At any job, a basic rule is show up. Last month, we ran a story (Sept. 20, “Councilmembers’ Day Off”) about an Infrastructure and Environmental Management County Council Committee meeting that showed how this simple requirement was flouted by some of Maui’s county councilmembers, to the detriment of council business. As it turned out, the […]
MauiTime Walk Story: 2018 Candidate for County Council (Moloka‘i) Stacy Crivello
Watch MauiTime Walk Story with Maui County Council Member (Moloka‘i) and candidate for reelection Stacy Crivello and MauiTime editor Axel Beers
Maui County Council hires controversial former state Taxation Director Maria Zielinski
The Maui County Council has appointed Maria E. Zielinski, the former Hawaii state Tax Director who suddenly resigned in December following news reports that her department was allegedly interfering with an independent consultant’s work, the new director of its Office of Council Services (OCS). The vote on Apr. 6 was eight to one in favor […]
UPDATED: Maui County Council Chair Mike White proposes nuclear option on council assistants
[EDITOR’S NOTE: This post has been updated to include a statement from Councilmember Alika Atay.] There’s a very curious proposed bill on the Dec. 1 Maui County Council meeting agenda that has dramatic ramifications for the future of the elected panel. It’s a draconian bill born of the serious dysfunction that has marred the County […]
A brief report on U.S. Senator Brian Schatz’s recent Maui town hall meeting
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, D–Hawaii, held a town hall meeting at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at the Binhi At Ani Filipino Community Center in Kahului. About 150 people showed up, including Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa and Councilmembers Stacy Crivello and Kelly King. The air was humid with only an occasional breeze when Schatz […]
SAFE Action Fund-backed Maui County Councilmembers still screwed in committee rosters
One of Maui County Council Chairperson Mike White’s surprising concessions in the wee hours of the Jan. 2-3 County Council organizational meeting was to back off his ruthless, vindictive restructuring of the panel’s many committees to zero out the voting power of four councilmembers: Alika Atay, Elle Cochran, Don Guzman and Kelly King. Their crime, […]
UPDATED: Mike White becomes Chair after contentious 13+ hour Maui County Council meeting
Mike White is once again Chair of the Maui County Council. Though the Jan. 2, 2016 Organizational Meeting of the Maui County Council stretched past 13 hours, this was never really in doubt. Nor was there any doubt that White–who is also the general manager of the Ka`anapali Beach Hotel–would strip away the independence of […]
CORRECTED: All Hail Maui County Council Chair Mike White!
I gotta hand it to Maui County Councilmember Mike White: he’ll do what he needs to do to maintain power. Undoubtedly a student of Machiavelli, he’s spent the last two years as Maui County Council chairperson clearly more willing to be feared than loved. After all, he seized control of the council back in January […]
Maui County Councilmember Stacy Crivello: Molokai Ferry Needs Help
The Molokai ferry is a lifeline in need of help, said Maui County Councilmember Stacy Crivello. The Molokai County representative is urging Mayor Alan Arakawa to seek a $500,000 appropriation from the county’s 2015 budget to help keep transportation link between Molokai and Maui afloat. Crivello, who holds the council seat for the Molokai residency […]
‘I am here to address a travesty’ – Here’s what Deputy Prosecutor Richard Minatoya tried to say at the Mar. 3 Maui County Council hearing
If you read my Mar. 3 story on yesterday’s crazy County Council hearing on the reappointment of county Prosecutor John D. Kim, then you know that the big takeaways were (1) What was Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Richard Minatoya (who supported Kim) going to say about County Councilman Don Guzman (who opposed Kim) before Council Chairman Mike […]
Maui County Council votes to approve Prosecutor J.D. Kim after bizarre hearing
Four years ago, when I was investigating various salacious lawsuits filed against the County of Maui, alleging all manner of mismanagement at the county Prosecuting Attorney’s office, I asked a number of local defense attorneys for context and insight. Unanimously, they said that the lawsuits–which alleged misconduct under the administration of former Prosecutor Benjamin Acob–were […]
For Sunshine Week, we shed light on the Maui County Council’s eternal war against the Hawaii Sunshine Law
This is a story about power. Since 1975, the State of Hawaii has lived under something called Chapter 92 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. Sometimes called the state’s “ppen meetings law” or more colloquially the “Sunshine Law,” the first sentences of that legal framework that govern those who govern us is surprisingly clear about who […]
This Tuesday, Nov. 19: Maui Bus Talk At Hannibal Tavares Community Center
Show of hands–everyone out there happy with the Maui Bus? Anyone have experiences–great or otherwise–that you think county officials ought to hear about? How about thoughts on what the bus service needs to make it better? Well, here’s your chance. At 6pm this Tuesday night, the Pukalani Community Association will host Maui County Councilmember Stacy […]