Vision

Questionnaire Responses

Q. Please share with us what you know about our movement called AiKea? Who is AiKea? What does AiKea stand for? How do you identify with AiKea’s basic vision?

A: AiKea is a movement built on a simple but powerful idea: that we can change the community conversation from apathy to engagement, from "ainokea" to "AiKea." That mission sits at the very root of what civil engagement is supposed to be. Democracy does not work when people feel shut out, ignored, or too cynical to participate. It works when people lean in with hope – when they believe that their voice matters and that someone in government is actually listening.

The AiKea movement is aligned with everything my campaign stands for, and I can point to specific examples of where that alignment is real and tangible.

On housing: I care about the working families who are being priced out of the community they grew up in. As Mayor, I will cut permit processing times, invest in the infrastructure that unlocks housing production, and pursue public-private partnerships that deliver real homes for local families.

On jobs: I have consistently supported unions, trade organizations, fair wages, secured funding for workforce development programs, and backed the construction workers who are ready and willing to build the homes our community needs. As Mayor, I will shift the County's mindset from regulator to partner, so that local businesses and workers can thrive.

On healthcare: I care about the men and women on the front lines of our healthcare system. Ishowed up at Kaiser nurses' picket lines. I advocated for healthcare worker housing in Maui Lani. I have pushed for the County to partner with State agencies to close the gap in mental health and primary care services.

Q: Please share with us why you feel you have earned the support of Hawai’i’s working families?

A: Working families are why I got into public service, and my record reflects that commitment.

I grew up on Maui, raised my family here, and ran a small business in Maui County. I know what it means to stretch a budget, worry about the future, and wonder whether your kids will be able to build careers in Maui Nui. That shared experience has guided every decision I've made on the County Council.

The single biggest burden on working families in Maui County is the cost of living, and the single biggest driver of that is housing. When the median single-family home price on Maui is $1.17 million, everything else becomes harder – it's harder to save, harder to start a business, harder to stay. As Mayor, I look forward to working with Local 5 and other organizations to address our housing issues.

I've also fought for the people who keep our community running. The endorsements I've earned from Hawaii's building trades reflect that record. These are men and women who know what real support looks like, and they trust that I will deliver it as Mayor. That trust is something I take seriously, and it is something I will earn every single day.

Q: What kind of resort/hotel related development are you willing to support? What is your position on short-term vacation rentals, bed & breakfast and condotel establishments?

A: Maui County's economy depends on a healthy tourism industry. There are approximately 80,000 total jobs in Maui County, and more than 25% of those jobs are directly supported by tourism. These are real jobs held by real Maui families, and any approach to resort and hotel development has to start with that reality.

Tourism development must be managed thoughtfully. I support resorts and hotels that promote responsible practices that comply with the needs of the surrounding community. Large-scale resort projects that create local jobs, generate tax revenue, and are designed with community and environmental impacts in mind deserve support. These are the projects that help local workers share in tourism’s successes.

However, what I will not support is development that overwhelms our infrastructure, degrades our environment, or disrupts the residential neighborhoods that make our communities special places to live.

Short-term rentals should only be allowed where they are expressly permitted, and the County must enforce that rule consistently and fairly. The process to obtain a permit for short-term rental operations is not a rubber stamp. It involves meaningful regulatory review specifically designed to protect residential neighborhoods and commercial districts from the negative impacts that unmanaged tourism can bring – noise, parking, overcrowding, and the erosion of the community character that residents depend on. That review process exists for good reason, and it should be respected.

Where short-term rentals are not expressly permitted, they should not be operating. It is also about fairness to the operators who have done things the right way. The owners who went through the permitting process, followed the rules, and invested in compliance deserve to compete on a level playing field.

Q: What is your position on ‘Right to Work’ legislation and/or initiatives? (Do you support the right of workers to organize? If so, what does that mean or look like?)

A: I believe in the right of workers to organize. Unions have been one of the most important forces in building a middle class in Hawaii – fighting for fair wages, safe working conditions, and benefits that allow working families to build a stable life. I support workers' right to organize and to bargain collectively, and as Mayor I will continue to work in partnership with labor organizations across Maui County.

On "Right to Work" legislation specifically, I do not support it. These initiatives are framed as protecting worker freedom, but in practice, they weaken unions by allowing workers to benefit from collectively bargained contracts without contributing to the cost of negotiating them.

As Mayor, my focus will be on making Maui County a place where working families can actually afford to live and build a career. That means fair wages, good jobs, and a government that treats labor as a partner rather than an obstacle. The men and women of Hawaii's unions have earned that partnership, and I intend to honor it.

Q: Please share with us what your legislative priorities would be should you get elected to office?

A: As Mayor, my role will be to lead the executive branch, set the priorities of my administration, manage County resources, and deliver results for the people of Maui County.

My priorities are grounded in a simple test: are we making it possible for working families to stay and thrive in Maui County?

1. First and foremost, housing. The median single-family home price on Maui is $1.17 million, and that number sits at the center of nearly every challenge our community faces. As Mayor, I will push to cut permit processing times dramatically – our current average of 380 days is simply unacceptable when other counties have reduced processing times to less than 180 days. I will also direct investment in the water, wastewater, and road infrastructure that unlocks housing production, and I will pursue public-private partnerships like Waikapu Country Town that deliver real homes for local families.

2. Second, government efficiency. Government should be a partner to our residents and our business community, not an obstacle. As Mayor, I will streamline permitting and entitlement processes, eliminate redundant boards and commissions that drain resources without producing results, and introduce a more disciplined budget focused on core services. I will establish clear performance metrics for every department, because residents deserve to know whether their government is delivering.

3. Third, economic resilience. I will work to reduce the cost-of-living pressures that are forcing families to make impossible choices. That means supporting local businesses by shifting the County's mindset from regulator to partner, creating diverse job opportunities in agriculture, technology, and the trades, and managing public resources in a way that keeps Maui County affordable for the families who call it home.

4. Fourth, completing Maui's recovery. The CDBG award is the largest disaster recovery grant ever made to a local government. As Mayor, I will ensure that we use this money efficiently and expeditiously to get Lahaina families back home and help West Maui businesses get back up and running – because that is the real measure of whether we did this right.

These priorities are interconnected. Housing, efficiency, economic opportunity, and recovery all feed one another, and progress on each front reinforces the others. My commitment is to pursue all of these priorities in collaboration with local unions, and with the same urgency, the same discipline, and the same focus on delivering real results for the people of Maui County.

Q: Workers in many non-union workplaces have been organizing for a fair process to organize. Please explain how you have helped to support non-union workers and/or what you’re willing to do to support them in the future.

A: Every worker in Maui County deserves to be treated fairly, whether they are a union member or not. Every worker deserves a fair opportunity to organize, and workers should be able to advocate for this opportunity without fear of retaliation.

However, I should be transparent about two things. First, Maui County's workforce is already substantially union-staffed, so the question of supporting non-union workers organizing within County government is largely not the challenge it may be in the private sector.

Second, worker organization rights are primarily governed by state and federal law. From a legal standpoint, a County Mayor has limited direct authority over the development of a fair organizing process in private workplaces. I want to be honest about that rather than overstate what the Mayor's office can deliver.

That said, there are meaningful things I can do. For example, in principle, I support the use of Project Labor Agreements on major public construction projects. I have generally supported PLAs because they can be good for the construction industry and the community when they are properly structured and clearly implemented – they can create predictability, reduce disruption, and help deliver public projects on time and at the quality our community expects. But PLAs can also do something more: they can include provisions that create pathways for non-union workers to participate under union-negotiated terms. In practice, this exposes non-union workers to the benefits of union wages and working conditions, thus opening doors to organizing.

The conditions that drive workers to organize – stagnant wages, lack of voice, and feeling like the people in charge aren't listening – are the same conditions I am running against in this campaign. Workers who are organizing for a fair process deserve to be heard, and they will have an ally in my office.

Q: In 2024 - 2025, union contracts for 8000 Local 5 hotel and healthcare workers expired. All major hotel workers went on strike on Labor Day weekend. On September 24, 2024, 1600 Local 5 members at Hilton Hawaiian Village went on an open-ended strike that lasted 40-days. In 2025, 1800 Kaiser members went on a 5-day strike and Royal Kona Hotel workers went on 1-day strike. How did you support our Union then and how will you support us moving forward?

I have always stood with workers. The Local 5 members who walked picket lines at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the Kaiser nurses who went on strike, and the Royal Kona Hotel workers who took action – these men and women were fighting for fair wages and working conditions that reflect the true cost of living in Hawaii. That fight is exactly what I am running on. When working families are being squeezed – when the people who make our hospitality and healthcare industries run cannot afford to live in the communities they serve – that is a failure of our broader economic environment, and it is one I take seriously.

I have shown up for healthcare workers personally. I regularly attended Kaiser nurses' picket events and met with groups directly, because I believe that elected officials should be present and visible when workers are standing up for themselves. I also advocated for healthcare worker housing in Maui Lani, because I understand that the housing crisis and the labor crisis are the same crisis wearing different faces.

While my direct authority to intervene as a council member in labor disputes between private sector unions and private sector employers is limited, the examples above show that my support for working people is genuine, and does not stop at the limits of my authority.

Moving forward, as Mayor I will use every tool available to me to support working families. That means requiring fair labor practices in County contracting, maintaining an open door for Local 5 and all labor organizations, and attacking the cost of living directly – because the best thing I can do for every worker in Maui County, union or not, is make it possible for them to actually afford to live here.

Q: Given the current global/national/local state of affairs and the challenges faced by hospitality and healthcare workers, how are you going to ensure workers are not left behind?

A: The challenges facing hospitality and healthcare workers right now are real, and they are urgent. Nationally, we are seeing economic uncertainty, rising costs, and a federal policy environment that is not always friendly to working families. In Maui County, those pressures are compounded by the highest cost of living in the country and a housing market that is pricing out the very people who keep our economy and our community running. Workers in hospitality and healthcare are feeling all of it, and they deserve a Mayor who understands that and will act on it.

Let me be specific about what that will look like from the Mayor's office.

First, housing. Again, I truly believe that the single biggest thing I can do for hospitality and healthcare workers is to bring down the cost of housing. When a hotel employee or a healthcare worker cannot afford to live within an hour of where they work, that is not just a personal hardship – it is a community crisis. As Mayor, I will prioritize the infrastructure investment, permitting reform, and public-private partnerships that will get more homes built for working families.

Second, I will ensure that County contracting reflects our community's values. Businesses that receive County contracts should demonstrate fair labor practices and treat their workers with dignity. That is a standard I will uphold.

Third, I will be a partner to the labor organizations that represent these workers. My door will always be open to Local 5, to the healthcare unions, and to any organization fighting for the people who make Maui Nui function. When workers need an advocate at the table, I will be there.

No mayor can control global economic forces or federal policy. But our Mayor can control how Maui County responds – whether we stand with our workers or leave them to navigate these challenges alone. I will stand with them.

Q: How will you mitigate impacts of sea level rise, especially as it relates to tourism?

A: Sea level rise is not a future problem. It is a present one, and it requires immediate, pragmatic action. For a community like Maui County, where our coastline is both a natural treasure and the foundation of our tourism economy, the stakes could not be higher. If we fail to protect our shorelines, then we risk losing the very thing that makes Maui worth visiting – and with it, the jobs and livelihoods of the working families who depend on that economy.

My approach to sea level rise is grounded in practicality, not ideology. There is no single solution, and any honest response has to acknowledge that different situations call for different strategies.

For existing coastal infrastructure – including hotels, resorts, and visitor facilities – I support a balanced approach that combines natural solutions with targeted infrastructure upgrades where feasible. Natural dune restoration and living shoreline projects can provide meaningful protection while preserving the beach environment that tourists come to experience. Where infrastructure upgrades are necessary and appropriate, we should pursue them with an eye toward long-term resilience rather than short-term fixes.

At the same time, managed retreat is a reality we cannot ignore in areas where it is economically and physically feasible. I recognize that this is not always an immediate option – particularly for established tourism infrastructure – but it must remain part of our long-term planning conversation. We owe it to future generations to be honest about which areas can be protected and which cannot.

For the tourism industry specifically, I believe there is also an opportunity to turn this challenge into a strength. Visitors who come to Maui increasingly care about environmental stewardship. A County that is visibly investing in shoreline protection, native habitat restoration, and climate resilience sends a message that we take care of the place they love. That is good for our environment and good for our tourism brand.

As Mayor, I will work closely with State agencies, federal partners, and the private sector to ensure that Maui County has a comprehensive, funded plan for addressing sea level rise – one that protects our coastline, preserves our tourism economy, and keeps our community whole for generations to come.

Q: In the case of the working class, do you believe that the Federal Government is going in the right direction? Please explain in detail what you feel is working, what you would do differently and what you will do as a Hawaii Legislator (try to include the following:

Taxing working class and elderly, Social services, Hawaiian self-determination, Immigration, War, Economy, Labor rights, Women’s rights, LGBTQIA rights etc.).

A: As Mayor of Maui County, my role is to lead the local executive branch – not to serve as a state or federal legislator. So, while I am happy to share my views on the direction of federal policy, I want to be clear that my focus and my authority is at the local level, and that is where I intend to deliver results for working families.

That said, I will generally say that I do not believe the federal government is currently moving in the right direction when it comes to working families. The policies coming out of Washington right now are placing real burdens on everyday people – through rising costs, reduced access to social services, uncertainty around healthcare, and an economic environment that increasingly favors those at the top over those doing the work. Working families in Maui County are already stretched to their limit by the highest cost of living in the country, and federal policies that add to that burden rather than relieve it make our job at the local level that much harder.

I am also concerned about the direction of federal policy as it relates to the dignity and rights of all people in our community. Maui County is a diverse, inclusive community, and I will always lead with those values. But rather than dwell on what Washington is doing wrong, let me focus on what we can collectively do right in Maui County.

First, I have always supported the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively. I support equal treatment and opportunity for women, LGBTQIA residents, and all members of our community. I support polices that protect vulnerable populations and preserve access to healthcare and social services. I also recognize the responsibility we have to respect and incorporate Native Hawaiian voices in decisions that chart our path forward.

As Mayor, I will continue my support of organized labor, and I will fight for working families using every tool available to me. I will attack the cost of housing head-on by cutting permitting delays, investing in infrastructure, and pursuing public-private partnerships that deliver real homes for local residents. I will make County government more efficient and more accountable, so that public resources are directed where they are needed most. I will ensure that County contracting reflects our community's values by requiring fair labor practices from businesses that work with the County. And I will maintain an open door for labor organizations, community groups, and working families who need an advocate at the local level.

I cannot control what happens in Washington. But I can control how Maui County responds, and my commitment is to build a local government that works for everyone, leaves no one behind, and reflects the values of the community we are proud to call home.