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 Tamara Paltin, nonpartisan candidate for Maui County Council, West Maui District. Because there are only two candidates, she will not appear on the primary ballot and will run in the Nov. 3 general election against Mark Tillman.

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 have experienced this job through the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2023 wildfires and 2026 Kona low storms. I am the president of the Hawaiʻi State Association of Counties. I have an in-depth understanding of land use, the budget and how to navigate various aspects of the county legislative process as well as state legislative packages submitted by the counties. I would like another term to continue to improve on quality-of-life issues our residents face through county legislation and advocacy.

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 ability of everyday Maui County residents to thrive in Maui County. I will continue to introduce and support legislation that gives residents more options in the process and types of housing that can be built along with protections to keep housing from speculation and commodification. I would work with the incoming administration and communities on how we can best assist those falling through the cracks and funding the creation of places for safe sleeping.

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

I have not had the opportunity to experience the upcountry speed bumps. As part of the legislative body, I would not have the authority to outright remove them. That authority rests within the administration, however, I can appeal to the administration in place to have more outreach within the community, emergency management and response, (or facilitate it as a committee discussion) to see where speed bumps make sense and where they do not and fund the removal of those that don’t make sense.

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 companion measure does not “grandfather” any properties to allow short-term rentals; it is a new zoning category that properties that are currently “grandfathered” (by variance or timeshare) could appropriately fit into and would be considered a current status quo rather than an “up-zoning.” There are other properties that make sense to allow the current status quo and could be considered for a change in zoning to the new zoning, but that should be taken up on a category-by-category basis.

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?

Support farmers and ranchers by funding programs that support farmers and ranchers. The Maui County Food and Nutrition security plan has nearly 130 action steps to ensure access, support producers, build local economies and foster resilience. I would work with the Maui County and State Department of Agriculture to fund the action steps that further the effort toward increased food sustainability.

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?

I will continue to support the funding of R1 (recycled water) distribution lines for irrigation and appropriate agriculture. I will continue to support water conservation policies and methods, including if private water source and distribution is acquired, ensuring funding so that water is not being lost due to leakage and poor maintenance. I will continue to work with the state’s Commission on Water Resource Management to uphold Hawaiʻi’s public trust water laws.

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 managing overtourism by phasing out a large chunk of short-term rentals and a beach parking system that prioritizes residents. More can and should be done. I would love to see the industry pivot and market to other island nations and the Hawaiʻi diaspora to capture more tourist that we share values with; create authentic voluntary tourism opportunities and a focus on restoration of authentic culture, history and environment as what makes us a unique place to visit and exchange knowledge.

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

Evaluate areas where important infrastructure is continually under threat such as our coastal roads, water and sewer systems and develop policies for redundancy should our vulnerable infrastructure fail and resilience that the redundant infrastructure would be able to withstand more severe and frequent storms. When practical, we should be making every effort to retreat from a changing shoreline like the county has done at Baldwin Beach Park.

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?

County law enforcement has many vacancies and roles to fill within our communities, they should not be cooperating with ICE agents unless it specifically intersects with their role to protect and serve our communities.

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 CDBG-DR grant is not a loan and it is far less than the $10 billion CDBG-DR allocation that Puerto Rico received in 2018. That being said, there are strict federal HUD guidelines on how those funds can be spent and requirements for community outreach to inform the process. Given those parameters, I support the Office of Recovery on how they are navigating the requirements to get the monies released and best help our survivors and county as a whole.

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?

Maui should continue to partner with organizations like Maui Economic Opportunity, Hale Mahaolu and others to distribute financial assistance to help vulnerable households continue to live and work here. With the newly created County Department of Housing we are coordinating ways to improve housing opportunities now and into the future.

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

Maui Invasive Species Committee and MoMisc are doing an excellent job as our county is alert to CRB, LFA and other invasive threats, we are doing better at this than many other counties in the state but there have been incidences of detections. We need to keep up our local coordination and communication but also put more pressure on state and federal partners to step up and do more as they control the points of ingress/egress.