Maui Mayor Takes ‘Bold Step’ To Eliminate 7,000 Short-Term Rentals By 2026
Emboldened by state lawmakers’ action this session, Bissen has proposed county legislation to phase out certain vacation units to open up more long-term housing. A day after the Legislature passed a bill that gives Hawaii’s counties more authority to regulate short-term rentals, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen wasted no time proposing legislation that would eliminate more […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
Amid calls for accountability, Maui’s mayor steers clear of spotlight and avoids news conferences
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A month and a half after a wall of flames tore through Lahaina town, killing at least 97 people and erasing the town, scores of key questions linger. Despite that, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen hasn’t publicly answered questions at a news briefing since Aug. 29. He also wasn’t present at two significant […]
Read More
Maui mayor appoints new interim director of emergency management amid wildfire relief effort
The Mayor of Maui County announced the hiring of a new head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency on Friday. Darryl Oliveira will become interim administrator for MEMA on Monday, according to a release from Maui County. The new hiring of Oliveira, a former administrator of the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency, comes in the […]
Read More