And our next two candidates came all the way from HANA and I think they deserve a round of applause just for that.
First question, from Collow Farmers and Food Stands to Small Retail Shops,
East Maui has a number of small entrepreneurial businesses.
What specific action can the council take to support their successes?
We have quite a few businesses, not only just in HANA but along HANA Highway and from Kailua going down,
which is all in our district.
The things we can do is to make it easier for these businesses to operate.
There are many regulations that are necessary to make sure that people don't get food poisoning, to make sure that it's clean,
to make sure that the public is well served from these businesses that do serve food.
There are also many small businesses and we have people that manufacture stuff all year for mostly the tourist trade naturally,
and that's what comes through the most, to make sure that they have the opportunity to go over there and be able to sell their stuff,
to be able to go out there and be in a position to where they're visible and to where they can operate,
to where they can be successful in their endeavors.
We have many entrepreneurs in HANA and we need to support them every way possible.
As we continue on, that we will further and have more people in our district because our opportunities are very limited for employment.
I hope we can have more entrepreneurs come up and we can make the atmosphere such that they will be encouraged to get out there
and support themselves and their families.
Mahalo.
Thank you.
Shane, same question.
From Kalo Farmers and Food Stamps to small retail shops,
East Maui has a number of small entrepreneurial businesses.
What specific action can the council take to support their successes?
You know, the food, the fruit stands along the road to HANA, can I add the character to the HANA highway,
but not everybody should have a fruit stand.
And pretty much, I believe the county should regulate these fruit stands.
When you start to these, of course we support our small farmers and our farm to table.
We want to support them, but we do not want to get so big along the road that you're creating a large commercial operation
where there's no parking, there's no bathroom facilities,
and so it becomes cumbersome for the traffic to be continuing along the highway.
For us, we want to support our commercial areas in HANA.
We do not want these jungle malls bringing up all over the highway.
So for those legitimate businesses that pay their fair share, so should these small businesses.
We want to keep them small.
We don't want them to get too large.
So that being said, I think the county should regulate to some degree the size of these fruit stands.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Shane, this question is for you.
Word has it that the super ferry is under consideration for a return to Hawaii.
Its service would provide businesses here on Maui a valuable option for shipping products off island to Oahu and other neighbor islands.
However, it would also expose Maui to many more visitors and their vehicles on our roads
and the possibility of our resources such as Opiei and Limu to be taken off island.
What are your views about the super ferry?
I think the first question is why did they stop in the first place?
You know, I feel the ferry is years down the road.
And I say that because of the, for one, the infrastructure.
We don't have the infrastructure for the added traffic.
I think if the state and county can go ahead and build infrastructure and public public facilities, maybe right now everything is in disrepair.
And, you know, our taxpayers are we need to we start paying for those for those repairs.
Secondly is we're inundated with invasive species.
The little fire ants, the cocky frogs, pretty much could potentially be the vehicle to spread these invasive species.
I think we need more stringent policies about agriculture and bringing in plants from other areas.
I think if you go ahead and visit the state site, it says something like we don't have enough workers
because of the shortage, some of our offices will be closed because we have a shortage of workers for those agricultural services.
Thirdly, we don't have I think if we had just basic preparation.
I mean, if we're looking at the first diversified economy for the next years, I mean, let's prepare first.
Let's get our people to those basic businesses started and economics prior to to bringing in all of these potential clients.
Thank you.
Thank you, Shane.
Bob.
Bob, same question for you.
Thank you.
I'm sorry, word has it that the Superfery is under consideration for a return to Maui.
Its service would provide businesses a valuable option for shipping products off Island to Oahu and other islands.
However, it would also expose Maui to many more visitors and to their and their vehicles on our roads and the possibility of our resources such as Opie and Limu to be taken off Island.
What are your views about the Superfery?
The Superfery is really an interesting thing to discuss.
When before they started, they came to Maui and they met with the representatives met with me up on the 8th floor in the county building.
Charlie Taguchi, who many might know as Caetano's chief of staff was their representative for liaison to the government.
And one of the first things I asked them was the environmental impact statement.
And they said they put a million dollars aside for that.
And the head of the department, state department of transportation told them don't do it.
They didn't want to set the precedent.
Right there from the very beginning, all what Shane brought up and what I brought up and what a lot of us brought up,
never had a chance to be addressed.
It might have worked beautifully.
We don't know.
Because they were willing.
The people, the Superfery people were willing to do it.
The state said no.
If we are going to pursue it, it needs to be done right.
It needs to have an environmental impact statement.
It needs to go through everything.
And it needs to be addressed in basic species.
Don't even get on me about the fire ants and cookie crops and everything else.
These things are serious.
It did work to a degree for our people.
Our smaller businesses and even bigger businesses profited by it.
They did well.
We didn't have much trouble from Honolulu businesses because Honolulu is the marketplace.
But again, if they're going to do it, if we want to pursue it, it has to be done right.
It has to be environmentally correct.
Otherwise, I could not support it.
Mahalo.
Thank you, Bob.
Thank you, Bob.
Last question, again, one minute to answer.
I'm going to go with Bob first.
What would you like those in the room and voters to know about you?
All right.
I'm Bob Kill.
I'm a 61 graduate of Honolulu School.
My wife, Ululane, is a 59 graduate of Honolulu School.
My children went to Honolulu School.
My son is Sean's classmate.
My grandchildren went to Honolulu School.
My great-grandchildren, which I have 10 of, some of them have started school already.
But I have worked on every island with a telephone company in every district.
With a school, I have gone to every school because I was head for the parent component for all the remedial reading and pre-school programs in Maui County.
I was also with the school advisory council and worked with every school.
I have a strong background in our history and the histories of Molokai and Linae.
I also keep in contact with everyone over there.
I'm very able to separate the wheat from the chief.
And those are the kind of decisions that you want to elect somebody to do.
And I hope you'll elect Mahalo.
Thank you.
Shane, for those in the room and voters, what would you like them to know about you?
I'm Shane Sinetsi, and I'm running for East Maui County Council seat this year.
I am a special needs teacher for nearly 20 years.
I graduated from Lahainan Luna High School at the boarding department.
I got an architecture degree at the University of Oregon, and I received my teaching certificate at the Shamadad University of Honolulu.
In the last six years, I've been closely working with my community.
I currently serve on the Hana Community Association, which we have revived since its hiatus for a couple of years.
I also volunteered a stint on the advisor committee of the County Planning Commission,
and I currently am the Aomoku representative for the Cultural Resource Management Committee.
I look forward to serving my community.
I believe all of my leadership positions have prepared me well enough,
and I ask for your vote in November. Mahalo.
