Read the Responses for candidates from MAUI COUNCILMEMBER (UPCOUNTRY)

Derrick Cabiles

Key quotes from Derrick Cabiles’s questionnaire:

Livability and affordability

“To me, a livable and affordable Maui County means a place where our kids don't look at moving to the mainland as their only option to survive.”

“It means our working families, frontline workers, and kūpuna can look at their paychecks or retirement and actually have enough to stay here.”

“When it takes years just to get approvals, it drives up development costs that get passed right down to our local families.”

Housing supply and infrastructure

“A common misconception is that simply having land or wanting to build houses will solve the problem overnight.”

“I see firsthand that the real bottleneck is infrastructure—like water lines, roads, and wastewater treatment.”

“People often think a project is ready to go, but if the county hasn't laid the foundational groundwork, everything stalls.”

“We also need the community to understand that building supply only works if we specifically protect and restrict those homes so they go to local residents and working families, rather than becoming luxury investments for off-island buyers.”

Streamlining county government

“I put streamlining processes as number one because if your operations are broken, nothing else works.”

“Right now, county bureaucracy is delaying everything from workforce housing to water system upgrades.”

“By bringing a practical, business-minded approach to streamlining how our county operates first, we save valuable tax dollars and clear the path to finally deliver on infrastructure and public safety.”

Infrastructure funding

“We cannot keep balancing the county budget on the backs of local families who are already stretched to their financial limits.”

“The money is out there, but we need to be faster and more organized to secure those dollars—especially for Upcountry water reliability.”

“By treating tax dollars responsibly and shortening agency timelines, we can make sure money goes directly into the ground for roads, water lines, and pipes, rather than being eaten up by bureaucratic delays.”

201H and 2.97 housing process

“Right now, even when a housing project qualifies for these fast-track programs, it still gets stuck in an administrative loop where files sit on desks moving slowly from one department to the next.”

“We need to treat the permitting process like an efficient assembly line where different departments look at the plans at the same time.”

“Setting hard deadlines for county reviews will stop the costly delays that hold up projects, meaning local families can actually get into their homes sooner.”

Owner occupancy and wealth building

“I think they provide a vital foot in the door, but we can do a lot better when it comes to balancing long-term community stability with true wealth-building.”

“However, we need to ensure that the equity-sharing formulas aren't so restrictive that local families are penalized for economic growth or unable to pass that generational wealth down to their keiki.”

“I support looking at adjusting our deed restrictions so that the housing remains permanently affordable to the local workforce tier, while still allowing the resident family to build enough stable equity to eventually move up the property ladder if they choose.”

Zoning and fast track housing

“Forcing a project to go through a massive, multi-year rezoning battle for land that our community has already thoroughly vetted and designated for housing in our Community Plans makes no sense.”

“Once the community agrees on where housing should go, our zoning maps should automatically reflect that decision.”

“If an affordable housing project has successfully jumped through every single hurdle, met our strict workforce guidelines, and qualified for a fast-track process, it shouldn't be easily derailed by a simple political majority on the Council.”

“It signals to everyone that Maui is serious about solving our housing crisis, keeps the focus on data-driven approvals, and prevents vital workforce housing from being used as a political football.”