Maui voters favored incumbent city councilors in the first general election since deadly wildfires devastated most of Lahaina and parts of the interior, but a crucial race was extremely close Wednesday morning.

In the South Maui District, incumbent Tom Cook led former Councilwoman Kelly King 41.6% to 41.4%. Only 117 votes separated them. The latest results were released just after 6 a.m

The race to represent Kihei, Maalaea and Wailea is expected to have tangible consequences across Maui County over the next two years, as a King victory could shift the balance of power. Cook generally sides with the more conservative faction on the council.

The nine-member board plans to address major issues next year, including rebuilding the historic town of West Maui and Mayor Richard Bissen's proposal to convert about 7,000 short-term vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Voters were also on track to pass two of the three county charter amendments listed on the ballot, dealing with the salary commission, term limits and an independent staff for the ethics board.

Cook also faced King in 2020, but lost that election with 35.6% of the vote to King's 47.7%.

Since the last election he has been considered a key member of the Development Council. With the other eight incumbents appearing to retain their seats, his victory would cement a more pro-development, five-member majority that also includes Alice Lee, Yuki Lei Sugimura, Nohelani U'u-Hodgins and Tasha Kama. Their campaigns were largely funded by donations from the construction industry.

After three terms on the council, King resigned her seat in 2022 due to an unsuccessful mayoral run.

Sugimura wanted to easily retain her 50% seat in the Upcountry. Her opponent, Jocelyn Cruz, a first-time candidate, had 28.9%. This will be Sugimura's fifth consecutive term.

Councilwoman Nohelani U'u-Hodgins and challenger Nara Boone faced off for the second straight time. U'u-Hodgins again represented Makawao, Haiku and Paia for the next two years. She had 43.7% to Boone's 34.2%.

West Maui incumbent Tamara Paltin was on the verge of winning her fourth consecutive term. She received 54.1% in the race against first-time candidate and Lahaina businessman Lorien Acquintas, who received 23.1%.

Council President Alice Lee, who was first elected to represent Central Maui in 2018, defeated her opponent James Forrest to secure her fourth term. Lee had 44.5% while Forrest had 35.2%.

Incumbent Tasha Kama of Kahului District was also on track to serve her fourth consecutive term. She got 43.3%, while her challenger Carol Lee Kamekona got 34.8%. They also faced each other in 2020, with Kama winning.

Molokai's Keani Rawlins-Fernandez is headed for her fourth consecutive term. She first ran for office in 2016, when she lost to then-incumbent Stacy Crivello. But when they faced each other in the following three elections, it was Rawlins-Fernandez who emerged victorious. This year their opponent was John Pele, who had 33%. Rawlins-Fernandez had 42.8%.

Gabe Johnson, who represented Lanai, ran unopposed for his third consecutive term. He lost to then-incumbent Riki Hokama in 2016 and 2018, but won his seat in 2020 against Alberta De Jetley. In 2022, Johnson was re-elected after defeating Hokama.

Hanas Shane Sinenci also ran unopposed. He first ran for office in 2016, when he lost to then-incumbent Bob Carroll, who had been in office since 2010. When Carroll retired in 2018, his daughter Claire Carroll ran for Hana's seat. Sinenci defeated her that year and again in 2020 and 2022. He is now running for his fourth term.

Council candidates must reside in the district they represent, but all voters countywide can cast a ballot in all races.

The council will address many issues that were already affecting Maui before the 2023 wildfires and have only been exacerbated by the disaster.

Perhaps the biggest issue affecting Maui right now is the lack of affordable housing, which is also a statewide priority. On Maui, the problem is exacerbated by last year's deadly and costly wildfires, but also by hundreds of planned luxury homes that threaten to strain scarce and vital infrastructure that residents say should be saved for affordable housing.

Residents also want more protection from wildfires, including more and better escape routes, which is becoming increasingly difficult in places with already limited escape routes and where more development is planned, such as South Maui.

A primary focus of the next council will likely continue to be West Maui. As Lahaina begins its long road to recovery, the government will expand sewer coverage. A recycled water project provides residents with additional drinking water. And the question remains who will benefit from this project. Safety issues also worry residents who are rebuilding their homes in uninhabited, burned areas without adequate public lighting.

The council began discussion last week about a proposed hospital and a large affordable housing project, both in West Maui.

Bissen's proposal to convert approximately 7,000 short-term rentals to long-term rentals is also a monumental and difficult task for the council. There are many legal questions surrounding the proposal, and the mayor's team has indicated it will consider it a victory even if only a few hundred units can be converted.

Another important and controversial issue for the next council is how the government will deal with Maui's homeless population. A recent Hawaii Supreme Court decision against the former administration laid the groundwork for a proposal still in the works to establish legal procedures for cleaning up homeless encampments.

Maui Charter Amendments

Maui voters approved three charter changes.

An amendment proposed cleaning up language related to county pay commission responsibilities to bring it in line with state and other county pay commissions. It changed the commission's authority to set “salaries” rather than “compensations” for elected officials and heads and deputies of county departments. Early results show that voters supported this amendment with 58.5% in favor and 25.3% against. There were 16.2% of blank votes.

Another amendment proposed funding staff for the county's ethics commission, with the goal of creating a more efficient and independent body that can better prevent and investigate ethical violations. This would likely require the hiring of three initial employees, including an executive director, a secretary and an investigator. Voters were 57.6% in favor and 26.7% against. There were 15.6% of blank votes.

The latest change was aimed at reducing the high number of vacancies on the county's boards and commissions.

Generally, boards and commissioners are allowed to serve for up to five years before being required to step down for two years before potentially returning. That proposal asked voters whether board and commission members could be allowed to serve two consecutive five-year terms or a total of 10 years. Voters rejected this amendment with 43.1% against and 40% in favor. There were 16.8% of blank votes.

Civil Beat's coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.