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From the way he roamed the crowd greeting friends and colleagues beforehand, to the finishing touch of borrowing an ukulele and leading everyone in singing "Hawaii Aloha," Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. delivered a State of the County address unlike any we remember.
Held Tuesday afternoon on the lawn fronting the county building, Kalana O Maui, it was a pared-down affair open to everyone. There was no grand entrance or screens scrolling images of the administration's many accomplishments. Some State of the County addresses we have attended sounded a lot like reelection stump speeches. "I did this. We did that. We hope to continue this vision for the next four years."
Bissen did not strike that tone. With three past Maui County mayors in attendance -- Michael Victorino, Alan Arakawa and James "Kimo" Apana -- he made a point of crediting past administrations for their efforts to deal with challenges ranging from affordable housing to sea level rise. He pledged to continue their hard work. Was this Bissen being modest, or a naive political newcomer missing an opportunity to grab the spotlight? He has at least three more of these annual updates to deliver. We'll learn the answer to that question down the line.
Expressing pride in his Wailuku roots, Bissen shared childhood memories of shopping with his mother and sisters at National Dollar Store on Main Street and working at his grandfather's pig farm below Happy Valley. He displayed his fluency in the Hawaiian language and gave thanks to the Maui community that "nurtured, encouraged and supported" him.
When it came time for the nuts and bolts of his address, he declared the financial state of the county is "strong and stable." The biggest headline grabber was his announcement of an indemnification agreement with Gov. Josh Green that will allow the county to issue a temporary certificate of occupancy for Kulanihako'i High School. The long-awaited Kihei campus is now scheduled to welcome students this August. Bissen promised it will open without pedestrians crossing at what he called the "infamous Kihei Roundabout."
Another highlight was his commitment for the county to seek ownership of watershed and conservation lands, including a renewed effort to acquire the Wailuku Water Company.
With a goal of boosting Maui County's bond rating, he pledged to submit a budget that pays down the county's debt while increasing its savings. He also announced plans to lower property taxes for many Maui landowners and to boost the Affordable Housing Fund.
Bissen is so quick to share stories of how thrifty he is, some might call him cheap. So far, the plans he laid out Tuesday, and the budget he turned over to the County Council Friday, back up those claims of frugality.
State of the County addresses offer a snapshot of our local government's plans, health and well-being. They also provide an interesting picture of who's in charge.