Carol Lee Kamekona Announces 2026 Campaign
Carol Lee Kamekona Announces 2026 Intent to Run For Maui County Council (Kahului Residency)
Local housing for local workers. Transparent, accountable government you can see, measure, and trust.
Kahului, Maui, HI – October 30, 2025 - Aunty “NTY” Carol Lee Kamekona, a retired 22-year U.S. Navy/Navy Reserve veteran and longtime community organizer, today announced her intent to run for Maui County Council in 2026.
“I answer to Maui’s families - full stop,” Kamekona said. “This campaign is about local housing for local workers, living wage jobs for our ‘ohana, and transparent, accountable government - so people can trust County decisions and actually track the progress. Policy should work at the kitchen table, not just on a spreadsheet, a PowerPoint, or a 100-page report.”
Kamekona said she will champion a responsible, timely cadence on Bill 9 - publishing checkpoints and enforcement data - so homes return to residential use and working people aren’t priced out of Maui. “We need to move Bill 9 so Maui families stop having to move.”
On major public works, she supports one clear playbook that prioritizes hiring Maui full-time residents, apprenticeships for our keiki, and safe job sites - plus a public dashboard so everyone can see the results. “You can’t out-credential Maui’s lived reality. Show up, train our keiki, deliver on time. If you’re paying right, training workers, and building safely - come bid. Let’s go.”
On the current vacancy, “With aloha for Anake Tasha Kama and her ‘ohana, this is a tender moment for our community. Even as we honor her life and await formal memorial observances, the Charter gives Council a 30-day window to seat a successor. There will be names in the conversation - that is natural - but the process must come first. I mahalo Chair Alice Lee for centering the conversation on process and for calendaring Monday’s meeting to bring the discussion into the open. I support transparent, posted criteria, public interviews, and a vote in the sunshine. Whatever the Council decides, Maui deserves a process we can trust.”
“My campaign is focused on 2026 and on showing, by example, the accountability we need from County government. “
Kamekona’s record reflects steady community work - from ‘Ahahui Ka’ahumanu IV Wailuku (Pelekikena, 14 years) to cultural and housing advocacy - alongside her prior statements supporting rent stabilization, short-term rental reforms, water stewardship, campaign transparency, all centered on pono, people-first governance.
“Some candidates lead with pedigrees. I lead with- and for - our Maui ‘ohana. I’ll work with anyone to deliver for our people - and I won’t work for anyone but Maui.”
For more information or to get involved, visit https://www.carolleekamekona.com/and join us on social media.
