Maui County Mayor-elect Richard Bissen has announced a number of new picks to head departments in his administration, many of whom are already serving under the leadership of Mayor Michael Victorino.

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Bissen plans to keep a number of people who are currently leading county departments in their same jobs, according to news releases from his transition team. Those appointees must then be vetted and approved by the Maui County Council.

His picks to continue on from the current administration are:

● Andrew Martin as Prosecuting Attorney
● Scott Teruya as Department of Finance director
● Jordan Molina as Department of Public Works director
● Rogerene “Kali” Arce as Department of Agriculture director
● Lori Tsuhako as Housing and Human Concerns director

Bissen’s inauguration is scheduled for Monday. 

He also plans to tap two new faces to lead the Department of Parks and Recreation and Corporation Counsel, which is the entity that houses the team of county attorneys.

The mayor-elect wants Victoria Hamilton Takayesu, a longtime attorney for the state government, to serve as Corporation Counsel — the county’s lead lawyer. Takayesu worked for more than 20 years in the state Attorney General’s Office, where she led Maui’s Child Support Enforcement Branch, according to a news release.

To lead the parks department, Bissen picked Hana native Mālama Minn, who has a background working in renewable energy and policy development, according to the news release. Among her accomplishments: For years she worked for the Department of Land and Natural Resources leading shoreline certifications and addressing the public’s complaints about encroachment.

The mayor-elect’s inauguration is scheduled for Monday. at 5 p.m. in the Castle Theater at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. Doors open to the public at 4 p.m.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by grants from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation and the Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation.

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