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Derek Kawakami went to act on his instinct, but he hesitated and didn’t step forward. 

Kauai’s mayor is like so many of us: Unsure of what to do when it comes to Maui.

In this instance, Kawakami was on stage at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center last Thursday at the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s convention panel with the state’s four mayors. Maui’s mayor, Richard Bissen, had stood up and delivered a halting testimonial. 

Gesturing to the mayors and Micah Kane, the CEO of the Hawaii Community Foundation, Bissen said, “These are the first four people who called me individually. They’re also the first to send help. So this was my chance to thank them in front of all of you. Can you help me thank them?”

As the audience applauded, Kawakami, the mayor seated furthest away from Bissen, placed his hand on the arm of the couch ready to stand, but he stayed seated. 

But then, he followed through on his instinct and rose, walked across the stage and gave the much larger Bissen a hug. 

Kawakami then told the story of when he first met Bissen. They were next to each in the men’s restroom in the Honolulu airport.

“Are you Judge Bissen? He said, ‘Hey you’re Mayor Kawakami.’ I said, ‘You’re a lot bigger in real life.’”

The four mayors make for a compelling stage show and it’s nice to see politicians getting along with each other after all the infighting we’ve seen on the national stage.

There’s a swirl about what we can do for Maui 15 weeks after the fire. This is an in-between period when a lot of the difficult work is being done, and many of the hard questions don’t yet have clear answers. 

Maui has gotten a lot of money, offers of assistance and an influx of ideas. But you know what else Maui really needs?

Maui needs a hug, an embrace of support. Kawakami did the right thing. Maui also needs some peace and rest. 

There’s a feeling of weariness on the island. Everyone is wiped out. I wish they could ease into the holidays, with plenty of opportunities for rest, but there’s no chance of doing that right now. There’s too much work to be done.

You can see the burden being heavily borne by those who dreamt of a better Maui for their grandchildren, and their grandchildren’s grandchildren. 

They are bearing the brunt of that now as their community faces housing deadlines, but they are also shouldering the weight of what Maui should be in the future.

“We have one chance to get it right,” said Lahaina resident and waterman Archie Kalepa. “We want to make sure we hear from people, so our community can change this place for the better.”

Many families on Maui are facing end of November temporary housing deadlines. Bissen has a serious decision to make and the owners and operators of short-term rentals on Maui are feeling the pressure.

“What the county is seeking is voluntary compliance from the industry to donate the rooms and the homes that we need,” said Bissen. “Now if they say no, then we have the option that has been talked about (taking over short-term rentals.) It’s not that we don’t understand the option or we’re not aware of the option. The question is when do you make that call? When do you do it?”

Maui doesn’t have the time to wait around and let things work themselves out. 

Just before the mayors spoke, Matt Jachowski, a software programmer and Maui native, talked through the math based on property tax records. 

“We have approximately 12,000 short-term rentals and 12,000 second homes for a total of 24,000 housing units not being used for long-term housing,” Jachowski wrote in an email later. He figures there are about 3,500 families that need long-term housing solutions. 

Jachowkski says that converting roughly 15% of Maui’s short-term rentals and second homes to long-term housing would keep Maui families on Maui. 

I have just as many questions as the biggest of skeptics about what happened in the recent past that contributed to the fires, what is happening now and what will happen in the future. 

All of those questions, all that despair and hope, all the ideas from so many comers and corners, is a lot for the people of Maui to bear. 

There were a lot of mistakes and bad activity on Maui, and leaders need to be held accountable, but for a moment I want to follow Kawakami’s lead and ask if we can have a collective moment of grace and aloha for Maui.

Maui is strong. Its people are tough. They will be resilient. But sometimes, even the toughest, mightiest and strongest of us simply need a hug or other show of aloha, and time for rest and peace.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.