Process to fill Council Vacancy
News release from Maui Council, Nov 3, 2025
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii – The Maui County Council today voted to establish the process to fill the vacancy for the Kahului residency area for the remainder of the 2025-2027 term created by the passing of Councilmember Natalie “Tasha” Kama on October 26, 2025.
Applications and financial disclosure statements from individuals interested in applying for the Kahului residency area seat must be received by the County Clerk no later than 12:00 noon on Monday, November 10, 2025. Applicants may mail, email, or drop off their completed applications.
To qualify for appointment, the nominee must be a citizen of the United States, a voter in the County, and a resident of the Kahului residency area. A map of the Council residency area is at: https://elections.hawaii.gov/resources/maps/election-maps. Use the search tool to find a specific address.
Councilmembers may also submit their own nominations by the deadline. Council intends to meet on November 20, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. to receive public testimony and consider the nominees and has until November 25, 2025, to appoint a member to serve the remainder of Councilmember Kama’s term. If Council fails to appoint a successor by that date, Mayor Richard T. Bissen, Jr. will appoint her successor.
Applications are available for download at www.MauiCountyVotes.gov. You may request an application by emailing County.Clerk@MauiCounty.us, or visiting the Office of the County Clerk, Kalana O Maui Building, 200 S. High Street, Room 708, Wailuku from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 pm.
Candidacy Form: Download (PDF, 1.33MB)
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Bill 9’s first reading to be scheduled after council fills vacancy
News Release from Maui Council Nov 2 2025
WAILUKU, Hawaiʻi (Nov. 2, 2025)—Chair Alice L. Lee announced today that first reading of the bill to phase out transient vacation rentals in Apartment Districts will be scheduled for a council meeting hopefully in December while the council turns its attention to filling the vacancy created by this week’s passing of Councilmember Tasha Kama.
Bill 9, CD1 (2025) was recommended for passage earlier this year by the Housing and Land Use Committee, chaired by Kama. The bill was approved as to form and legality by the Department of the Corporation Counsel in October.
“The proposal to phase out TVRs is one of the council’s biggest policy issues this term, as seen by the lengthy deliberations conducted by Councilmember Kama’s committee,” said Lee, who holds the seat for the Wailuku-Waiheʻe-Waikapū residency area. “We kindly request patience so that the council can carefully consider who to appoint to her seat and to allow the new councilmember time to adjust to this new role before taking up major actions.”
The committee report on Bill 9 will need to be approved by the committee’s vice-chair, substituting for Kama’s role as committee chair, before it can be posted on a council agenda, Lee said.
Under Section 3-4 of the Charter of the County of Maui, the council faces a Nov. 25 deadline to fill the vacancy for the Kahului residency area seat. If the deadline isn’t met, the mayor would appoint someone to the seat.
Lee said a special council meeting will be held tomorrow at 9 a.m. to discuss proposed procedures for the replacement process. Public testimony will be taken, but the discussion won’t be about potential successors, she said.
For more information, call the Office of Council Services at (808) 270-7664.
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Special council meeting set for Monday on procedures for filling vacancy
News Release from Maui Council Oct 31 2025
WAILUKU, Hawaiʻi (Oct. 31, 2025)—A special council meeting will be held Monday at 9 a.m. to discuss the process for filling the vacancy for the Kahului residency area created by this week’s tragic passing of Councilmember Tasha Kama, Chair Alice L. Lee announced today.
Lee said a special council meeting that had been planned for Nov. 12 won’t occur as the council strives to meet the Nov. 25 deadline to fill its vacancy under Section 3-4 of the Charter of the County of Maui. If the council doesn’t adopt an appointment resolution in time, the mayor may appoint someone to the seat.
“The council faces time constraints set by the charter and must focus on filling the vacancy,” said Lee, who holds the seat for the Wailuku-Waiheʻe-Waikapū residency area. “With major policy proposals pending before the council, the county is best served by having a full legislative body of nine councilmembers.”
According to Chair Lee’s proposal under Resolution 25-202, which will be discussed at Monday’s meeting, any councilmember may introduce a resolution to appoint a qualified nominee to the Kahului seat. A second meeting would be held later in November to discuss proposed nominees with the goal of selecting one, Lee said.
Regular council operations continue as Charter Section 3-5(4) allows the council to conduct business as long as five councilmembers are available, Lee said. The next regular council meetings are set for Nov. 7 and 21.
Monday’s council meeting will be livestreamed on Akakū Channel 53, at MauiCounty.us and on the council’s Facebook and YouTube pages and will have an in-person component in the Council Chamber. For more information, call the Office of Council Services at (808) 270-7664.