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 James Forrest, nonpartisan candidate for Maui County Council, Wailuku-Waiheʻe-Waikapū District.

His opponents in the Aug. 8 primary election are Randy Konohia, Ashley Lindsey, Alan Lloyd and Marvin Moniz.

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?

A council member’s job is to listen to citizens and write laws to solve problems. With 25 years’ experience as an attorney, I know how to write laws that put locals first. Visit my website and you’ll see I’ve already drafted laws that are ready to file addressing housing, water, workers and local families. Also, because I refuse to take donations from corporations and luxury developers, you know I fight for you, not the ultra-rich. We need an intelligent attorney with integrity on the council.

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 biggest issue is locals being priced out of Maui. On my first day, I would file my “Locals 1st” Housing Package: a luxury-property tax on ultra-rich vacation homes, a local-buyer transition fund, stronger affordable-housing requirements, and local-hire/community-benefit laws. Other candidates offer vague promises. I am a lawyer with bills ready to file. A council member is one of nine county lawmakers; my job is to listen, draft laws that solve problems and fight to keep local families home.

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

I would remove unjustified speed bumps immediately, and push MPD to enforce existing speed-limit laws fairly. I support traffic bumps where evidence shows they’re needed, like near schools, parks and dangerous roads. But the Upcountry speed-hump boom needs a full audit: who requested them, what data justified them, how contracts were awarded, what they cost and who profited. Safety policy should be based on engineering and public input, not politics or insider deals.

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?

The problem is not just STRs; it is who owns them and where the profits go. Too much of Maui’s STR income is extracted by off-island investors instead of circulating through local families and businesses. Visit my website to see how my “Locals 1st Bill 9” plan uses every county power, property taxes, zoning and incentives, to reverse that over five years: reward local ownership, support nonprofit/local acquisition and make STR profits feed Maui’s circular economy, not off-island wealth.

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?

Food security starts with water. I would move Maui toward public control of water systems and create an ahupuaʻa-based advisory council that prioritizes local organic farms, Native Hawaiian cultural rights, streams and healthy food over hotels and golf courses. I would use county powers to support county farms, food co-ops, public grocery stores, and public-interest acquisition or leasing of major agricultural lands so Maui grows food for local families first, not profits for middlemen.

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?

Maui’s water future must be public, transparent and guided by the ahupuaʻa principle: water should sustain people, farms, streams and culture before luxury uses. I would use every county power to acquire or regulate private water systems, create an ahupuaʻa-based water council, audit hotel and golf-course water use, raise rates on luxury users, and dedicate water first to local food production, affordable housing, stream restoration and Native Hawaiian rights.

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?

I support Maui hotel union workers. Maui is not managing tourism well when profits leave the island and residents carry the burdens: traffic, low wages, water stress, crowded beaches and housing costs. I would regulate tourism by law, not slogans: require local economic-impact receipts, reward hotels and STRs that keep money on Maui, raise taxes on extractive luxury uses, and enforce local-hire, living-wage and community-benefit standards. Tourism should feed Maui’s circular economy.

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

On day one, I’ll protect Kīhei and other areas from flooding and file a bill creating the Kīhei Wetlands Overlay District. Climate policy must be written into county law. I would file bills for managed retreat, wetland protections, wildfire-safe infrastructure, public water control and funding for watershed restoration. Listening is step one; the council’s job is to make those protections enforceable laws. Luxury developers will fight, but I won’t back down

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?

As an attorney I am already fighting ICE detention issues and protecting due process. I would write clear policy limiting voluntary cooperation, requiring transparency for federal requests, protecting victims and witnesses, and making sure Maui law enforcement serves Maui communities first. I am the candidate with the legal experience and knowledge to fight for civil rights and human dignity.

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?

The $1.6 billion must not disappear into consultants and insiders. I would require public dashboards, independent audits, anti-profiteering rules, local-hire requirements and direct funding for Lahaina survivors, housing, water, sewer and resilient infrastructure. As a lawmaker, I would make the money traceable, enforceable and survivor-centered.

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?

County government can help working families by reversing the laws that turned Maui into a luxury investment market. I have bills ready to file creating a luxury-property tax on ultra-rich vacation homes, funding local buyers and renters, requiring permanent affordability, supporting union wages, giving local-hire preferences and using county land, water and infrastructure for affordable housing. Go to my website to see my bills that keep local families here, not reward luxury speculation.

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

Maui Nui has strong invasive-species partners, but they need stable funding, faster action and stronger laws. I would fund rapid response for little fire ants, coqui, coconut rhinoceros beetle and axis deer impacts; require prevention plans for nurseries, construction, cargo and county projects; support fencing, watershed protection and local jobs; and treat invasive-species control as core infrastructure for food security, public health, Native ecosystems and climate resilience.