The Maui County Council is scheduled to vote on appointments to the East Maui Regional Community Board at its Friday meeting.

What You Need To Know

  • The council’s Water Authority, Social Services and Parks Committee, chaired by council member Shane Sinenci, recruited and vetted applicants following the approval of a charter amendment that was supported by 64% of voters last November

  • The WASSAP committee interviewed 19 candidates over four meetings

  • The council will appoint seven voting members; the remaining four members will be appointed by Mayor Richard Bissen

  • Sinenci said the board’s first priority would be to hire the East Maui Water Authority’s director and give input to the state’s long-term East Maui watershed plan

The council’s Water Authority, Social Services and Parks Committee, chaired by council member Shane Sinenci, recruited and vetted applicants following the approval of a charter amendment that was supported by 64% of voters last November.

“I am excited to see the formation of this important community board,” said Sinenci, who holds the council seat for the East Maui residency area and introduced the charter amendment. “They will bring community input into restoration and management of the East Maui watershed to ensure our water resources are sustainable for generations to come.”

The WASSAP committee interviewed 19 candidates over four meetings. The council will appoint seven voting members; the remaining four members will be appointed by Mayor Richard Bissen.

The council has until July 1 to unilaterally make appointments to the board, Sinenci said. After that, the council will need to wait for recommendations from the new independent nomination board, also established by charter amendment last year, before making appointments.

Sinenci said the board’s first priority would be to hire the East Maui Water Authority’s director and give input to the state’s long-term East Maui watershed plan.

“I am proud of the work this committee has done to vet candidates,” he said. “All the candidates did an excellent job of answering the many detailed questions posed by committee members.”

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.