Carol Lee Kamekona

On Thursday, Carol Lee Kamekona announced she intends to run for Maui County Council’s Kahului seat in 2026.

The seat was held by Councilmember Tasha Kama, who passed away Sunday at age 73. According to those close to Kama, before she passed, she expressed her wishes that Kauanoe Batangan, executive director of the Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization, be appointed to fill the remainder of her term, which expires in 2026.

Per the county charter, Maui County Council has 30 days to appoint someone into the role before that responsibility falls to the mayor.

In the 2024 election, Kamekona lost to Tasha Kama while running for the Kahului seat on Maui County Council. Kama received 43.3% of the vote while Kamekona received 34.8%.

“With aloha for Anake Tasha Kama and her ‘ohana, this is a tender moment for our community,” Kamekona said in a news release announcing her candidacy.

“Even as we honor her life and await formal memorial observances, the Charter gives Council a 30-day window to seat a successor,” Kamekona continued. “There will be names in the conversation — that is natural — but the process must come first.”

Kamekona also thanked County Council Chair Alice Lee for scheduling a meeting for Monday to discuss appointing someone to the vacant seat.

“I support transparent, posted criteria, public interviews, and a vote in the sunshine,” Kamekona said. “Whatever the Council decides, Maui deserves a process we can trust.”

In announcing her intent to run for the seat in 2026, Kamekona cited the importance of passing Bill 9, a proposal that would roll back thousands of transient-vacation rentals operating in Maui’s apartment districts.

She also said she supports prioritizing hiring full-time Maui residents, apprenticeships for children, safe job sites and more government accountability.