The Nov. 3 races for Maui and Kauai mayor bring together four well-known political figures in the two counties.
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen is being challenged by County Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura, while former Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., a current Kauai Council member, is trying to regain the mayor’s office against Council Chair Mel Rapozo.
Sugimura has represented Upcountry Maui on the County Council since 2016 and is campaigning on the message of ensuring security and stability for Maui’s families and businesses.
Much of her campaign stems from her own experience as a Maui resident. Born and raised in Wailuku, she identifies as a “small business owner” of Connec LLC with experience in government.
Sugimura served as a field representative for U.S. Sens. Daniel Akaka and Mazie Hirono, and worked with the office of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye as the Maui coordinator for the “Hawaii 3R’s” school-repair program.
“When the median single-family home price on Maui is $1.17 million, everything else becomes harder — it’s harder to save, harder to start a business, harder to stay,” Sugimura said on her campaign website. “As mayor, I look forward to working with Local 5 and other organizations to address our housing issues.”
Sugimura’s support includes endorsements from Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters and Hawaii Realtors political action committee.
Sugimura opposed Bissen’s controversial Bill 9, which passed the Council by a 5-3 vote. Bissen signed it into law in December. It would require 6,208 vacation rentals in West and South Maui on the so-called Minatoya list of older properties that were allowed to continue operating as vacation rentals to instead convert to long-term housing for Maui residents over tourists.
Bissen proposed Bill 9 in response to the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires that destroyed an estimated 5,500 homes, causing rental prices to rise as fire survivors scrambled for housing.
“Bill 9 pits one group against another, with no benefits,” Sugimura said on a Sept. 3 appearance on “Insights on PBS Hawai‘i.” She said that short-term rental owners in Maui are feeling the impact of losing their land, “which they were given when they bought the units, and now it’s been taken away. That is not the way you do government, we can do better,” Sugimura said, “I believe in building houses, not taking away houses to give to somebody else.”
Bissen says that despite the opposition from people like Sugimura, the Maui County Council passed Bill 9 with the “best interest of the local community in mind.”
“It’s not in the best interest of every person on the island, that is correct, (when) 94% of the people who own Minatoya list property do not have a Maui address,” he said.
In his March 5 State of the County address Bissen said, “Over the past three years, Maui County has delivered 880 affordable and workforce homes,” and that “we are working to deliver nearly 3,000 affordable and workforce homes by 2030.”
Bissen retired as chief judge of Maui’s Second Circuit Court in 2021 and was elected mayor in 2022. Just seven months after he took office, Bissen had to confront America’s deadliest wildfire in over a century as Lahaina burned, 102 people died and thousands of homes and other buildings were destroyed.
Bissen’s reelection campaign focuses on addressing the high cost of living and quality of life for residents.
“Affordability is the foundation of everything we do, because if our residents cannot afford to live here, nothing else works,” he said on his campaign website. “Our priority is keeping kamaaina in Maui County by making sure local housing serves local families.”
Bissen has also emphasized his ongoing work to bring water systems under public stewardship so decisions are made locally.
Kauai’s race
After serving the maximum two terms as Kauai mayor, Derek Kawakami is now running for lieutenant governor as Gov. Josh Green’s running mate. Kauai
voters will decide whether Carvalho or Rapozo will replace him.
Carvalho was mayor from 2008 to 2018 and has served on the council since 2020.
Born and raised on Kauai, Carvalho lives in the Wailua Homesteads. His campaign focuses on agriculture, infrastructure and local community, pushing initiatives that he began in his previous 10 years in office.
“Every community has different needs,” he said in the Kauai Chamber of Commerce Candidate Survey. “We will continue investing in flood mitigation, stream restoration, coastal erosion solutions, shoreline protection, resilient infrastructure, transportation, wastewater improvements, drought resilience, water security, and agricultural sustainability.”
Carvalho envisions Kauai rising as a leader in “agricultural innovation and food security, where farming and ranching are profitable, respected careers, and traditional agriculture works alongside emerging technologies.”
He promises to listen to the community while being honest. “If something isn’t realistic, I will say so. If there is a better way, we will look for it,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “And when the traditional way isn’t working, I’m willing to think outside the box and find creative, practical solutions that we can achieve together.”
Rapozo’s campaign for mayor follows 13 years at the Kauai Police Department and 21 years in the Hawaii Air National Guard, alongside separate terms on the Kauai County Council spanning 2002-2008, 2010-2018 and since 2022.
Also born and raised on Kauai, Rapozo lives in Wailua. His campaign stems from his belief that “families are struggling with the rising cost of living, housing has become increasingly difficult to afford, infrastructure requires continued investment, and residents expect a county government that is responsive, efficient, and accountable,” he wrote on his campaign website.
Rapozo says his priority as mayor would be to expand housing opportunities, improve infrastructure, strengthen public safety, support practical solutions to homelessness and promote a transparent, accessible county government. He also wants to lower the cost of living on Kauai.
“No mayor can control inflation or set the price of groceries or gasoline,” his campaign website states. “However, county government can make life more affordable by removing barriers, improving services, and making smart investments.”
