Perry ArrasmithMarch 06, 2026
‘Ōkolehao gets a hearing (or two)
Modern-day local distillers of ‘ōkolehao, the Hawaiian spirit distilled from ki plant roots, are before the Legislature this session, looking for the sort of legal protections afforded to such local products as Kona coffee, in competition with outside brands trying to capitalize on the name. It's the latest chapter in Hawai‘i's 200-year on-again, off-again love affair with what has been called Hawai‘i's brandy or moonshine at different times. Here's a look at its colorful past — King David Kalakaua loved it, Queen Lili‘uokalani tried to curtail it — and the present-day quest to define and preserve ‘ōkolehao as a uniquely Hawai‘i product.
Perry ArrasmithFebruary 25, 2026
The Incredible Shrinking Voter of Honolulu
The voting power of the average O‘ahu resident has declined over the past century, to where each of the nine city council members now represent more than 112,000 people across multiple neighborhoods. That's twice as many people as a Hawai‘i state senator represents. There are some efforts underway to change that.
Perry ArrasmithFebruary 12, 2026
Hawai‘i’s evolution, as related by Tom Coffman
“Statehood wasn't the end of history, but a transition to a new history,” Tom Coffman once said. “Statehood allowed Hawai‘i to open up, and to let people assert themselves more, and allowed the genie of the Hawaiian movement to get out of the lantern.” Here, our political historian examines Coffman's life in the Islands as an investigative journalist, historian and filmmaker.
Perry ArrasmithJanuary 26, 2026
The Pilgrimage of Bob Krauss
A half-century ago, legendary journalist Bob Krauss joined a 300-mile trek across Hawai‘i island, inspiring his 1975 book, "The Island Way." In it he explored "an Island approach to our global future" that was influential on local politics at the time and very much worth revisiting today.
Perry ArrasmithJanuary 15, 2026
Why does Hawai‘i have a GET?
The General Excise Tax. We all know it, we all complain about it, especially the way it stacks up in transaction after transaction, raising prices. But there was a time when it didn't exist at all. Here's a look at who created it, when, and, most importantly, why.
Perry ArrasmithNovember 28, 2025
