������Ƶ

Editor’s note: For Hawaii’s Nov. 5 General 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 Yuki Lei Sugimura, candidate for Maui County Council Upcountry District. Her opponent is Jocelyn Cruz.

Go to Civil Beat’s Election Guide for general information, and check out other candidates on the General 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?

Our primary responsibility is to plan and build back the character and place of Lahaina Town. We need to restore the damaged infrastructure and buildings, and most importantly we need to bring home families displaced by the wildfire.

That process includes fast-tracking building permits. It is encouraging to see some homes already being rebuilt.

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

Supporting affordable rental and workforce housing is a priority to keep our families in Maui County. These programs are structured to manage affordability based upon manageable income levels. 

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 support the counties being afforded more authority to regulate land use, including short-term rentals. These important decisions should be made at the local level.

Short-term rentals provide the bulk of real property tax revenue for Maui County, and proposals on whether to regulate or eliminate these uses need to be fully vetted. The proposal to eliminate thousands of STVR units on the “Minatoya” list should be fully reviewed for viability and impact prior to any decision making.

The Maui County Council is issuing a request for proposal for a study to get more needed data, including potential financial impacts to the county. 

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

The visions for Lahaina should be shaped by those rooted in the Lahaina community. The Planning Department has held several important community meetings to receive community input on all aspects of building back the town and communities that make Lahaina so special.

There are many important considerations, such as the shoreline and historical district, along with concerns of impacted families. I look forward to the final report, which I am told will be released in December. Ultimately, we need to listen to the input of Lahaina families.

I also believe that the Planning Department, along with an entity like the Maui Redevelopment Authority, could guide this process. The MRA is established by HRS 153 and has been used to revitalize Wailuku Town. 

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

Restoring trust can be built by prioritizing the voices of the people. I believe our residents’ concerns and voices are important.

Particularly in the aftermath of the fires, unsafe water advisories, and other major issues faced by our community, my focus has been to clearly communicate what I know to the public. Once a month, I set up a community “Talk Story” table at the Upcountry Farmers Market to hear from the community.

I also have a staff-member in my office dedicated to handling constituent concerns. 

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

Yes.  I am advocating for a Master Water and Master Wastewater plan for Upcountry and West Maui. Many in my community of Upcountry have voiced concerns over water supply, in relation to housing, drinking supply and for fire response.

In West Maui, we will need to continue rebuilding and improving infrastructure after the August wildfires.  

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

The county needs to continue to identify the major infrastructure projects over the next five, 10, 15 years that will be necessary due to climate change.

One of those projects is already in progress: the construction of the Central Maui Wastewater Reclamation Facility in lower Waikapu. This facility may eventually serve as a replacement for the county’s primary wastewater treatment facility in Kahului, which is in a low-lying area.

In addition to the Kahului treatment plant, significant county infrastructure sits in the sea level rise exposure area, such as roadways, parks, buildings, etc.  We need to keep moving forward with projects such as the CMWRF.

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?

The Puuhonua O Nene was set up in just a few weeks to provide shelter for those ineligible for wildfire disaster housing. While the facility has had some issues, the concept is a good one.

Transitional housing with wrap-around services is essential in helping people get into housing and staying in housing. I support collaborative job training with our University of Hawaii system and employers to help houseless individuals find work in the job market.

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

As a policy board member of the Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization (MMPO), I have worked hard to secure federal money to improve our major transportation corridors while making our neighborhood streets safer. Our mission is to facilitate multi-modal transportation, via busing, biking, walking, etc., as a means to make our streets safer by reducing the number of cars on the road.

I have also worked to facilitate intergovernmental collaboration between the county, state and federal levels to ensure that major projects can be completed, such as the Waiale Road extension in Central Maui, the North-South Collector Road in South Maui, and the Lahaina bypass extension.