Civil Beat has asked candidates for the Hawaiʻi elections to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following comes from Carol Lee Kamekona, nonpartisan candidate and incumbent for Maui County Council, Kahului District.

Her opponents in the Aug. 8 primary election are Jason Ababan and Kauanoe Batangan.

Go to Civil Beat’s 2026 Elections Guide for general information, and check out the other candidates on Civil Beatʻs 2026 Hawaiʻi Primary Ballot.

Why are you best suited for the job of council member, and why do you want the job?

I lead with and for our Maui ʻohana, not corporate interests. As an active member of our community, Iʻve consistently fought for Native Hawaiian rights, housing and transparent governance without accepting corporate money. Following the tragic passing of Auntie Tasha Kama, our community demanded authentic, progressive leadership. I want this job to ensure that our recovery prioritizes people over profit and builds an equitable future for our next seven generations.

What is the biggest issue facing Maui County, and what is the first thing you would do to address it in the first six months after being elected?

The forced out-migration and exploding houselessness of our local families is our greatest crisis. In my first six months, I will identify county lands with existing infrastructure to establish a puʻuhonua. In partnership with local nonprofits, this sanctuary will provide immediate wraparound services, transitional housing and mental health support. We must stop criminalizing poverty and instead provide the foundational stability required to keep Mauiʻs people on Maui.

Here’s one question from a constituent: What is your position on upcountry speed humps? Would you remove them? Why or why not?

I support roadway safety but the excessive installation of speed humps upcountry was flawed. They severely delay emergency response vehicles and were installed without adequate community consultation. I support replacing disruptive humps with speed ʻcushionsʻ that allow fire trucks and ambulances to pass safely. Moving forward, I will mandate neighborhood consensus and full contractor transparency before any traffic-calming infrastructure is deployed in our communities.

The county now has a law on the books to effectively phase out several thousand vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts starting in 2029. The companion measure to grandfather in more than half of those properties has since been rejected by all three planning commissions. What would you do as a council member about this?

I support phasing out STRs in apartment-zoned districts. I believe that if an owner wants or feels they should be exempt, they can file for an exemption through standard legal processes, but I strongly oppose blanket legislative carveouts. I testified that I am 100% in favor of passing Bill 9 without mass exemptions. The planning commissions correctly rejected the companion bill. We must aggressively transition these units back into the long-term housing supply for local families.

Hawai‘i has a long-stated goal of growing more of its own food. What would you do to further that effort toward increased food sustainability?

True sustainability requires returning to the ahupuaʻa model and mālama ʻāina. Currently, local farmers lack the processing infrastructure to scale their operations. I will champion the construction of a county-supported manufacturing and processing plant for Maui-raised beef and produce. By subsidizing processing infrastructure and protecting agricultural water rights for cultural foods like kalo and ʻulu, we can reduce our reliance on 90% of goods imported and achieve true food sovereignty.

The county has been moving forward with plans to bring much more of Maui’s water supply under public ownership instead of private. What steps would you take to get a better handle on Maui’s water future?

Water is a sacred public trust, not a corporate commodity. I will aggressively support the East Maui Water Authority. We must strictly enforce the Kānāwai, prioritizing water rights for kuleana landowners and ecosystem health. Mauiʻs water belongs to Mauiʻs people, and I will fight state overreach to ensure local, public stewardship of our watersheds.

Overtourism can degrade the environment, contribute to wear and tear on infrastructure, generate traffic and disrupt neighborhoods. How well is Maui managing the tourism industry that drives its economy? What would you do differently?

Maui is struggling to manage overtourism. Tourist education is severely lacking; our island lifestyle doesnʻt equate to the continent. Visitors must be made aware of stewardship and mālama ʻāina to protect our endemic flora and fauna. However, education isnʻt enough. We must treat our finite resources with respect by strictly capping visitor lodgings, prosecuting illegal short-term rentals, and diversifying our economy so we arenʻt entirely dependent on a fragile hospitality sector.

What should Maui County do to get in front of climate change rather than just reacting and adapting to it?

We must enact a proactive managed retreat plan to protect coastal infrastructure and preserve our sacred iwi kūpuna from erosion. Inland, we must aggressively enforce Ordinance 5421 to restore our wetlands, which serve as crucial natural carbon sinks and flood buffers. To prevent future wildfire disasters, I will provide funding for community-led initiatives to build extensive firebreaks and replace highly flammable invasive brush with resilient native Hawaiian flora across our wetlands.

Maui has been targeted for enforcement by ICE agents. What will be the position of your office to requests for more cooperation between county law enforcement and federal authorities?

Law-abiding citizens should not be targeted. I unequivocally oppose any cooperation with federal ICE agents. We successfully defeated Bill 92 to prevent local entanglement in federal overreach, and I will strictly prohibit the signing of any 287(g) agreements. Our immigrant communities are vital members of our Maui ʻohana. Using County resources to assist in federal deportations breaks community trust, reduces public safety and violates our core progressive values of compassion and unity.

The $1.6 billion federal Community Block Development Grant is the largest disaster loan in U.S. history, but it falls far short of the estimates for recovery from the 2023 wildfires. What would you do to make those dollars count?

To maximize Hoʻokumu Hou funds, we must successfully petition HUD to adjust the 80% Area Median Income (AMI) limits upfront, as Puerto Rico did. Mauiʻs working families are disqualified because they work three jobs just to survive our inflated economy. We must use these funds to rapidly deploy gap financing for multi-family affordable rentals and eliminate county permitting bottlenecks, ensuring recovery dollars directly rebuild homes for displaced locals, not outside contractors.

The cost of living on Maui continues to remain high. How can county government help working and middle-class people buy homes, pay rent or otherwise afford to live and work on the island?

We cannot rely on trickle-down luxury development while locals face eviction. I support immediate rent stabilization measures linked to the Consumer Price Index to stop post-disaster price gouging. I will push to implement heavy conveyance taxes on out-of-state buyers to fund local housing trusts and mandate that developers complete all affordable units before breaking ground on luxury properties. We must decouple Mauiʻs essential housing market from global speculative wealth.

What is your assessment of programs combating invasive species in Maui Nui and what other measures would you advocate for you in office?

Current programs are drastically underfunded and entirely reactive. We must increase funding to the Maui Invasive Species Committee to eradicate the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle and Little Fire Ants at our ports. For the 26,000 invasive Axis deer destroying our watersheds, paying bounties isnʻt enough. I will aggressively pursue USDA Rural Development grants to build certified commercial meat-processing infrastructure, transforming this destructive species into a sustainable local food source.