With the Maui County mayor’s race one of the most closely watched in the state, Civil Beat asked the two candidates a few questions about the issues they find most important and even their favorite local grindz.

Valentina Lewis, also known as Tia, was born and raised in Wailuku, Maui, and moved to Oʻahu to pursue a degree in journalism at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa. She previously served as a Civil Beat Sunshine intern, where she reported on a wide range of bills, including fireworks regulation, high...