What does the Maui County Charter Mean to Us? Many Proposed Changes on November Ballot

County Manager Position Once Again Under Consideration

6/20/20 #kihei

If you do not vote or pay attention to local government, it probably means nothing to you, so you can skip this. The Maui County Charter is our local constitution.

“This Charter, as revised, establishes the structure and organization of the government of the County of Maui. It is a constitutional document, drafted in accordance with the will of the people, which defines the responsibilities of our local government. “

It is scheduled to have a review and potential update or modification every ten years by a commission. It’s most recent session was in 2011-2012.  Further, changes can be put on the general election ballot at any time. The County Council votes on which proposed charter changes will be on ballot.

There is a major change to the charter on the ballot this year, and that is a vote for or against a county manager. It was last considered by a commission eight years ago, which had eventually decided that the complexities involved with the establishment of a county manager made it too difficult to easily evaluate the necessity of the position. So now, the decision is up for Maui voters on November 2, 2020.

Additionally, there are several more changes to the county charter being considered by a Council Committee next week.

On Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 9:00 AM the Governance, Ethics, and Transparency Committee (GET) will consider over a dozen proposed modifications or changes to the Maui County Charter. Follow the link to read about them.

It is unlikely that all changes will be approved, so if residents have “favorites” they should tell the Council. The GET committee’s email is get.committee@mauicounty.us. 

 If you are unsure about how to testify, there is more information on the County website.

Remember: the County Council is composed of nine members and each member represents every resident, not the location in which he or she resides. Each member is elected for a two year term. This year all nine seats are up for re-election and seven positions seats are being challenged, the exceptions being the Upcountry seat of Yuki Lei Sugimura and Chair Alice Lee. Riki Hokama, Lana’i Council Member, has “termed out” so can’t run  for  re-election so his position is being vied for by three candidates.Look for them in the first KCA forum in July

If you want to be a responsible voter you should be familiar with all the candidates for the entire Council. Enter “Maui” as a search term under ‘Candidates’ to shrink the digital list to Maui candidates. You can also review a stand-alone document here. Now is the time to get informed.