The Maui County Council on Nov. 3 adopted a resolution establishing the process to fill the Kahului residency council seat vacated by the late Councilmember Tasha Kama.

Council Chair Alice Lee said the meeting's limited purpose was "to come to an agreement on the process for the council to fill the vacancy in the Kahului residency seat" and emphasized that the meeting was not for discussing specific nominees.

The adopted Resolution 25-202 requires that any individual or council member who wishes to nominate a person must submit by noon on Nov. 10, 2025: (1) a proposed resolution to appoint the nominee (for council members), (2) the nominee's completed financial disclosure statement, and (3) the nominee's application/nomination paper. The county clerk will verify voter-registration-based residency and other qualifications and will provide verification information to the council chair for posting and agenda purposes.

Why it matters: the charter requires the council to fill vacancies that will last fewer than 15 months. Staff and members repeatedly cited the statutory calendar and noted that the council must act by Nov. 25, 2025 to meet the charter deadline. The procedure the council adopted lays out steps intended to make names and basic qualifying information available to the public before final action and to allow members to interview nominees in open session (with a two-thirds vote authorized to move into executive session under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 92 for privacy matters).

What the council decided and how it will work

- Filing and deadlines: Nominations and supporting documents must be submitted to the county clerk by noon, Nov. 10, 2025. The clerk and staff said Nov. 10 is necessary so names and materials can be posted for the Nov. 20 public meeting and public hearing. The council set Nov. 20 as the public meeting to receive testimony and, if needed, conduct interviews; the statutory appointment deadline is Nov. 25, 2025 (counsel and clerk confirmed action prior to midnight would satisfy the deadline).

- Who may submit: The council adopted amendments to permit both pathways: (a) council members may submit a resolution nominating a person, and (b) members of the public may submit an application directly to the county clerk; the clerk's office will compile names submitted by the public and include them as an exhibit to a chair-authored resolution so the nominees appear on the meeting agenda as required by open-meeting guidance.

- Required documents and verification: Nominees should submit an application for nomination papers and a financial disclosure statement. Clerk staff said they will verify residency and voter-registration status using voter registration records and will report that information to the council chair; the council retains the ultimate authority to determine whether a nominee meets charter qualifications (including that the nominee be a voter and a resident of the Kahului residency area for at least one year, per charter section 3-3).

- Interviews, executive session and posting: The resolution allows nominees to be interviewed in open session; however, by two-thirds affirmative vote of members present the council may go into executive session under HRS Part I, Chapter 92 to discuss matters affecting privacy. Council staff agreed to post Resolution 02-90 as a model attachment and to add maps and charter citations to the published materials.

Debate and public input

During the public-comment period several speakers urged the council to honor Kama's stated preference for a replacement, and others urged the council to move quickly so work on other council business would not be delayed. Kathy Fleming, identified in testimony as president of a local organization, said, "If she had recommended someone unqualified, it would be a different matter. But she has recommended mister Patangan, a leader with irreproachable qualifications. So please honor the voters, not personal selfish interests." Other testifiers urged wider public access and cultural considerations.

Councilmembers debated trade-offs between speed, administrative burden and fairness. Staff and the council's Office of Council Services advised that posting nominees on the face of the meeting agenda (as a resolution) provides clearer public notice and better opportunity for informed public testimony; staff cautioned that verifying residency for many applicants in a compressed timeline could be time-consuming. After multiple motions and roll-call votes the body agreed to a hybrid approach that allows both council-nominated and public-submitted nominees while preserving clerk verification responsibilities.

Formal actions and votes

- Motion to adopt Resolution 25-202 as amended: moved by Vice Chair Yuki Lehi Sugimura, seconded by Councilmember Tom Cook. Final recorded vote on the amended resolution: 8 ayes, 0 noes (votes recorded in roll call). The body adopted the resolution and instructed staff to post required attachments and follow the timelines set out in the resolution.

Next steps and implementation

The clerk will post the list of nominees and supporting documents as they are received; the Nov. 20 special council meeting will be used for public testimony and nominee interviews. If the council has not taken final action by Nov. 25, the charter provides a mechanism by which the mayor may appoint a replacement; staff confirmed that council action taken prior to midnight on Nov. 25 would meet the charter deadline. The resolution permits interviews in open session and allows an executive-session exception for privacy if two-thirds of members vote to do so.

What the resolution does not do

The resolution establishes the process for receiving nominees and setting interview and posting procedures; it does not appoint a replacement. The council will consider and vote on candidate resolutions at a later special meeting scheduled under the timeline set in the adopted resolution.

Sources and attribution

Reporting is based on the Nov. 3, 2025 Maui County Council special meeting transcript and on statements by Council Chair Alice Lee; Vice Chair Yuki Lehi Sugimura; Deputy County Clerk Rochelle Thompson; Director of Council Services David Rotz; and public testifiers, including Kathy Fleming. Direct quotes in this article are taken from the meeting record and are attributed to the named speakers.

Ending note

The council established a public-facing procedure intended to balance transparency, verification and speed. The next formal step will be the posting of nominee names and documents and the Nov. 20 public meeting for interviews and testimony; final appointment must be completed by the Nov. 25 charter deadline.