Editor’s note: For Hawaii’s Aug. 10 Primary Election, Civil Beat asked candidates to answer some questions about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following came from Kelly Takaya King, candidate for Maui County Council South District. The other candidates are Tom Cook and Johnny Keoni Prones.

Go to Civil Beat’s Election Guide for general information, and check out other candidates on the Primary Election Ballot.

1. Clearly, Maui County faces big issues related to the fires. What’s the primary thing Maui needs to do now to recover from the fires?

There are numerous groups doing various tasks to remediate soil and remove toxins, monitor water quality, coordinate temporary housing, provide meals, etc. These groups should be coordinated and immediately noted on a public list so we know who is doing what, which efforts are the most effective and then funding can be allocated where it is most needed.

The other top priority is to create a plan for rebuilding, with a timeline — especially near the shoreline in the sea level exposure area — and initiating the recommendations in previous reports to prevent future fires.

Also, instead of pretending the blanket removal of STR zones will result in affordable housing, the best thing the county can do to provide immediate housing for the 600 or so families still in hotels would be to buy 600 of the condo units in West Maui to move these families into at a very low rent. It would still be cheaper than the millions FEMA has spent on renting houses that West Maui wildfire survivors refuse to move into.

2.  What should Maui do to encourage people to stay? What can the county do to ensure that families aren’t priced out?

We need to diversify our economy to encourage people to stay. Working two, three or even four low-paying jobs in tourism is not conducive to raising a healthy, happy family. Setting a better (and less expensive) standard for “affordable housing” is key to obtaining housing our residents can actually afford.

Contrary to what we have been told by some establishment-friendly politicians, there are developers who want to help and have found a way to create 100% affordable projects to help our lowest income citizens.

In my first two terms on the council, I worked with a developer of affordable rentals to get two projects (over 100 units each) built in my district where rents started at below $600 for a two-bedroom apartment. The first moved in during the Covid lockdown; the complex was able to house several homeless people, according to our Housing Department.

3. Do you support the new state law that allows counties to regulate and even shut down short-term rentals? Why or why not?

I do think counties should be able to regulate our short-term rentals, but I don’t agree with our mayor’s proposal to eliminate 7,000 units in one to two years. These units will not be affordable to our residents as they are expensive, have high monthly HOA fees and many of the older buildings are already in need of major repairs that will drive insurance rates and monthly fees up even higher.

The amount of revenue Maui County would lose in property taxes, TAT fees and tourism dollars is already compounding the heartache the proposal is causing. Instead, there should be a longterm plan worked out to first determine how many units we need to accommodate the ideal number of tourists, how many locals would even want to live in a high density condo/apartment building and how much housing is required in which districts.

Then, we should figure out a legal buyout for the number of units we actually need for housing so we don’t get sued, as the mayor has said he expects will happen. I would hate to see condos sitting empty while developers then declare we need to build more hotels for the tourists.

4. What’s your vision for Lahaina? How should it be rebuilt and who should decide?

I would like to see Lahaina planned and rebuilt with respect to the aina and greater environment, incorporating the natural flow of water for drainage, reusing wastewater for agriculture instead of piping it into the ocean through injection wells, integrating neighborhoods with local businesses, schools and parks for walkability and biking.

I’m not a Lahaina resident, and believe the decisions should be made by the residents working with community leaders, local historians, qualified planners and previous disaster report recommendations.

My hope is that community members take this opportunity to learn from historical mistakes, when development happened with less regard to our environment and historical cultural sites, and recognize that sacrifices will have to be made by those who may not be able to rebuild in sensitive areas.

5. What should elected officials do to restore trust in county government?

Be transparent. Respond to and work for the people of Maui, not outside interests. It is a very different experience testifying at the County Council this term, when multiple citizens come out to testify with the same message on an issue and find that a few developers’ opinions will be supported over their own needs in their communities.

During the previous two terms I felt the council really respected the opinions and needs of our residents first. Most people I’ve talked to do not feel the same way about the current majority on our council.

Also, elected officials at the state level should address term limits and hold themselves accountable to the Sunshine Law.

6. Do you think Maui County should do more to manage water resources? Why or why not?

Yes, Maui County needs to do more to clean up our water, stop injecting it into the ocean, eliminate cesspools and create stormwater storage.

Also, I believe it will help when we fund our first Water Authority, voted into government by the people of Maui, to start managing water delivery and create a fair rate system that serves the purpose of the public trust that water is ordained to be.

As long as private interests decide water rates and water delivery, we are at risk of future diversions and shifting potable and irrigation water rates. 

7. What is the first thing Maui County should do to get in front of climate change rather than just reacting to it?

First, we still need a Climate Action Plan. The document accepted by the County Council is more of a report, but was supposed to be an action plan with a timeline, assigned duties, etc. Also, there was a severe lack of stakeholder engagement so most folks don’t even know about it.

Many of the proposals I put forward as chair of the Climate Action, Resilience and Environment Committee resulted in climate action ordinances: requirement for facilities over 5,000 square feet to be built to net zero standards; energy audits of county facilities to determine how to reduce greenhouse gases; wetland mapping and preservation; expanding bans on single use plastic items; adding climate action to our Countywide Policy Plan, etc.

We also joined the climate litigation against the petroleum industry with Honolulu, approved the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and approved the Settlement Agreement for the Lahaina Injection Well lawsuit.

8. Homelessness is becoming more of an issue on Maui. What do you think needs to be changed to help people get into housing, and stay housed?

We need more affordable rental projects like the two I brought into Kihei in my early terms. I also proposed an overnight parking pilot project which got funded but never implemented by the previous administration.

There is a community project being created by a volunteer group I started when I needed to collaborate with the community on various environmental issues called the Climate Action Advisory Committee (CAAC). This group is still meeting and one of its subcommittees is proposing a project for the houseless that would include a tiny home neighborhood, tents on platforms for transitional housing and a parking lot area for those living in their cars.

I believe projects like these that emanate from the community should be funded by the county as they have a better chance of success.

9. Traffic is getting worse on Maui, and different regions face different challenges. What would be your approach to improve Maui’s transportation problems?

A collaborative approach is needed for transportation improvements, just like everything else.

After I stepped down from my previous council position, I joined the board of the Kihei Community Association and worked with the Maui MPO to create a Transportation Safety Summit in South Maui. This event was supported by the state and county transportation departments, included public works staffers as well as the Maui Bicycle League and brought in multi-modal transportation experts from the mainland.

We had a great series of presentations and discussions, and are now hoping the Planning Department will create the infrastructure study and cost analysis required for our South Maui Community Plan. The focus for most communities on Maui should be less cars, more mass transit and also more walking and biking once we create safer routes.