Full Name: Dain Pōmaikaʻi Kane

Name on Ballot: Dain P. Kane

Age: 54

District: Wailuku-Waihee-Waikapū residency seat (voted at large in Maui County)

Email Address: dainkane@yahoo.com

Current Job: Self-employed government/public relations consultant

Place of birth: Lihue

Campaign website: dainkane.com

Job history past 10 years:

2007 — County of Maui legislative liaison for Council at the state Legislature;

2007 to present — Self-employed government/public relations consultant.

Ever run for public office? If so, when? Outcome?: Yes.

Maui County Council: 1998-elected; 2000-elected; 2002-elected; 2004-elected

Mayor Maui County: 2006-unsuccessful

OHA-Maui Resident: 2012-unsuccessful

Other civic experience or community service?

Wailuku Country Estates Community Association: board member-2012 to present.

Hawaiian Swimming: Official-2001 to present; board member 2015 to present.

Maui Age Group Swimming Association: Official-2001 to present; board member 2015 to present.

Anything else you’d like voters to know about you?

1985 graduate University of Hawaii at Mānoa: BEd Secondary Education-Social Studies;

Freshman year walk-on/Four Year Member Mens’ Swimming & Diving Team (1981-1984) & 5th Year Graduate Assistant Coach (1985).

What makes you qualified to be a Council member?

Elected to Maui County Council’s Wailuku – Waihee – Waikapu residency seat from 1999 through 2006. Served as Council’s vice chairman for two terms; Council chairman for 1 term. Served as Council’s Committee of the Whole chairman for three terms; Council’s Budget & Finance chairman during fourth term.

What are your top five priorities for the county?

Support fiscal policy that enables effective delivery of county’s core services; Conduct an inventory of our existing county owned infrastructure/facilities; Continue the review of current codified housing policies; Work to improve communication and working relationship between executive and legislative branches; Serve public for public benefit, not personal gain.

What is your one big idea?

Deliver on the concept of effective governance. As one of nine legislators, we set and review policies for land use, growth, and provide well thought out appropriations for delivery of county services. I’ll engage our citizenry with an open mind, listen closely, and pursue common ground.

What do you think about the proposal to go from a mayor/council form of government to a manager/council form?

The change is not justified. One primary factor: Maui County’s Cost of Government Commission 2015-16 Annual Report investigated whether a change would lead to substantive improvements. After a comprehensive review, the investigation found that there would be none.

See: www.mauicounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/103826

What can the Council do to deal with the economic impact from the end of sugar on Maui?

Collaborate with county administration through the Mayor’s Office and their Office of Economic Development, as well as various nonprofit organizations serving Maui County to target funding opportunities that provide job training assistance for employment transition. Review socio-economic domino effect from closure on ancillary businesses and their employees.

Affordable housing is in short supply on Maui. How would you suggest increasing the inventory of affordable housing?

It’s time to re-visit discussion of whether Maui County should play a more direct role in building & managing affordable rental housing for our most vulnerable citizens. Public-Private partnership projects for affordable housing overall have delivered mixed results justifying long-term policy review.