Ke Ea O Ka ʻĀina | The Life and Sovereignty of the Land
For decades, Maui has relied on a "Single-Engine Economy": Tourism.
We import 85% to 90% of our food, we export 80% of our profits, and when the planes stop coming (like during COVID or the fires), our entire economy collapses.
The recovery plan from the establishment is just to "turn the engine back on." That is not a plan; that is a trap. We don't need to just recover; we need to evolve.
We need an economy that looks like a healthy coral reef: diverse, interconnected, and resilient to storms.
The "Micro-Investor" Strategy: Building an Economic Reef
Investing in Families, Not Corporations
The County spends millions luring big outside tech companies or developers to "save us." They rarely stay. The real engine of our economy is the Makaʻāinana—the local family with a side hustle, the garage mechanic, the farmer.
I will launch the "Islands of Resilience" Grant Program, shifting economic development funds from "Corporate Incentives" to "Micro-Investor" Grants.
The Flagship Project: The Axis Deer Economy
We have an invasive species crisis (Axis Deer) destroying our farms and watersheds. Instead of paying contractors to just cull them, we will turn them into an industry.
The Plan: Provide micro-grants for local hunters and butchers to purchase Mobile Slaughter Units (USDA-approved).
The Result: We turn a pest into a resource. We create a new local food source (venison) for our schools and food banks, we protect our watershed, and we create jobs that pay a living wage—all owned by local families, not a foreign corporation.
"We don't need a factory to save us. We need to give our people the tools to save themselves." — Aunty Carol
"Maui First" Procurement: Keep Our Dollars Here
Public Money Should Benefit the Public
Every year, Maui County awards hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts—from road paving to office supplies. Too often, these contracts go to off-island corporations because they can bid 1% lower than a local family business.
The Policy:
I will introduce the "Maui First" Procurement Ordinance.
The Preference: Any qualified business that is 100% Maui-owned and operated will receive a "Local Preference Credit" in the bidding process. If their bid is within 10% of the lowest off-island bidder, the County must award the contract to the local company.
The Logic: Sending $1 million to a California contractor means that money leaves forever. Sending $1.1 million to a Kahului contractor means that money pays local wages, buys lunch at a local food truck, and circulates in our community. That is worth the extra 10%.
The Circular Economy: Waste to Wealth
Turning Trash into Treasure
Our landfill is filling up, and we are paying to ship waste off-island. This is a failure of imagination. In a Circular Economy, there is no such thing as "waste"—only resources in the wrong place.
My Commitment:
The "Repair & Reuse" Stimulus: We will offer tax incentives and grants for businesses that focus on repair rather than replacement. This includes appliance repair shops, seamstresses, and electronics refurbishers.
Compost Sovereignty: Instead of shipping green waste, we will fully fund decentralized, community-scale composting facilities. This creates free fertilizer for our farmers and keeps tons of methane-producing waste out of the landfill.
THE KULEANA PLEDGE
If elected, I promise to:
Pass the "Maui First" Ordinance: Within my first 6 months, we will stop exporting our tax dollars.
Fund the Deer Solution: Allocate budget for the first 3 Mobile Slaughter Units to jumpstart the venison market.
Empower the Small: restructure the Office of Economic Development to prioritize grants under $25,000 for local startups over million-dollar tax breaks for resorts.