Maui journalists to question mayoral candidates in live debate
Maui County mayoral candidates Richard Bissen and Michael Victorino will answer questions from a panel of Maui reporters on Oct. 15 during a live debate broadcast on Akaku Community Media from Seabury Hall.
Retired 2nd Circuit Chief Judge Bissen and incumbent Mayor Michael Victorino finished first and second, respectively, in a crowded mayoral field of eight candidates during the Aug. 13 primary election. They will now compete for the mayor’s office in the Nov. 8 general election.
Chelsea Davis, a journalist for Hawaii News Now for the past eight years and HNN’s first-ever Maui correspondent, will moderate the debate. The panelists will be Marina Starleaf Riker, Civil Beat’s first Maui reporter who has previously written for the Associated Press and the San Antonio Express-News’ investigative team, and Colleen Uechi, the current managing editor of The Maui News and former staff writer for The Molokai Dispatch. Seabury Hall students will also participate with questions of their own.
The event marks the first time three media organizations on Maui island have joined together for a candidate debate.
“Akaku is honored to have the participation of a stellar line-up of Maui’s best journalists to help voters select the best candidate to vote for on Tuesday,
November 8th,” Jay April, president and CEO of Akaku, said in a news release Friday.
The 90-minute debate will air from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Akaku channel 55, on its website at akaku.org, on its mobile MauiStream App and on the radio at KAKU 88.5 FM.
Akaku is an independent nonprofit established in 1992 to promote the creation of media by, for and about the community.
For more information, visit akaku.org or contact the organization by email at info@ akaku.org or by phone at (808) 871-5554.