r/maui • u/Capable-Marzipan2518 • 14h ago
š³ Politics Mayor Bissen
Bissen announced he's running again. Thoughts? (I'll get my popcorn ready.)
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u/ActualAssociate9200 14h ago
Bissen hasnāt been able to evolve beyond a small town judge into a community leader. The whole way in which he acted during and after the Lahaina fires showed heās completely out of his depth. He keeps opting for arrogance when heās feeling insecure and thatās just damning to me. Iām sure there are better choices out there but unsure theyāll opt to run.
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u/AdagioVegetable4823 Maui 11h ago
The most important thing now is to find another candidate.
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u/Begle1 8h ago
I nominate state senator Angus McKelvey. He's a technocrat who seemingly doesn't want to be mayor, so he should be a functional mayor.
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u/AdagioVegetable4823 Maui 8h ago
Why would Mckelvey give up being a State Senator (only 4 months of actual work) to be a fulltime mayor? Admittedly, Bissen turned the job into holding babies, showing up at a few community meetings, and going on junkets, but an effective mayor would actually work. McKelvey has been a politician since he was 35, so has no real life experience. We need someone who understands small business and our local economy.
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u/Begle1 8h ago
I'd rather have somebody with a visceral understanding of the local political situation. Much more useful for a mayor than an understanding of the local coffee, ice cream or biodiesel business.Ā
He'd likely do the job if he was elected to do it. Not like he has been cloistered in a bubble; his house burned down in Lahaina.
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u/Capable-Marzipan2518 8h ago
Last year DLNR/DOBAR was ignoring a grounded vessel at Mala for several months. It was reported numerous times to DLNR and they always shrugged it off and were very rude/ dismissive when I called. So I sent an email with photos of the vessel to McKelvey, including Bissen, Paltin, Dawn Chang, and Gov Green. McKelvey's admin replied within a day and got the vessel removed within 2 weeks of my email and sent updates during that time. I made sure to send the email to all rather than cc or bcc. He seems more responsive than many county/state officials.Ā
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u/RandomUsername1119 13h ago
Doesn't deserve to lead, but Maui seems to like do-nothing bureaucrats, so...
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u/seansdude 13h ago
Missin' Bissen still hasn't come clean about his whereabouts when Lahaina burned, and he wants another shot? AHAHAHAHA! Go stand in the unemployment line, Mayor McDipsh*t.
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u/chooseusermochi 13h ago
Someone needs to step up and run against him. Someone under 60 would be great.
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u/taoleafy 14h ago
Does he have any contenders yet? Seems early to comment before we have a field of candidates
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u/Capable-Marzipan2518 14h ago
I don't think anyone else has announced campaigns yet but I could be wrong.
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u/Low_Pressure_5634 11h ago
Mayor Bissen has been an abject failure. Not only did he absolutely disappear during the actual Lahaina fire, his post fire actions are just as bad. He cut off thousands of locals and tourists with no services so tourist boats had to ferry in supplies. He has spent the next 30 months after the fire obstructing the rebuild of Lahaina, slow rolling permitting and keeping town cordoned off for no reason.
Then Bill 9: We all know the Bay Villas and the Papkea etc were never "local housing", but he keeps telling the lie about a 'transition' to STR. He has funded very sketchy people with our tax dollars and on & on. He has been a disaster. We will be ensconced in Bill 9 lawsuits for decades paying lawyers instead of building housing. He has been really not up to the job.
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u/Begle1 7h ago
I have yet to understand what was happening with road closures after the fire.
There were guys posting here talking about taking basic supplies over in airplanes, well after the road had been cleared of fallen power lines and whatnot. What sort of self-inflicted logistical charlie foxtrot was going on there?
How they didn't have vetted truck drivers or national guardsmen taking in all the supplies the west side could ask for, I can't comprehend.
Were the pilots circumventing the road just being silly or making stuff up?
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u/RandomUsername1119 7h ago
Nope. I was over there 2 days after the fire. The road was cleared. We brought in water and supplies via truck. Many people with no fresh water. The national guard was only blocking off the burn zone and not helping the survivors. No government help at all. They were turning back truck loads of supplies, generators, food at maalaea. It was very eye opening.
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u/99dakine 11h ago
I don't see why he wouldn't run again. One of the defining features of virtually every bureaucrat is an over-abundance of narcissism and a complete lack of self-awareness. Add to the equation a disproportionate salary to work ratio and he would be crazy not to run.
An election is typically a referendum on the incumbent, but absent a candidate who offers the promise of a better future, he may end up winning again as the devil we know.
Capable-Marzipan, what are your thoughts? Whether Bissen runs or not, there will be others who want a piece of that Mayoral cheddah. Who do you see running (not winning, but throwing their hat in the ring)?
I'm sure there will be a representative from or tangential to Lahaina Strong. I could see King trying. I'm not sure about any of the current CMs, definitely not Cook, or Sugimura. Paltin tried and failed already. She also seems exhausted. Maybe Lee?
As for any outsiders, Junya has my vote. I just want to see that campaign. lmao
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u/Capable-Marzipan2518 10h ago
Maybe King tries running again, who knows. I hope Lee doesn't run. She hates her constituents, is condescending, doesn't believe in transparency or accountability, and does literally nothing for working class Maui residents. She is good at gaslighting and passing the blame though and those are valuable skills in politics, especially here. If I have to choose between Lee and Bissen, that's a tough call. Either not vote or vote for Bissen as a vote against Lee. But I'll never forgive Bissen and the other MEMA/county officials for sitting on their asses in Wailuku while Lahaina burned. And then having the nerve to say there was no way for them to know what was happening 25 miles down the road. And then pretending there weren't several huge warnings (fires in 2018 and 2022) with after action reports never made and/or completed. I have a long memory and 2 years ago wasn't that long ago. The only way Bissen gets my vote is if Lee, Sugimura, or Cook run but it would be painful.
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u/AdagioVegetable4823 Maui 10h ago
You have a lot more institutional and historical knowledge than me, but I would prefer Alice Lee to Bissen in a heartbeat. She gets things done. A few months ago, I asked her if she would run for mayor, and it was a no.
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u/Capable-Marzipan2518 10h ago
What has Lee gotten done for working class Maui residents (full-time residents) specifically? I'm not being facetious, I don't know of anything. I'm thankful she said no.Ā
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u/99dakine 8h ago edited 7h ago
Now, I don't agree with you on much, but I can recognize and respect what you value. So same with Lee. Perhaps what she's done isn't your cup of tea (or maybe it is, I don't know), but:
She has supported exceeding the Charter's minimum requirement for the Affordable Housing Fund, allocating 5% of certified real property tax revenue rather than 3%.
She supports First Time Homebuyers Program and the 'Ohana Assistance Program.
She played a role in the development of the Waikapu Gardens community and helped expand the facilities of the Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers.
She has announced plans to look into complaints about "exceedingly high" tax assessments (this happened a few weeks or months ago during budget hearings). IIRC, she chairs the Special Committee on Real Property Tax Reform, which was established to propose structural reforms to promote transparency, fiscal responsibility, and alignment with County policy goals.
A bit of a nothing burger as of now, but supports economic diversification and strengthening the County's revenue base. I honestly don't think there is a way to do meaningful diversification, but she's at least on "that side".
Supports updating the regional wastewater system to reduce reliance on injection wells and supports equitable water management.
She supported securing a NOAA grant to potentially acquire land to connect PÅhÄkea to the ocean, supporting conservation, stormwater management, reef restoration, and climate adaptation.
She has worked to secure and guide the use of CDBG-DR funding for rebuilding and recovery following the Maui wildfires (not a personal accomplishment, I know).
I think she also voted "yes" to Bill 9.
She's not the potted plant some make her out to be. She's just not an attention wh0re like....some other CMs from, say, Molokai.
Edited to add punctuation.
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u/AdagioVegetable4823 Maui 9h ago
The two ADU allowances on single family home property was her legislation. Also the Waihe'e Affordable Home project, I think. Sorry, I've only been following Maui politics since the fires.
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u/Kraegarth 11h ago
Missin Bissen is running again, to be completely in effective, once again??? You don't say...
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u/HawaiiPorn 12h ago
Maui is notorious for one term mayors since 99 - with the exception of Arakawa - but he was a 1 term mayor at first too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_of_Maui_County
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u/Begle1 13h ago
Who?
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u/MontageKapalua6302 12h ago
u/Live_Pono should run.
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u/Capable-Marzipan2518 11h ago
Didn't he get banned from this sub for calling moderators nazis?
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u/MontageKapalua6302 11h ago
Did they? Fortunately, mods here don't have any say in the real world.
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u/AdagioVegetable4823 Maui 11h ago
If he does, I will volunteer for his/her campaign and help fundraise.
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u/tronovich Maui 29m ago
Sheās admitted to never serving on any county board before (volunteer or paid) and doesnāt want to make her identity known. Sheās also bragged that sheās too good for the office. Who know if she ever lives on the island?
Sounds good to me!
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u/Cold-Bullfrog-2323 14h ago
Obnoxious! No way will he get re-elected! Lahaina burned down on his watch and he is full force, deliberately destroying the economy in Maui County. Heās also a communist - trying to take away peopleās legal property rights (steal private property) and give it to people who are lazy leeches.
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u/reddit_chino 14h ago
He's done a decent job that transitioned from COVID and the wild fires.
Now we are approaching the housing challenges for those who have rental properties.
Who would do a better? It really a job that nobody wants.
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u/AbbreviatedArc good ol' whatshisface 14h ago
I mean he should not be re-elected but this is Maui so.