Read the Responses for candidates from MAUI COUNCILMEMBER (UPCOUNTRY)

Bobby Pahia

Key quotes from Bobby Pahia’s questionnaire:

Here are key verbatim pull quotes from Bobby Pahia’s questionnaire:

Livability and affordability

“It's about our quality of life.”

“This new normal of working multiple jobs to barely survive is not sustainable.”

“One job should be enough to afford our basic needs like: shelter, food, healthcare, and transportation.”

“A livable and affordable Maui County means having a work-life balance to be able to work hard and still have time to enjoy life here.”

Housing supply

“We currently build housing according to supply, but we should be building housing to meet the demand of our local community (not outside speculation for profit-driven investments).”

“Building new housing (increasing supply) is not our only option to solve the housing crisis.”

“We have limited land and water resources, so we cannot build ourselves out of this problem.”

“The hope that the benefits will“trickle down”to us hasn’t worked.”

“We need to understand that the question is not just how many homes are built, but whether they are built for the people who live and work here.”

Community input and streamlining

“These are all priorities, but we need to engage with the community earlier in the process to make sure these plans align with community needs and reduce revisions late in the game.”

“Streamlining processes and coordinating across departments is an important way to move these projects faster and more efficiently.”

Infrastructure funding

“Increase contributions and reciprocity from the tourism industry and non-owner occupied homes.”

“It’s time we leverage the industries that extract profits out of Maui County to fund the things we need like infrastructure.”

“Residents should not have to pay twice for housing (once through higher housing costs and again through infrastructure costs built into the unit price).”

201H and 2.97 housing process

“One problem with 201H is how it can be used to build more than what would be allowed legally.”

“These mechanisms should only be used for 100% affordable housing, not a loophole to avoid full public and environmental review.”

“I feel strongly about simplifying the process in ways that integrates public input earlier on, so changes can be made before developers have invested significant time/resources into the plans.”

Owner occupancy and long-term affordability

“These programs are a good start, but they are not enough by themselves.”

“I talk a lot about generational impact, and if homes are only affordable for 10 years, that is not even one generation of affordability.”

“The goal should be not only to create a first opportunity to buy, but to keep homes in the hands of local residents over time.”

“It is about prioritizing community wealth over independent wealth.”

“We need to move back to the kakou thinking and the village mentality over individual interests and personal gains.”

Zoning and Council voting threshold

“The process needs updates, but community input is paramount.”

“Blanket rezoning sounds nice, but it risks cutting the community out of the process.”

“We need community say in everything.”

“The rules to approve or disapprove a project should be the same.”

“If we need 5 votes to approve, then 5 votes to disapprove is enough.”