Name on ballot:

Alice L. Lee

Running for:

Maui county council – Wailuku-Waihee-Waikapu

Political party:

No answer submitted

Campaign website:

www.friendsofalicelee.com/

Current occupation:

Maui County Councilmember and Chair

Age:

75

Previous job history:

I worked in the real estate, insurance, mortgage and media (radio) industries, and was a small business owner, before getting involved in local government. I first served as a Council member from 1989 to 1999 and then served as the Director of Housing and Human Concerns from 1999 to 2006, under Mayors James “Kimo” Apana and Alan Arakawa. I was then appointed to various boards and commissions and started a non-profit 501C3, named New Leaf Ranch, a residential facility to help primarily newly released male parolees reintegrate into the community. I returned to the County Council in 2019.

Previous elected office, if any:

Maui County Council, 1989-1999 and 2019-present

Please describe your qualifications to represent the people of Maui County.

I am running for re-election because I care deeply about our community and I want my grandchildren to be able to live, work and thrive in the place I call home. My years of experience in the private and public sectors, and my family’s roots in our community, help me to best serve the people of Maui County by bringing fairness, openness, civility, collaboration, and balance to our County Council.

What is your one best proposal to help the residents of Maui recover from the devastating Aug. 8 wildfires?

We need to provide sufficient long-term temporary housing that can be occupied by February when FEMA programs end, and continue working on permanent housing. The focus must be on the west side because that is where Lahaina people want to return. And this means providing sufficient water and other infrastructure, which will require coordination with the State.

How would you like to see Lahaina rebuilt and what can the County Council do to make that happen?

The community, residents and property owners should decide how Lahaina should be rebuilt, in consultation with the County. The County Council’s role would be in approving the land use plan and providing adequate funding for needed infrastructure. The question of how Lahaina should be rebuilt should have been asked months ago so that a plan could be developed in case some properties cannot be redeveloped, such as those along the shoreline that are threatened by coastal erosion and sea level rise. I would like to see Lahiana retain and restore as much of its historic and cultural heritage as possible, and for it to continue to have a walkable, livable mix of residential, business, public and service uses that put the needs of our residents first.

Do you support or oppose a ban on short-term vacation rentals on Maui? Please explain.

This question is more complex than a simple “yes” or “no” answer. While I certainly support making more housing units available for long-term occupancy (and fewer for visitors), it is not clear than banning vacation rentals will result in more long-term units being available for our residents, or what the cost of such action would be. This is why the Council is commissioning a study to determine how much a complete or partial ban will cost in terms of lost tax revenue (as well as secondary impacts to visitor-related businesses such as property managers, cleaners, restaurants, shops and attractions), and how many units would likely be made available for long-term residential occupancy. As part of this discussion, we must also consider foreign and out-of-state buyers, second homes that remain empty for most of the year, and other factors that contribute to our high housing costs and diminishing inventory of long-term housing units.

What can the county government do to help protect Maui, Lanai and Molokai from future wildfires?

Wildfires are an immediate threat and we cannot wait to act on preventative measures. Several key agencies have produced “after action reports” with findings and recommendations, many of which relate to being proactive and better prepared. These recommendations need to be put into effect, either through policy and practice or through law.

How prepared is Maui County to deal with the next major natural disaster and what would you do to improve preparedness and responsiveness?

At the moment, I do not think we are as prepared as we need to be, but we are working on making improvements to the personnel and operations of our Emergency Management Agency as a result of the August 2023 wildfires. The Council depends heavily on the recommendations of experts and key agencies — state and county emergency management, police, fire, infrastructure agencies (water, roads, drainage), etc. — and our Hazard Mitigation Plan that was last updated in 2020. These experts and plans guide policy and budgeting decision-making, and I will support their projects to make us better prepared for any disaster.

What idea would you propose to improve traffic congestion on the island of Maui?

Since our roadway system involves both County and State jurisdictions, this must be a collaborative effort. The Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization is the County’s transportation planning agency that coordinates and schedules County, State and Federal funding for County and State transportation projects. We have many planned solutions for traffic congestion, e.g., new roads, improved roadway alignments, but are constrained by available funding.

What are the best ways for county government to alleviate homelessness and to increase the availability of affordable housing?

We need to learn from past mistakes and work collaboratively with housing developers on solutions that meet our residents’ needs and the developer’s bottom line. For decades, our market and affordable housing supply kept up with demand through market forces and County workforce housing requirements. When these requirements became too strict, developers stopped building new homes. When the requirements were then loosened, we began to see new developments again. However, there is a temptation to impose additional requirements, with the well-intentioned goal of providing more housing at affordable and workforce rates; but such requirements will only result in another cycle of reduced supply.

I also introduced the Ohana Assistance Program in 2024 to make grants of up to $100,000 available to resident owner/occupants to build ohanas that must be rented at affordable rates. This pilot program just launched and we have been overwhelmed with responses, so we will revisit the program’s guidelines to make any needed changes, and add funding so that more families can be served. The incredible response shows that people want to build ohanas if they can just get a little bit of help. For $100,000 or less per home, we can help provide new housing units throughout the county, which is considerably less expensive than units that the County has recently purchased or other subsidies that have been given for new projects or for units.

What can the county do to help residents cope with the overall high cost of living in Hawaii?

Residents need homes that they can afford and jobs that pay a living wage. The Council has budgeted more than $75 million in the upcoming budget to subsidize new workforce housing projects, including projects on the west side, and I remain supportive of workforce and affordable housing projects that are well-planned, have community support, and appropriately mitigate any potential negative impacts. I have also been a long-standing supporter of economic diversification initiatives, such as workforce training in the green energy and building industries, broadening access to free and subsidized internet and tablets for underserved communities so that they may benefit from the online economy, and increasing childcare programs so that working parents have safe and affordable options.

What more needs to be done to reduce crime on Maui County?

I have worked closely with the Maui Police Department for many years and respect their expertise. They want to perform well for our community as much as we do, and I have generally supported their initiatives to prevent and reduce crime. While many resources have been redirected since the August 2023 wildfires, I have been told that the Clean and Safe programs in some of our small towns, as well as community police officers throughout the county, have been or will soon resume and be expanded; I support these efforts because they have really paid-off in the past.

What will be your top priority if elected?

Since the August 2023 wildfires, my top priority has been to keep the County financially solvent so that key County programs and facilities can continue to operate because we are facing unprecedented economic challenges: we have lost a substantial number of homes and businesses, which by themselves are economic losses; we have lost significant real property tax revenue from the properties affected by the fires, which directly impact County operations, services and grants; we have to repair and replace critical infrastructure, facilities, programs and other County services, which are costly; and we are facing more than one hundred lawsuits that have to be defended in court.

While we have received considerable state and federal support, those funds will diminish over time, and our revenue losses and costs will continue to be significant for years to come. We must provide housing for fire-displaced families, and that means providing needed infrastructure, both of which are expensive. We also have to continue our social services programs to support those in need, and keep other vital County programs and facilities running — our water and wastewater treatment plants and systems, drainage facilities, roadways, parks and community centers, police and fire — we cannot do without these services.

Is there anything more that you would like voters to know about you?

I was born and raised in Wailuku, attended St. Anthony School, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Chaminade University; along with my professional and volunteer experience, I am well-prepared to represent our community and face today’s challenges. I believe strongly in open government and transparency, and in earning the public’s trust, especially in today’s political climate, by always acting with honesty, openness and integrity.