MAUI — Retired Chief Judge of the 2nd Circuit Court, Richard Bissen, who announced his candidacy for Maui County mayor on Jan. 17, will hold the first of his “Bissen Listens” video sessions 4 p.m. Thursday.

Each episode of the bi-weekly sessions will cover a different topic, and the topic for the first session is “Leadership.” The public can tune in at the Richard Bissen for Maui County Mayor Facebook page. Community members are asked to submit their questions for via a Google form.

Bissen is a 16-year veteran of the bench. He received the 2021 Jurist of the Year Award in October 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.

“I want my grandsons Zavior, Noah and Milo to have a chance to continue to reside on Maui, have a home and good jobs,” he said in a statement to Spectrum News Hawaii.

“I also want them to enjoy the beauty of Maui that we all love and want to protect. I love Maui and its people and I owe much of my success to being raised here.”

Bissen refers to his campaign as the “Bissen Movement.”

“The Bissen Movement is one of prosperity,” he said. “Prosperity for all residents of Maui County — kamaaina prosperity.”

When asked what he considered the most pressing issue for Maui county, he said that the health — physical, mental and financial — of the county is foremost.

“My goals are to assemble experts in the medical science field with small business owners to evaluate their recommendations. Our policies will be based on keeping our residents safe and our businesses healthy.”

Bissen’s campaign website highlights housing, jobs and the environment. When asked about specific initiatives he’d like to implement in these areas as mayor, he stated that wants to “help residents attain and hold onto their housing in addition to having good-paying jobs.”

Other ideas he noted included assessing the inventory of accessible and environmentally appropriate building sites; proposing that the county invests in infrastructure to buildable sites; requiring that purchases qualify for homeowners’ exemption; and educating purchases on how to obtain and qualify for mortgage loans.

“Since Maui’s environment is our economy, we must implement ways to care better for our island and its natural resources — this area is ripe for island resiliency and job creation.”

When asked what about his background makes him best suited for the job of mayor, he insisted that the position is much more than a job.

“This is not a job, it’s a responsibility that I take very seriously. … Being the head of county and state departments, plus being head of our third governmental branch, the Judiciary on Maui, has given me the experience and allowed me to make the important and necessary decisions.”

Maui Mayor Mike Victorino has announced he will seek reelection, and Maui County Council member Mike Molina has also announced his candidacy.