The way it starts first is that you got two minutes to open up and just tell us all about you and why we people should vote for you
Hello, oh, hi. Aloha. I I'm your current sitting County Council member for West Maui Ellie Cochran
And I just want to say mahalo to us my tax payers association for holding this event annually and giving this opportunity
For us to check in with you and for you to see what we're doing and all about
I think the first question was what makes me unique and why people should vote for me
What makes me unique? I guess I came from a different background as in not a political
Career politician of sorts. All I cared about was what's the surf doing, you know, what's the weather and
Pretty much that was it until something happened in literally my own backyard, which is Honolua and Honolua Bay was going to be
privatized and it was going to
the people felt it was going to be
The locals and the residents and everyone who cared and loved the area was going to be cut off from their
from their place and I got involved and I wanted to
Educate the community about what was being slated for that area and many people had no clue and
There's where the door opened up for me to learn more about County learn more about the planning
The planning department
The Maui Allen plan was in place. G pack was happening general
General plan advisory council were having meetings. I attended that religiously to tell them no building in Honolua
Do not, you know passing green do not go and it ended up
You know giving me a big
Support base and also opened my eyes up that I need to be in those seats on the council to start making decisions
I felt like a lot of people like myself didn't have that voice being represented and
lo and behold, I've been there for three terms and
Obviously, I'm you know resonating with many people in the community County-wide to be the representative and voice
So I look forward to continuing that service. Thank you
Hello everyone, my name is Ernest Zachary Kanamo Balimbin and I'm a candidate for County council the district of West Maui
You know what makes me unique? I pondered off this question while I was eating on that good food from art
good job on the food art and
you know
I'm like I'm like Trinette. Mr. Toto, you know, I was born and raised here in Lahaina
My dad is from Lahaina, you know, I'm Lahaina to Camp Third with mr. Williams and mr. Tomita
You know by medical with dr. Harrison and dr. Percy, you know, and you know lining to meet it with mr.
Keala and line Luna, of course with mr. Bruno Arayoshi
Henry Arayoshi that is and
You know, I've I've grown up here and went to la la Luna
and
You know, I just had my 30th year reunion and I've heard the same things
I
Be the candidate. I know it's a it's a hard job that these guys do
I
Know I know now so sorry about that little task. We had a little fit. We had last time
But uh, you know, it's it's a hard job. But you know for me
I grew up here. My dad is from Lahaina. My mom is from Hanna. I have
Family at every town in this in this county and on several different islands and for me
I want to represent them. Well, you know, I want to I want to be their voice. I
want to
You know, you can't go to a party with your family there and
And you know, if you make a wrong decision, you hear about it
And I don't want my aunties or uncles or cousins coming to me if I'm a councilman saying dude
That was a wrong decision you made and you know, that's that's not me. I want to better this community. I'm here to better this community
Yeah, I love I love Lahaina, I love Maui and I'm here to help this community. Thank you very much
All right, we'll be asking the same question that we asked the other
Preview some candidates and the question that we have for you Ali is about of course our
workforce housing
What will you do?
Of course already elected to facilitate in increasing the inventory workforce housing units on Maui
How will you work to streamline the subdivision process so as to make it less expensive and cumbersome for developers?
to satisfy chapter 2.96 and include number of residential workforce housing units equivalent to at least 25 percent of
the total number of market rates unit in their developments
Thank you. Thank you, Rick for that question and her and my wheels returning and thinking to when it came my time for this question
and
I've been very honored and thank my council members for
Electing me as chair of the TIG from the planning committee temporary investigative group
Which we are charged to figure out ways and solutions to increase inventory for affordable housing
slash workforce housing and what came out of this so far is
we've
Invited every department involved to the table to discuss this
Question and also a lot of industry people out in the industry people like yourselves our unions our developers and contractors
realtors
lenders and
It came out that we need to first of all redefine that word affordable
And not and step aside from the HUD guideline
Numbers it doesn't fit here in Hawaii. We found that out and also perpetuity is key keeping these homes in perpetuity
And the developers said they're not interested in in incentives
But yes, please streamline, please process what they they're permitting
Expeditiously because they are having a rollbacks there. So that's a department and administration
Needs and and we need to look into and helping them to accomplish that. So thank you for the question
Thank you at least thank you Ali for your response
No, for me when that issue comes up on workforce housing and affordable housing
You know, it's a it's a it's a one of the probably number one issue here facing Maui County and its residents
I've been in that situation. I'm still in that situation
You know, but for me I've I can only speak from personal experience and experience
Personal experience and experience of other people and when when when this topic come up, you know, I just I went to the developers and asked them
Hey, what's your what's the hold up with you guys building affordable housing?
Everything comes down to infrastructure infrastructure and a cost of infrastructure
You know developers
Developers want want the state to take some of that
Some of that build off of them so that they can actually build affordable housing
You know, there's there's tax. There's other ways that we can build build on these
You know, there's tax increment financing with floating bonds, but it's not something you cannot you cannot
Fix a 30-year problem with the two-minute speech, but you know, that's that's where it is
You got to get you know, the permit the permit process is horrible as all you anybody in the construction business or anybody wanted to
build anything I think that needs to be revamped and
We need to work with the private and public public sector to to to
To remedy this problem with the the homeless issue, you know, the
Now work with call Holly
Thank you
Thank you very much for that Ernest, but we're gonna that's my that's my question to you now
And we're gonna start with right here and Ellie's gonna go number one
Our homeless issue has been declared a crisis and since this is a crisis
This is why we're asking all the candidates about this, you know, crisis management
That's what we deal with all the time over here and it is a crisis
What would you do if elected to address our homeless crisis Ellie your electric? Thank you Joe
I'm already elected to do with this
Re-elected yes, and I mean it was there when I got here and continues to be there
But last I heard and we all know about the emergency proclamation on behalf of our governor and what have you and
Our Department of Housing Human Concerns has had meetings very recently within the week actually with on a poly land management company and
Looking into
getting some extra
Lands to expand the area around our current homeless resource center
And so I don't know what what came out of those discussions
But at least I was happy to hear that they are at the table together
dialoguing and on the same page trying to figure this out
Collaboratively and that's what it's gonna take is a public-private partnership of sorts. So that is on the burner
And however I can assist them, of course, I'm there and they both
Understand this because I had talks. So it's one of those things, you know, where we can't solve everything
Overnight, but it's definitely growing and my church is also trying to address it in our way and bringing all the people in
the neighborhood and together on the
Collectively work together also on our behalf to do our part. So thank you very much
All right, now our next same question
You know I when I
Don't want to walk a couple years ago and I went with my kids and
We went we went to we're working that we're walking on like a key and
The homeless problem there is is is ridiculous. So anyway, we're walking past McDonald's and
And you know people just walking over these people who are homeless
You know for me as a as a parent
I took my kids right to McDonald's got 20 burgers 20 chicken sandwiches and say here passes out to these people because these people are
Humans just like us. So when we start looking at these people as being
houseless or homeless and looking them as human beings
Then you know, you think a lot differently, you know for me, I would if I'm elected
I would work with Calhalla because this those are the experts they work with with the homeless shelters and
And providing shelter for for homeless and feeding these people. So, you know on me
Everybody everybody that works for me or knows that when I do catering
Whenever we have extra foods, we plate it up and we pass it out to the to the homeless people down in front street down at Mala
Down at bad yet in the bad entry, you know, that's my personal way of helping these homeless
But it's a big scope. We need fine
Fine solutions and without that with the help of community, I think we can Malama everybody on this island Maolo
Okay, now we have a chance to Ellie you have a chance to ask Ernest a question
Directly whatever you if he's whatever question you want to ask him and he can respond to that and Ernest has a chance to ask you
The same thing. Thank you
Okay, thank you for this opportunity a lot kind of moon. Nice to see you. So I guess I'm
Obviously, you feel that you can do something better or bring something more to the table than I am if you can tell me what that is
I don't I don't say that I can do it better. I'm not
I'm not better than in anybody unless it's cooking anybody like challenge cooking or
Or anything like that body body and the flammies when it's big
You know, I may be better than that, but but you know, I
Think I would just be more personal with people. That's what I asked what my strong point is listening to people and
Finding solutions for these people, you know, there's big problems. There's little problems. There's medium-sized problems as personal problems
You know, a lot of a lot of times people come up to me says hey uncle
Can you help me with this? I said I cannot but I know who somebody who can so on that level
I
Think I can do a really good job. Thank you
Well, um being being being new to this in this political Avenue, um, what what advice could you give me?
Yeah, what advice could you give me your number one hardest thing that you find working in the console?
Oh, my advice would be to drop out of the race, but um
No, just kidding
You know, I
Well, I appreciate
I
Appreciate having a challenger, you know, I appreciate I don't think that any of us I've never this is never
given basically right and
It's good keeps me on my toes people are gonna start asking questions as to oh you have an opponent what you know
Why and all this stuff? So it it gives me that opportunity to explain and really
Hone in on for people of what I what I've done what I aim to do and
But so for you what you explain what you said as your as your
Positive points is what it's going to take
You know people want to be heard people want to be listened to
People want to make sure that when you're when you speak you're going to take it in and understand it and and work through solutions to address any concerns
That they may have so there you go, but really my number one thing is just to drop out of the race
There you go, but really my number one thing is just to drop out of the race
Let's give him a big hand. Thank you very much
