Maui County Council Vice Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura has announced she is running for mayor. Courtesy photo

Yuki Lei Sugimura, who has been among the top vote-getters in recent Maui County Council elections, announced on Friday that she’s running for mayor.

In making the announcement, Sugimura cited a deep commitment to community, accountability and action-oriented leadership at a pivotal moment for the county. Her entry into the mayoral race comes after incumbent Richard Bissen announced in November that he intends to run for re-election.

“I bring with me years of knowledge of how to get things done,” Sugimura said of her candidacy. “Challenges are opportunities for change, and right now Maui needs leadership that is willing to move from policy to action — leadership that listens, brings people together and makes things happen.”

Born and raised in Wailuku, Sugimura graduated from Baldwin High School, where she was student body president, and she received a bachelor’s degree in human development from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

She has served for nearly a decade on the Maui County Council and brings more than 25 years of experience working across county, state and federal government lines.

Critical of the pace of construction on Maui, Sugimura said one of her top priorities will be eliminating the infrastructure issues that hold back affordable housing.

Sugimura said she wants to cut the average time it takes to get a housing permit down from 300 days and talk with other municipalities with the aim of seeing if Maui County can do a better job.

“Policy alone doesn’t build homes,” she said. “Pipes, permits and pavement do. We need to fix the systems that slow progress and make it harder for families to stay on Maui.”

Sugimura said her decision to run for mayor is rooted in concern for Maui’s future and the growing number of families that have been forced to leave due to high housing costs and infrastructure challenges.

A top vote-getter

Sugimura has been a popular candidate in recent elections for Maui County Council.

In the 2022 general election, she received 29,035 votes, which was the second-highest total for any County Council candidate, as she easily won re-election to the Upcountry seat.

Her 2022 total for council close to the same support Bissen received in the mayoral race that year, as Bissen got 31,381 votes running against then-incumbent Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino.

In the 2024 general election for County Council, Sugimura’s popularity rose as she secured 31,765 votes, or 60% of the vote.

Sugimura’s candidacy for mayor has been endorsed by Michael White, a retired County Council member, state representative and former general manager of Kaanapali Beach Resort.

“Yuki is probably the hardest-working leader I know,” White said. “I think I can say there are not a whole lot of politicians that have the level of integrity that Yuki has. There are other politicians, but Yuki is one of the best. Building relationships is at the core of who she is, and even when you don’t see eye-to-eye, you respect her because she listens. ”

Former Maui County Council member Stacey Helm Crivello of Molokai is also supporting Sugimura.

“My friend Yuki Lei is the best public servant I know,” Crivello said. “You cannot tell me she doesn’t love Maui Nui with all of her being.”

Crivello recalled how Sugimura heard about the deer problem and started a working group of stakeholders who met regularly, eventually lobbying the state Legislature to get funding for fencing at the Kula Agricultural Park.

“She responded and tried to find solutions,” Crivello said.

Past public service

Sugimura, 72, has been married for more than 40 years to retired engineer Takashi Sugimura. She attributes her desire for public service to her father Lester Kashiwa, a Wailuku physician who made house calls and sometimes took produce in trade for his services.

“He’d come back and he was not always paid in money,” Sugimura recalled. “We had mangos, and we had chickens. I think at one time we even had a cow as payment for services. Service is not only about receiving money, but it’s about taking care of people. I think that’s why I’ve always said service is in my blood.”

Sugimura has served as the Maui District representative to the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, and she has worked with U.S. Sen. Maizie Hirono, who assigned Sugimura to a number of tasks, including making sure veterans received help.

Sugimura was a past board member of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center in Wailuku and is a current board member with the Korean War Veterans Association, Maui No Ka Oi Chapter 282.

“I think we can never do enough for veterans,” Sugimura said.

Working with nonprofit groups, she coordinated a number of projects for the use of federal dollars for repair and maintenance, such as fixing teachers’ cottages in Hana and replacing the roof at King Kamehameha III School in Lahaina.

Under former Maui County Mayor James “Kimo” Apana, she also served as the Wailuku Revitalization Coordinator, helping to develop infrastructural projects like the municipal parking structure and a building to house police along with public restrooms in Wailuku.

She’s currently Maui County Council’s vice chair and chair of the Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee, overseeing the county’s annual budget deliberations.

Concerns about Bill 9

Speaking about her reasons for running for mayor, Sugimura referenced Bill 9.

Sugimura was among dissenting members in a 5-3 vote against the bill that will phase thousands of vacation rentals out of Maui’s apartment districts in an effort to increase housing for locals.

Sugimura said she wanted to amend the bill to exclude properties in resorts such as Kaanapali and Wailea, but was unsuccessful.

“You’re taking away people’s rights,” she said. “You know, when they bought this place, they thought they could do short-term vacation rentals. … There is a responsibility that you have or we have as administrators to respect the law.”

Sugimura also cited an analysis from University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, or UHERO, projecting tax losses in excess of $60 million yearly by 2029 due to Bill 9.

Sugimura said her decision to run for mayor is rooted in concern for Maui’s future and the growing number of families forced to leave due to housing costs and infrastructure challenges.

She emphasized the importance of transparency and open government, noting that participation in local decision-making must be accessible, safe and inclusive.

“This office should be your office,” Sugimura said. “People’s problems don’t happen eight to five Monday through Friday. Government needs to meet people where they are.”

Sugimura said economic resilience is a central focus of her campaign, calling for smart infrastructural investment, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and policies that support local businesses while keeping families rooted in Maui County.

“I am running for mayor with humility and with a clear understanding of the responsibility this role carries,” Sugimura said. “I believe in listening first, acting with integrity and bringing civility back to public service. Together, we can build a future where our families can stay — and come home.”

Sugimura said believing the best solutions come from the community, she is inviting comments from people through her website, www.yukileiformayor.com.