Politics and Environment
Best County Official
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Alan Arakawa
Going into an election in which five other people would like to replace him, we’re sure that Mayor Arakawa will appreciate the fact that our readers consider him the county’s best public official. Hey, have you seen his yellow campaign signs? The ones that say, “Mayor Arakawa–Getting It Done.” Pure genius. Who cares what “it” is–“it” is whatever the prospective voter wants it to be. Cleaning up the Upcountry water meter list? Cleaning county park restrooms? Proposing a big Northshore park? Check, check and check–there’s even a check mark on the signs! Sure, it hasn’t been a flawless administration (County Council bitching over the demolition of the old Wailuku Post Office, still-as-yet-unexplained law enforcement investigation into the Parks Department) but for our readers, Arakawa is their guy. @apignataro
Alan Arakawa 21%
Elle Cochran 19%
Don Couch 4%
Other 57%
Best Political Activist
Alana Kay
The psychic? Sorry–she said she’s not a “psychic.” She’s a “spiritual intuitive.” Anyway, we never much considered her an “activist”–someone who’s organizing demonstrations, speaking out at public hearings, etc. She’s more of a small business owner and off-and-on political candidate (this year, she’s running for mayor). But then again, her campaign website is called Cleanandleangovernment.com, so what do we know. @apignataro
Alana Kay 24%
Tamara Paltin 9%
Karen Chun/Walter Ritte 4%
Other 63%
Best County Blunder
Missing Women
As you undoubtedly know, Maui County is dealing with a fair number of unsolved cases involving missing persons. And for readers, nothing shows failure like the fact that these cases have gone on for months (in one case, years) without any sort of solution. There’s Laura Vogel, who’s been missing since 2010. No one’s seen Moreira Monsalve since January of this year. And while Carly Scott went missing around the same time, in March Maui Police reclassified her disappearance as a homicide. It wasn’t until earlier this month that police arrested Scott’s ex-boyfriend and charged him with her murder. Anyone with information regarding any of these cases should call the Maui PD at 808-244-6400. @apignataro
Missing Women 11%
Lahaina Bypass 10%
GMOs 4%
Other 74%
Best State BlunderMonsanto Lease Renewal
You’re talking about the land in Kihei that Monsanto uses to grow pesticide-resistant corn? Yeah, that operation has been around since the late 1960s (back then, it was known as the Trojan Seed Company). Yeah, they account for about a thousand jobs across the state, and many thousands of dollars in campaign contributions every election cycle. Monsanto has operations all over the world, and scores of elected officials across the country who won’t hesitate to do its bidding. Remember–the Supreme Court has ruled that Monsanto can patent and own life forms. Damn, that’s powerful. How will the upcoming GMO-banning ballot measure in Maui County affect all that? That’s the biggest question of the year for Maui. @apignataro
Monsanto Lease Renewal 10%
Superferry 8%
Airport Access Road 5%
Other 77%
Best Environmental Issue
GMOs
We’re going to assume, given your answer to the State blunder category, that you’re naming genetically modified organisms the county’s best environmental issue because you feel that they’re not a good thing. And while GMOs are a big issue everywhere–Americans have been eating genetically modified products for a couple decades now, they’re especially big here. Look at all the acreage powerful Monsanto has dedicated to GMO corn, as well as the University of Hawaii’s creation of a genetically modified papaya that’s immune to the dreaded ringspot virus, which university officials say could have wiped out the state’s entire papaya crop. And given the upcoming Maui County ballot measure that would ban genetically modified crops, it’s likely we’ll be discussing GMOs well into the future. @apignataro
GMO 39%
Cane Burning 15%
Ocean Pollution 7%
Other 39%
Best Community Nonprofit
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Photo courtesy of Womenhelpingwomenmaui.com
Women Helping Women
Seriously, who doesn’t love this organization? They’re tiny, severely underfunded and exist to help women who’ve been victims of domestic violence. And they do a lot of helping. “During fiscal year 2011-12, WHW provided shelter to 127 women and 98 children (a total of 9,339 bed days), and provided 13 domestic violence presentations in the community,” they state on their website. “During this same time period, 831 crisis calls and 7,394 information calls were answered on the 24-hour domestic violence hotline.” Their 24-hour crisis hotline is 808-579-9581. For more administrative information, call 808-242-6600. Womenhelpingwomenmaui.com. @apignataro
Women Helping Women 9%
Imua Family Services 9%
Maui AIDS Foundation/Maui Humane Society 5%
Other 78%
Best Environmental Nonprofit*
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Photo courtesy of Shakamovement.org
SHAKA Movement
Interesting choice, MauiTime readers. The SHAKA Movement managed to get the first ever ballot initiative approved on a Maui County ballot (though it had to resort to the Mainland tactic of employing paid signature gatherers to do so). The SHAKA Movement is a strong opponent of the biotech industry in general and Monsanto’s Hawaii operations in particular. They’ve already won the hearts of MauiTime readers, but now they need to win the support of county voters. For more information, go to Shakamovement.org. @apignataro
Shaka Movement 10%
Pacific Whale Foundation 3%
Maui Tomorrow 3%
Other 83%
Best Political Scandal
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Maui Police Department
That’s right, the whole department. And why not? It took them years to discover that junkie cop Allison Moore wasn’t dying of cancer but was actually smoking meth (which she stole out of police evidence lockers) when she should have been working. When MauiTime’s own publisher tried to film them during a huge traffic operation they set up on Haleakala Highway, they arrested him (a Maui District Court judge recently tossed out the case, which the County of Maui insisted on prosecuting). The department is better armed than ever (why again do they need an armored truck?) and yet several high-profile cases in which people just went missing remain unsolved, even after years of supposed investigation. Even Chief Gary Yabuta is bugging out for a lower-paying job on Oahu. If there was ever a time for an outside investigation of the department, it’s right now. @apignataro
Maui Police Department 7%
Maui Now 7%
Other 87%
Best Scary Public Official
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Photo credit to Sean M. Hower
Keith Taguma
We’re going to have switch up this category next year, because Fearless Maui PD Office Keith Taguma keeps winning. Does he strike that much terror into the hearts of MauiTime readers? He writes parking tickets in Wailuku Town, people! Parking tickets! Sometimes speeding tickets, and occasionally he write up someone for an expired safety certificate, but for the most part, we’re talking parking tickets. Seriously, he’s a glorified meter maid. Yeah, yeah, his complaints to county officials got the MAUIWatch guy to change the Facebook page’s name away from the old TAGUMAWatch, but for the most part, he’s just another mortal human–wait, what time is it? Damn it, gotta go check my car! @apignataro
Keith Taguma 36%
Neil Abercrombie 8%
Don Guzman 5%
Other 50%
Best Town To Live In
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Photo credit to Sean M. Hower
Kihei
We ask this question every year, and every year our readers give us the same answer. So that means after all these years, population data would show that Kihei is, by far, the most populous town on Maui. Except that it’s not. Of course, the most recent population data we have is from 2010, but it clearly shows that that simply isn’t the case. In fact, Kihei isn’t even the island’s most populous town–that’s Kahului, with 26,337 residents (Kihei is second, with 20,881 residents). Taken as a whole, 86 percent of Maui’s residents choose to live somewhere other than Kihei. Which is kind of good, because if Kihei were so popular, then the county would be forced to approve all those mega-malls local developers like Charlie Jencks want to build. So in the mean time, we guess MauiTime readers will continue to dream of the days when they could pack up and move to hot, dry, condo-filled, hot Kihei. @apignataro
Kihei 21%
Lahaina 21%
Kula 9%
Other 49%
Best Town To Visit
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Photo credit to Sean M. Hower
Paia
Ahh, Paia–the old sugar mill town on Maui’s North Shore. It’s hard to imagine now that it’s gone, but that mill was in operation for 120 years, from 1880 to 2000. Think about it–when it was first built, Hawaii was a kingdom. Not a state, territory or even republic, but a kingdom. And it lasted all through the coup that toppled that kingdom, the U.S. takeover of that “republic,” WWI and WWII, the Cold War and the entire running of Bonanza, which ran on the NBC television network from 1959 to 1973. Of course, that little town has changed a lot since the days when Bonanza reigned supreme, though the hippies–who flooded the North Shore in the late 1960s–are mostly still there. And while people do indeed live there, the scarcity of parking and commercial elements beyond the intersection of Baldwin Avenue and Hana Highway means that, for most of us, we have to be content with the occasional visit. @apignataro
Paia 29%
Lahaina 21%
Hana 20%
Best Resource On Maui Political History [STAFF PICK]
Kalai‘aina County of Maui by Antonio V. Ramil
In 1984, attorney Antonio V. Ramil published Kalai‘aina County of Maui, an incredibly detailed (if somewhat dry) look at Maui County’s political history. It’s a chronological look at the evolution of the county’s government, and is packed with information about elections, County Council votes (and before them, the Board of Supervisors), union actions and the people who got themselves elected or appointed to high office. It’s not exactly a page-turner, but there’s probably no better single source of background information on county’s government history. @apignataro
Best Place To Pay Respect To Maui History [STAFF PICK]
Ka‘uiki Head
It’s hard to miss this hill overlooking Hana Bay. It’s a big hill, with steep sides, crumbly soil and tall trees. Mostly known as the birthplace of Queen Ka‘ahumanu, it’s also the most fought over piece of ground in Hawaii. The warriors of Hawaii and Maui fought many battles there, but you’d be hard-pressed to see any sight of all that spilled blood today, though it’s chilling to stand at the harbor and look up the hill and wonder at the bravery (or foolishness) of the warriors who fought there. These days, Kauiki Head is a serene place, full of awe-inspiring beauty; a place of wonder and contemplation that it would have ever been the center of so much violence. @apignataro
Best Place To See Hawaii As It Was Pre-Contact [STAFF PICK]
Kahikihui
It’s remarkable to think that the place archaeologists believe was the spot Polynesians first landed in Hawaii is also one of the most unchanged parts of the state. What we today call Maui’s “backside”–a rocky, remote stretch of land between Ulupalakua and Kaupo where the clearest radio stations you can pick up originate on the Big Island–was once home to a thriving Hawaiian community. Sure, there are native Hawaiians who live there now, as well as some ranching there and a rather large wind farm, but for the most part the old pre-contact homesteads are still in place. That’s why archaeologist Patrick Vinton Kirch was able to spend 17 years researching the place, eventually cataloging thousands of sites. Since plans are to build a lot more windmills out there if the state ever builds an Oahu-Maui undersea power cable, the days of its largely unspoiled nature may be coming to an end. @apignataro
*The Best Environmental Nonprofit post originally mischaracterized the SHAKA Movement’s nonprofit status and has been corrected. Click here for an explanation as to why that error occurred.