Civil Beat has asked candidates for the primary election on Aug. 8 to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected. There are 10 candidates on the primary ballot and the top two finalists will go through to the General Election ballot in November.

The following comes from John Dunbar, nonpartisan candidate for Maui County Mayor.

His primary opponents are incumbent Richard Bissen, Justin Herrmann, P. Denise La Costa, Travis A. Liggett, Joseph Moses, Amy Petterson, Yuki Lei Sugimura, Callahan P. Welsh and Laurent Zahnd.

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 mayor? And why do you want the job?

My diverse experience in many of the areas of importance to Maui County’s day-to-day operational needs. I am committed to and follow through with the tasks which I undertake. I want the job because of the close connection to Maui Nui and acutely aware of the concerns and challenges going forward.

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?

Housing and its affordability, coupled with shelter and care for the homeless.

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

In order to provide valid answers to the above questions, I must perform further analysis of the basis for the installation in the various locations, why the residents in those areas were never notified in advance, and what if any alternative(s) methods for reducing speed in the specific areas could be used. How they negatively impact first responder vehicle if this is a valid reason for removal.

The county has been moving forward with plans to bring much more of Maui’s water supply under public ownership instead of private. What are the obstacles to achieving that goal, and what is the cost?

This issue also needs further study on my part, specifically regarding all of the existing reasons for assuming ownership and if it is financially feasible.

Overtourism can degrade the environment, contribute to wear and tear on infrastructure, generate traffic and disrupt neighborhoods. What do you think about the amount of tourism on Maui and how it’s managed?

It is conceivable for a system of scheduling and or restricting access to by day and/or hour of the day to visitor operated vehicles to designated locations, sites, etc. to reduce the congestion.

There are thousands of cesspools on Maui that must be removed by 2050. With an average cost of $15,000 to $30,000 to convert to septic, many homeowners say making the transition is not affordable. What should the county do to help with the conversion?

The county may be in a position to negotiate with contractors in order to facilitate reasonable cost for the removals through stategic planning and scheduling of the work on a large scale multiple property operation verses individual property owners sourcing contractors on their own.

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

The county would initially attempt to seek voluntary cooperation from the communities in an effort to avoid hostile enforcement through alternative approaches the methods used in prior federal actions targeting illegal aliens.

There is a growing mental health crisis on Maui, which faces a huge shortage in adult psychiatrists as well as primary care doctors. Outline what steps you will take to support efforts to meet that gap in services.

Intitiate training programs for health care personnel who are not licensed medical doctors yet are still very capable of performing certain mental health care procedures such as person-to-person counseling on the dangers of using illegal drugs.

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 is the county doing to ensure those dollars are spent wisely and efficiently?

First and foremost is to require a full and comprehensive audit of every dollar received by each and every agent, official, fund-raising organization, and individuals who have received any funds associated with or acting in a capacity of receiving funds under any cause or relative to a cause arising from or out of the Maui wildfires; second action is to seek a full accounting of any and all records of spending of any an all funds identified above.

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

I have not yet evaluated or assessed the efficacy of the programs or the effects of such on combating the invasive species. My understanding is that the program(s) have yet to provide reports on the areas wherein measures have been applied.

The county now has a law on the books to 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 should be done about this unresolved issue?

The University of Hawaiʻi economic evaluation of the above action has set force highly persuasive argument against the phase out on the primary basis of its negative impact due to the significant loss of revenue to Maui County. Bill 9 should be repealed.

How would you make the county administration more transparent and accessible to the public?

Periodic mandatory reporting made readily accessible to anyone seeking the information online. In some instances it would be advisable to cause reports to be made available to the public on a daily or weekly basis.