Full Name: Yuki Lei Kashiwa Sugimura

Name on Ballot: Yuki Lei Kashiwa Sugimura

Age: 63

District: Upcountry, Maui

Email Address: FriendsofYukiLei@gmail.com

Current Job: Connec LLC, 2002 to present

Place of birth: Wailuku

Campaign website: www.YukiLeiSugimura.com

Job history past 10 years:

Connec LLC, 2002 to present

U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, 2013 – 2015

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, 2007 – 2013

Ever run for public office? If so, when? Outcome? No

Other civic experience or community service?

Governing bodies for the County of Maui; the Maui County Charter Commission, 2011-2012, and the Cost of Government Commission; board member: Nisei Veterans Memorial Center; Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation; member Maui Japanese Chamber of Commerce, Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce, collect school supplies since 1998 for Ready to Learn program.

Anything else you’d like voters to know about you?

I start my day in my garden. I am an advocate for veterans; youth, senior citizens, the homeless, foster children and a special project to me Underage Drinking Prevention program. I have brought communities together to plan and coordinate large festivals like the Wailuku First Friday; Festivals of Aloha.

What makes you qualified to be a Council member?

15 years of experience in government, first at the County of Maui level, Office of Mayor and Maui County Council; second federal level, as liaison with U.S. Sens. Daniel K. Akaka and Mazie K. Hirono. I have included the community, building coalitions, finding common ground and implementing workable solutions.

What are your top five priorities for the county?

Provide affordable housing for working families.

Support job development and training for visitor industry, agriculture, high technology with University of Hawaii-Maui College.

To maintain and develop parks/recreation facilities, expand Pals program and develop online registration.

To support nonprofits who provide jobs and valuable services.

What is your one big idea?

To protect and preserve our special lands, historic cultural heritage and fragile ecosystem. Our environment is why the world comes to Maui County for and we need to preserve it for generations to come.

What do you think about the proposal to go from a mayor/council form of government to a manager/council form?

To re-evaluating governing documents, like the 1963 and 1964 first Charter, where my father gave input, we need to review and vet the community. How much will it cost our taxpayers and what are the impacts to the state statues and understand the impact of this proposed change.

What can the Council do to deal with the economic impact from the end of sugar on Maui?

First and foremost is to help the displaced sugar workers find jobs; support job re-training provided at the UH Maui and Workforce Maui to fulfill this change in our economy and support agricultural plans for the HC&S central valley land.

Affordable housing is in short supply on Maui. How would you suggest increasing the inventory of affordable housing?

We should look for ways to change the incentive structure of developers to favor 100 percent affordable housing projects. Right now only 40 percent of homes being developed are affordable, changing the incentive structure will help to make affordable housing the norm rather than the exception for our working families.