Two counties in Hawaii are voting for new mayors: Kauai and Maui.
Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami dominated primary voting, notching 13,574 votes against just 2,099 for his general election challenger Michael Poai.
Incumbent Maui Mayor Mike Victorino figures to have a much harder fight ahead of him against former circuit court judge Richard Bissen, who finished with a 13,498 to 11,794 vote advantage over Victorino in the primary.
The two accounted for just under 70% of the total votes cast in the race, which also included Maui County Council members Kelly Takaya King and Mike Molina.
Victorino has served as Maui’s mayor since 2019. He was born and raised in Hilo. When he was 20, he moved to Maui, married and raised his family. He graduated from the University of Hawaii at Hilo. In 1995, he served as Director of the Maui County Fair. In 2006, he was elected to the Maui County Council. His campaign website emphasizes building workforce housing, diversifying the economy and how he responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bissen is a 16-year veteran of the bench. He received the 2021 Jurist of the Year Award in Oct. 2021. Born and raised on Maui, and educated at St. Anthony High School in Wailuku, University of Santa Clara and William S. Richardson School of Law, he credits his family as the impetus for running for mayor. Bissen’s campaign website highlights housing, jobs and the environment.
Kauai residents will also vote on 4 proposed charter amendments, whereas Maui residents will vote on 13 proposed charter amendments. The ballot amendment questions can be found here.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands and Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii.