Maui Mayor Unveils $1.7 Billion Budget To Help County Navigate ‘Daunting Journey’ Ahead
The $429 million increase over last year’s budget primarily comes from outside grants related to the fire recovery and higher property taxes. Mayor Richard Bissen delivered his $1.7 billion proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2025 to the Maui County Council on Monday, a 34% increase over the current budget due to the ongoing recovery […]
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Maui Mayor: ‘The State Of Our County Is Heartbroken’ But Recovery Will Happen
Bissen laid out his plans to address the housing crisis seven months after the Aug. 8 fires killed at least 101 people and destroyed much of Lahaina and parts of Kula. Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen delivered an emotional speech on Friday that thanked all the people and organizations that have helped in the response […]
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Honolulu Mayor Announces Plan To Speed Up Affordable Housing In State Of The City Address
Mayor Rick Blangiardi also announced $25,000 recruitment bonuses to help entice new applicants to the police force. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced Thursday in his annual State of the City address that lifeguards will be getting their own department and that he will merge housing departments to focus on affordable developments. In a 50-minute address, […]
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Honolulu Mayor’s Proposed Budget Would Increase Investment In Equipment And Public Safety
The pandemic’s reverberations are still being felt through disrupted supply chains, an increased concern for public safety and hazard back pay. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi on Friday unveiled a proposed $3.6 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year that puts more money toward equipment maintenance and public safety and sets aside about $80 million […]
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Maui County Committee Tosses Mayor’s Picks for Boards and Commissions
Citing a missed deadline by Mayor Richard Bissen, the committee decided to select its own nominees for government panels. Some question the authority to do so. A Maui County Council committee has decided to make its own nominations for a slew of boards and commission after it said Mayor Richard Bissen missed a deadline to […]
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Honolulu Mayor Appoints TV Journalist As New Chief Of Staff
Andy Sugg returns to Oahu after a stint in Boston media. Mayor Rick Blangiardi has hired Andy Sugg as his new chief of staff, filling the hole left in January when former chief of staff Sam Moku became the city’s homelessness coordinator. Sugg comes from a long career in television news that spans from Hawaii […]
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Police Chiefs, Honolulu Mayor And Prosecutor Join Forces Against Legalizing Recreational Weed
Proponents of a bill that would legalize recreational use of marijuana in Hawaii say support from the Attorney General’s Office means it may actually pass this year. Hawaii lawmakers have been trying and failing to legalize the use of recreational marijuana by adults for years, but supporters think the latest proposed legislation has a chance […]
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Honolulu Mayor Defends $1 Billion Ala Wai Canal Flood Plan
The project will be funded by the federal government and the city. The city’s share would be about $375 million. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi stood by the newest Ala Wai Flood Plan on Tuesday, saying the high financial cost shouldn’t be the sole reason that the project is not pursued. He made the case in […]
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Political Reform Should Encourage More Competition | #alaska | #politics
As we see in Hawaii, uncompetitive elections lead directly to a declining quality of government. Over the past several years, calls for reforming the political system in Hawaii have grown substantially. Recent controversies from accountability over the Maui wildfire disaster to increasing transparency over the state legislative process have drawn the attention (and ire) of […]
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Hawaii Mayors Discuss Housing Crisis At Native Hawaiian Convention
Mayor Richard Bissen says Maui is exploring options to convert short-term vacation rentals for tourists into long-term housing options for displaced locals. All four island mayors shared a stage Thursday at the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s annual convention for a panel discussion about what it would take to develop enough housing to keep local […]
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