Maui farmer comes from behind to win County Council seat
Maui farmer Alika Atay, who played a high-profile role in the 2014 Maui County anti-GMO ballot initiative, came from behind in the final vote count early this morning to overtake former Councilman Dain Kane and win a seat on the Maui County Council, according to the state Office of Elections.
Atay, who earned 23,320 votes to Kane’s 22,512, will take the Wailuku-Waihee-Waikapu seat being vacated by Councilman Mike Victorino, who is reaching his term limit.
Kane, 54, held the seat from 1998 to 2004.
Atay, 62, is one of the leaders of the SHAKA Movement, which led Maui County’s first successful initiative. It was nullified last year by a U.S. District Court judge, but is currently on appeal with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.