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Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Douglas Meller in Punchbowl. "

My home is mauka of Punchbowl. This is the view from my kitchen window at 6 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2024. I went outside and slightly ʻzoomedʻ my phone camera to ʻframeʻ the sky."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

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<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Zoomed in</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Douglas Meller in Punchbowl.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Zoomed in

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Douglas Meller in Punchbowl. &quot;My home is mauka of Punchbowl. This is the view from my kitchen window at 6 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2024. I went outside and slightly ʻzoomedʻ my phone camera to ʻframeʻ the sky.&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com

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Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

As Hawai‘i voters begin receiving their ballots for the general election, they may ask: What does Constitutional Amendment Question 2 actually mean?

 to the state constitution will be on the ballot this election. One of those is self-explanatory — should the state Senate be allowed 60 days to appoint judges and justices between April and January, instead of the current 30 days — but the other may seem complicated.

Constitutional Amendment Question 2 asks whether the state should allow the counties to issue “Resilient Infrastructure for Shelter and Equity bonds” — or RISE bonds — to help fund public improvement projects. These bonds would be repaid by future tax revenues on the new developments funded by said bonds, without imposing additional taxes or raising tax rates, and would be exempt from the counties’ debt limit.

The proposed amendment was introduced in the state Senate this year with the stated purpose of attempting to lower the development costs of affordable housing. As noted in 

 — the measure introducing the amendment — the development of new homes requires large up-front investments in water, drainage and other infrastructure.

Rep. Luke Evslin, chair of the House Committee on Housing, said Wednesday that the solution to this has been either to pass on those up-front costs to homebuyers, leading to rising house prices and a lack of affordable housing, or to raise taxes.

RISE bonds would, in theory, present a third option by allowing counties to fund that infrastructure, with the debt being serviced by future increases in tax revenue specifically generated by those selfsame new developments made possible by the infrastructure.

This is not an original concept; 48 other states, excluding Hawai‘i and Arizona, use “tax increment financing bonds,” which operate on the same principle.

Evslin told Aloha State Daily Wednesday that it’s only due to a quirk in Hawai‘i's constitution that the state doesn’t also use these bonds. He said the constitution as written does not permit the counties to issue such bonds, hence the need for a constitutional amendment.

Evslin emphasized that the bonds do not bring an increase in taxes. The property taxes paid by new homeowners in a new development made possible by the bonds will be at the same tax rate as any other comparable development, but the revenues from those taxes will go to pay off the bond, rather than back to the county.

However, Gov. Josh Green said Wednesday that this does not mean the bonds will reduce the counties' tax revenues, as the tax revenues generated by these new developments do not currently exist. Rather than reduce existing revenues, the bonds will simply redirect some future revenues.

Furthermore, the amendment would exempt RISE bonds from counties’ debt limits, which Evslin said means a county could issue any number of the bonds — although, he added, because developments funded via the bonds will still require taxpayer-funded services such as police and fire department responses, counties will likely be judicious in how many they issue.  

Evslin said that the tax increment financing bonds are typically structured conservatively so that the municipality that issues them takes on little to no risk. He said in the event of a disaster wiping out the infrastructure investments — something he said has happened in California — typically the bondholder, not the municipality, is left holding the bag.

The proposal was nigh-universally popular as it passed through the legislature, with major unions such as the Pacific Resource Partnership and the General Contractors Association of Hawai‘i voicing strong support of the amendment. This week, the Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i urged members to vote yes on Question 2. 

One of the few people to testify against the proposal, Hawai‘i County resident Cindy Freitas, warned about the potential for lost tax revenue and the lack of guardrails for how much of a county’s tax base can be captured by the bonds.

But Green and several other lawmakers spoke in favor of the amendment Wednesday. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said there is a roughly 28,000 unit deficit of housing on O‘ahu, which he said RISE bonds can help to reduce.

Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami called the bonds “a monumental change to how we fund infrastructure,” adding that, after the many disasters of 2026, it is clear that the state’s resilience is dependent on having modern and reliable infrastructure.

“Communities can only be as resilient as the roads that connect us,” Kawakami said.

Evslin

<title>So what is a RISE bond anyway?</title>

Voters may wonder what Constitutional Amendment Question 2 means when they receive their ballots this week.

So what is a RISE bond anyway?

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Haley Lehman

The County of Hawaiʻi announced Tuesday afternoon that it reached a “tentative agreement” to purchase the Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park for $1.46 million, weeks after 

 with the landowner ended without an agreement and the County lost access to the park.

Mayor Kimo Alameda stated in a news release that he met with landowner to find a resolution.

“As a result of these direct conversations, we reached a compromise that preserves Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park for future generations while honoring the landowner’s own interests and concerns,” Alameda stated. “Protecting Punaluʻu requires both parties – the County and landowner – to work together, and I look forward to continuing to build this partnership for the benefit of our community.”

The purchase would occur through Hawaiʻi County’s Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission (PONC) program. The County offered to purchase the property for $1.46 million earlier this year, but Black Sand Beach LLC declined to sell the property at the time.

According to the news release, the County agreed to maintain an approximately quarter-mile section of Nīnole Loop Road, a portion owned by Black Sand Beach LLC, that connects the park with the County-owned section of the road, in an effort to reduce traffic on the private road and in exchange for Black Sand Beach allowing the public to access that segment.

Alameda said in a video on social media that visitors would enter the park from the Hilo side of Nīnole Loop Road using the County road and Black Sand Beach LLC would build gates around its portion of the road. Parking in the County-owned parking lot at the beach would remain free, and Black Sand Beach LLC would offer paid parking for visitors and tour buses on its property.

Hawaiʻi County leased the land from successive landowners since 1954. The park remains closed to the public until the purchase is completed or a temporary lease agreement is reached. The county maintained a parking area, restrooms, a pavilion, a campground and grills at Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park until the lease ended on Aug. 29.

According to “Place Names of Hawaiʻi” by Mary Kawena Pukui, Samuel H. Elbert and Esther T. Mookini, Punaluʻu is an ancient surfing area that was home to a village and heiau. The area is 

 for its unique sand, iconic Hawaiian species like spinner dolphins, green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, recreational activities including fishing and snorkeling as well as freshwater springs and heiau.

Black Sand Beach LLC, owned by Eva Liu and managed by Kaʻū Valley LLC, purchased the property in May 2020, according to public records. According to LinkedIn, Liu is based in Menlo Park, California and refers to herself as founder of the Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Stewardship Initiative.

Liu also owns Punaluʻu Water and Sanitation, which has been criticized as customers remain without water service following Hurricane Lala. The Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission is hosting a 

 Monday to address concerns over service disruptions.

Colin Sakumoto, an attorney for Black Sand Beach LLC, declined Aloha State Daily’s request for comment on Wednesday.

Sakumoto told Aloha State Daily by email on Aug. 28 that the company would extend a 10-year conservation easement over Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park at no cost to the County, but Hawaiʻi County officials said that they had not received a written proposal for an easement from Black Sand Beach LLC at the time. 

This isn’t the first time the County has explored purchasing Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park after proposals for development.

For example, the County proposed purchasing 150 acres from SM Properties in 2007 after Sea Mountain Five proposed to develop the 

 did not have money available to purchase or maintain the land and the developer would not sell.

Then Councilmember Bob Jacobson, of Kaʻū, said that the purchase would prevent the shoreline from being sold to commercial developers and protect the shoreline as a nesting area for hawksbill turtles and a habitat for green sea turtles.

PONC recommended the acquisition of Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park and adjacent lands, including the Nīnole Springs and Pond, in its

 in 2006 to protect natural, cultural and historic resources, maintain existing access for recreational activities and subsistence fishing, and to expand and enhance County beach park facilities.

Liu’s Black Sand Beach LLC had proposed building 225 residential and vacation rentals at Punaluʻu Villages. The project 

 after Black Sand Beach LLC defaulted on a $3.4 million mortgage.

Punaluu Black Sand Beach Park

<title>Hawaiʻi County to buy Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park</title>

Hawaiʻi County announced plans to purchase the Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach Park six weeks after the County lost access to the land in August.

Hawaiʻi County to buy Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park

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Peter S. Adler, PhD

Columnists

Elections in Hawai‘i, like most in the United States, tend to be emotional and complicated. In general, they are dominated by Republican and Democratic inter-party squabbles, which often erupt into titanic national posturing. As Will Rogers, cowboy humorist and political raconteur, put it a century ago: “I tell you Folks, all Politics is Apple Sauce.”  Elections and electioneering are mushy.

Nationally, there appears to be mounting frustration with both national political parties. Some voters seem fatigued by a predominantly two-party system, and polls seem to show a possible openness to change. Knowing we might be a little different here, does this hold true in Hawai‘i?  Voters in the City and County of Honolulu may find out when staring down one particular question within a set proposed charter amendments in November.

At a minimum, this is a once-in-a-decade opportunity. Number five of the 

20 proposals listed by the Charter Commission

 will ask voters on O‘ahu to decide if its voter-selected officials — the mayor, city council members, and the prosecuting attorney — should be elected using ranked choice voting. If approved, the change would take effect in 2032 at the earliest.

At the moment, ranked choice voting appears to have been used or has been approved for upcoming public elections in 49 U.S. jurisdictions, including 36 cities, three counties, and Maine and Alaska statewide. Several jurisdictions employ ranked choice voting ballots for military and overseas voters. Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes §11-100 already requires ranked choice voting for federal elections held outside regularly scheduled primary or general election dates, and for special elections to fill vacant county council seats.

Interestingly, ranked choice voting also appears outside government elections: About 100 American colleges and universities use it in some student-government elections. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences uses ranked ballots to determine most Oscar nominees; it also uses ranked-choice tabulation to select the Best Picture winner. Ranked, point-based ballots also select the Heisman Trophy winner as well as that of Major League Baseball’s Cy Young Award.

National democracy-reform advocacy organizations argue that ranked choice voting can broaden voter choice and strengthen representation. FairVote, for example, strongly endorses ranked choice voting; Common Cause sees it  as a solution to growing voter disengagement. 

Prominent politicians on both sides of the aisle, including Mitt Romney, Cory Booker, Jamie Raskin, and Joe Manchin have appeared to offer varying degrees of support of ranked choice voting. Romney, for example, expressed qualified support in 2023, while Raskin introduced federal ranked choice voting  legislation in 2025.

However, opposition has also grown. States have enacted a patchwork of restrictions on ranked choice voting, including statewide 

 as of May 2025. The National Conference of State Legislatures tracks state laws governing ranked choice voting, including state restrictions and local-use provisions. In some states, statutes neither expressly authorize nor expressly prohibit ranked choice voting, leaving the extent of local authority unsettled. Michael Greibrok and Madeline Malisa of the Foundation for Government Accountability believe 

, writing, “Lawmakers who want to protect ballots and the will of the people should pass legislation to ban ranked-choice voting statewide and for all local elections.”

One of the indicators on Guild Consulting’s 

 speaks directly to the situation in our state. The Dashboard is an evolving, publicly accessible, and free resource indicating how Hawai‘i stacks up against other states on 27 different measures; it draws data from federal agencies and established nonpartisan research organizations. Its selected indicators are intended to encourage comparison and discussion, not to prove that particular policies cause particular outcomes.

As it turns out, Hawai‘i scores better than many states on measures such as our rate of unemployment, rainy day fund balance as a percent of annual general fund spending, and suicide per capita. Nonetheless, Hawaiʻi is dead last (No. 50 of 50) when it comes to 

. Only 50.3% of eligible Hawaiʻi voters cast a ballot in the 2024 general election. Turnout for the August 2026 primary (ballots cast divided by registered voters) was 

, Hawai‘i, at 50.3% ranked lowest in the nation in the 2024 general election. For comparison, Wisconsin ranked No. 1, with a 76.7% voter participation rate. The nation's median rate was 64.7%.

Most state legislative incumbents won handily in the recent primary, a longstanding “same–same” pattern in Hawai‘i. There were a few exceptions: Incumbent Sen. Les Ihara lost by more than 30 percentage points. Sen. Kurt Fevella tied Bob McDermott and subsequently lost the drawing that determined the Republican nomination. Rep. Kanani Souza similarly tied challenger Sheila Medeiros but lost when lots were cast.

So how does ranked choice voting actually work?

While ranked choice voting procedures vary among jurisdictions, the basic process is straightforward. All qualifying candidates appear on the ballot, and voters rank candidates in order of preference. During the initial tabulation round, the first-choice votes on all valid ballots are counted. If one candidate receives an outright majority of votes cast, that candidate wins. If no candidate receives more than 50% of votes cast, the last-place candidate is eliminated from further contention.

Hence in the next tabulation round, each ballot that had presented the just-eliminated candidate as the top choice is re-counted using instead the ballot’s next-highest-ranked candidate still in contention. Each ballot already tabulated for a candidate who remains in the race is tabulated as it was in the prior round.

The process repeats until a candidate wins under the applicable rules, generally by receiving a majority of active ballots (not necessarily of all cast ballots) in a tabulation round.

The upcoming Honolulu Charter Amendment question 5, as written, describes this as a process to be conducted “in a single November election,” and its supplemental information notes that voters may “rank any number of candidates in the order they prefer.”  A valid ballot nonetheless becomes exhausted if every candidate ranked on it has been eliminated; such a ballot  may have counted in earlier rounds but would no longer impact the final tabulation deciding the winner of the election.

Are O‘ahu voters hungry for a change?  Would ranked choice voting, if adopted and suitably clarified and understood by voters, become a viable system that makes a satisfying difference?

Question 5 will offer an important conceptual choice. If adopted, the proposal directs the city clerk to prepare rules and implement a public education program which clearly addresses important operational nuances, such as ballot design, recounts, certification procedures, and treatment of skipped rankings, ties, and exhausted ballots. The public should be able to see and comment on those rules before implementation, as Honolulu’s charter provides that public-facing administrative rules generally require public notice, a public hearing, and mayoral approval.

Whether or not question 5 passes in November, it presents a special opportunity to think collectively about how local governance could be elected. Ranked choice voting has pros and cons and deserves the analysis, discussion, and debate I’ll cover in Part 2, including a closer look at the arguments for and against the process and what the available evidence says about its potential effects on participation, civility, and representation.

Ranked choice voting

<title>Ranked choice voting in Honolulu, part 1: Analysis of a possible game change</title>

Honolulu voters will soon weigh a 2032 shift to a single-election ranked choice system for its mayor, city council members and prosecuting attorney. In this two-part series, ASD columnist Peter S. Adler explains how ranked choice voting works, and explores the arguments for and against it.

Ranked choice voting in Honolulu, part 1: Analysis of a possible game change

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Keliʻi Akina

Viewpoints

One of the most effective ways for lawmakers to reduce poverty in Hawaiʻi wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime: housing reform.

 from Pew Charitable Trusts, the state’s poverty rate would decline by 26% and its child poverty rate by 36% if housing policies led to a 20% reduction in inflation-adjusted rent.

How is this possible? Well, in states such as Hawaiʻi that have high housing costs, residents often spend more of their income on housing. The Pew study calculated that about one-third of poverty in Hawaiʻi — and almost 45% of child poverty — is caused by high housing costs. Lowering average rents would relieve some of that pressure, freeing up more money for other basic needs.

[{"type":"text","text":"As for the 20% rent reduction, that figure wasn't chosen at random."}]

It reflects the real-world effect of housing reforms passed in Austin, Texas, and Minneapolis, Minnesota — two of several cities where lawmakers enacted policies aimed at easing regulatory barriers to housing growth, especially related to zoning and permitting. Homebuilding increased as a result, which led to overall reductions in rents and poverty.

 on the “filtering effect” of new housing published by the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawai‘i, which found that a new luxury condo tower next to Ala Moana Center kicked off a chain reaction of residents moving into new units and freeing up their previous, more affordable homes across Oʻahu.

That means building new homes of any kind expands availability overall, creating more options at all income levels.

It might be tempting to think that rent control would quickly reduce housing costs. But before lawmakers consider that, they should know such price fixing has been 

 to reduce available rental housing and increase rent prices in nearby areas where rent is not controlled.

So what could Hawaiʻi do to reduce poverty through housing reform? Simply follow the example of cities that have already seen success: Allow higher-density homebuilding, streamline permitting, simplify building codes, eliminate parking mandates and revise restrictive land-use rules.

In short, making it easier and cheaper to build housing results in more housing being built.

Pew’s project director for housing policy, Alex Horowitz, 

 that the reforms Hawaiʻi lawmakers have passed so far, such as allowing more accessory dwelling units and making it easier to convert office spaces into homes, “have made only small dents” in the state’s housing crisis.

“More steps will be needed to dig out of it,“ he said, noting that permitting and local building codes in particular still act as barriers.

Our lawmakers deserve credit for taking those “partial steps,” as Horowitz described them. After all, we must start somewhere. But as I’ve said again and again, it is time to embrace reforms that will meaningfully improve Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis and could even help reduce poverty.

Reprinted with permission from the Oct. 10, 2026 "Presidentʻs Corner" of 

Shutterstock 2487858667 scaled

<title>Community Voices: Can fixing our zoning laws make a dent in poverty?</title>

Community Voices: Can fixing our zoning laws make a dent in poverty?

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Energy continued to build on Monday morning at the newly dubbed Saint Damien School, where students being dropped off were welcomed with high-fives and smiles from President and CEO 

Formerly Damien Memorial School, the private intermediate and high school in Kalihi celebrated its name change with a Sunday mass open to the community 

on Oct. 11, marking the 17th anniversary of Saint Damien’s canonization by Pope Benedict XVI on the same date in 2009. 

Very Reverend Monsignor Gary Secor, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, gave the Liturgy of the Eucharist during the mass and greeted guests afterwards.

“Nothing changes,” Marciel, a 1979 Damien graduate, told Aloha State Daily. “Our logo stays the same. 

All the school’s values are still the same. We honor all the alumnus that graduated. But we are working on updating our banners, letterhead and things like that."

“It’s time to honor Saint Damien; how he lived versus how he died,” he continued. “Saint Damien was there for the people of Molokai. He was with them daily and sacrificed his life for them. It took courage for him to do that.”

Marciel, a retired basketball coach who served on Damien’s board and as interim president and CEO prior to taking on this role in March, said that this is the third name change he’s seen at the school. It was founded as an all-boys school called Damien Memorial High School in 1962; in 2012, it transitioned to a co-educational institution named Damien Memorial School; and this month, the renaming to Saint Damien School drops “memorial” altogether to pay homage to his life legacy rather than his passing.

 arrived to Hawaiʻi in 1864 and devoted his life to serving people with Hansen’s disease, who were later sent to Kalaupapa on Molokai under

 King Kamehameha V. He went with them as a caretaker, helping to establish schools and churches with little resources, Marciel said, emphasizing Saint Damien’s impact then on kids and families.

“Saint Damien showed us what it means to recognize the dignity of every person,” said Board Chair Lanson Kupau in a statement. “We remain focused on educating and developing young gentlemen and young ladies who will face the challenges of the world with his spirit and compassion.”

Kupau — a 1982 Damien grad, retired judge and Honolulu attorney — told ASD that though the process for this name change was extensive, it started with requesting permission from 

, which sponsors and operates the school. According to Marciel and Kupau, the Brothers once lived on campus, where the existing administration building stands today.

On a tour of the school Monday, we also passed by a small church where mass is held weekly, as well as the De Veuster Multi-Sport Field, which has recently expanded from 80 yards to a regulation-length 100-yard football field with new turf.

Marciel said that the overall goal is to host games on campus for the first time in the school’s history for the 2027 season. Other improvements in the works include adding bleachers, a skybox and Jumbotron. Donate to the capital campaign 

For its upcoming varsity football homecoming game, the Damien Monarchs will matchup against Pac-Five this Saturday, Oct. 17, at 5:30 p.m. at Farrington High School, where it will continue to host its home games.

The homecoming assembly held Monday afternoon was a surprise for students put on by the school’s student government. The gym erupted with cheers as 6th to 12th grade students participated in a trivia contest about Saint Damien, student versus teacher volleyball games and more. The assembly concluded with the singing of the Damien Alma Mater and ice cream.

Sophomore Sabrina Alejo shared with ASD some of the student-led clubs, including ones that champion community service, Dungeons & Dragons and medieval times, in addition to Monarch to Medicine, which she started.

“Doctors come in and talk with the students about their medical careers and conduct hands-on workshops,” she explained. “My mom is an oncology nurse, so I want to go into health care, too.”

She notes that she attended a different Catholic school before but didn’t learn about Saint Damien until switching schools.

“[Saint Damien] came to the Islands at 24 years old, became a priest and then was one of the first volunteers to respond to leprosy in the 1860s,” Kupau said. “He had to have known this was a one-way ticket. He was tenacious before he died at 49.”

“That’s why I think it was important to not only honor him as a saint, but to celebrate how he lived because we have these young gentleman and ladies that are leaving our campus at 17 and 18 years old and we want them to have the courage of Saint Damien

to face those challenges with his same tenacity, same courage and same service for others.”

After the homecoming assembly, Kupau reflected on lessons learned from the students.

“I see that they have so much joy. So much respect and kindness toward each other. Right now, friendly competition. It’s contagious,” he said. “We as adults maybe need to also learn from the next generation, as well as try to give them some of our wisdom. And I think it’ll be a better place if we do that."

Looking ahead, he says the board of directors is prioritizing building a strong sense of community, increasing enrollment and community service opportunities, opening a culinary classroom on campus and finishing the De Veuster Multi-Sport Field.

His advice to the next generation? Kupau adds: “It starts from faith in God; respecting your parents, grandparents, elders; reminding ourselves that no amount of success comes without those who have sacrificed for you to be here; and I think that comes from the sacrifice of Jesus, the sacrifice of Saint Damien; the sacrifices of your parents and loved ones. … Everything in life that leads to success starts with sacrifice. And we should always be mindful and grateful for those sacrifices.”

Learn more about Saint Damien School and its Fall Open House planned for Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 to 11 a.m. 

Saint Damien gym

<title>Kids, community embrace new name for Damien Memorial School</title>

Following a ceremonial mass over the weekend, students and staff celebrated the recent name change from Damien Memorial School to Saint Damien School in honor of Father Damien of Molokai, who was canonized 17 years ago by Pope Benedict XVI. The Kalihi private school’s President and CEO Walter “Wally” Marciel and Board Chair Lanson Kupau discuss the significance of this decision now and how it will shape future generations.

Kids, community embrace new name for Damien Memorial School

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Sterling Higa

Maui County has been airing its laundry in public for a week now. Mayor Richard Bissen faces a close race for reelection. He is in open conflict with his police chief, John Pelletier, whom the Maui Police Commission placed on leave last Wednesday.

Pelletier answered with a press conference. He said the mayor is under criminal investigation, and the suspension was payback.

The latest entry in the saga is a press release on County of Maui letterhead, with Mayor Richard Bissen’s name at the top of the masthead. It comes from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, led by Andrew Martin. It is meant to settle the matter. Instead, it raises more questions than it answers about a county where all the rules seem to have been thrown out.

For those catching up: on Oct. 7, the Maui Police Commission voted 6-0 to place Pelletier on paid administrative leave.

Two days later, Pelletier sat down with his lawyer, Eric Seitz, for a 

. They maintain there was no factual or legal basis for the suspension. They say a lawsuit is coming. And they say they have proof that Bissen lobbied commissioners to remove the chief on two occasions: first last year, during the 

, which the commission declined to act on, and again now.

Pelletier and Seitz then named two criminal investigations of the mayor. These, they say, help explain the mayor’s effort to remove Pelletier.

The first concerns the allegations behind Leo Caires’s civil suit, filed in April. Pelletier called it a case of corruption, fraud and retaliation. Those claims were sent to the state attorney general.

The second is a new investigation by the Maui Police Department into a felony with the mayor as suspect. Pelletier would say little more. It began in August, he said. He had recused himself. Deputy Chief Wade Maeda was in charge. Seitz said they raised it because it bears on the mayor’s actions against the chief.

“People have been quiet about [Bissen] because they’re scared of retaliation,” Pelletier said. “If you’re going to do this to the police chief? No wonder they’re scared.”

Bissen says no one has told him he is under investigation for anything. He says he learned of the commission’s vote only after it was made. Commission Chair Frank Tam calls the claim that the mayor influenced the decision “

Enter Andrew Martin. The title of his press release is “Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin Refutes Claim that Mayor is Target of Criminal Investigation.”

The release walks through a timeline. Martin’s office opened a probe into county grant funds in January 2025. It worked the case jointly with the state attorney general. In March 2026 it handed the state sole say over any charges.

Martin says Pelletier broke a “fundamental tenet of criminal investigations” by naming a target in public before any arrest or charge. He says the chief “told the public something that is simply not true.”

The problem — which any first-year law student would spot — is that the headline and the body don’t add up. The headline refutes that the mayor 

 the target of criminal investigation. The body shows only that Bissen 

 the target of one investigation, back when Martin still ran it.

Plenty of agencies can run an investigation: county, state, and federal. Pelletier named two investigations. One is run by the attorney general’s office. The other is a felony case he says his own department opened in August.

Martin’s release addresses the first. It does not mention the second. And on the first, Martin says the mayor “was not” a target of an investigation whose charging decisions he gave up six months ago. What the state has done with it since is not his to say.

It is somewhat unusual for a chief prosecutor to display such a loose grip on the basics of how law enforcement works. But nothing about the Maui situation is usual.

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” So says Proverbs. The cases have been stated, but the examining has barely begun.

This much is on the record. Three weeks before the election, a police chief has been sidelined without a reason the public can judge. That chief says the sitting mayor is under two criminal investigations, one of them by his own department. And the prosecuting attorney, appointed by the mayor, has put out a release on county letterhead saying the mayor is not a target of one of them.

Though dated Oct. 13, as of this writing the press release still does not appear on the county’s 

The commission that removed the chief owes the public a plain statement of why. The prosecutor who wrote this press release owes the public precision. Say what your office knows, and stop there.

Officials who want to be trusted with power have to speak as if their words will be examined. They will be.

A government that cannot manage that much has already told voters something, whatever the letterhead says.

[{"type":"text","text":"Maui voters are left to sort out the mess. It gets messier every day."}]

Andrew Martin upscaled

<title>Maui’s Prosecutor Defends Mayor Bissen: What his press release leaves out</title>

Three weeks before the election, Maui’s prosecutor put out a statement defending the mayor. But read the body, not the headline. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on what Andrew Martin’s release says once you look past its title.

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