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Letters to the Editor

Letter: After 45 years living here, things sure have changed

After almost two years since we lost everything in the fire, I thought it was time for this old man to start enjoying this beautiful island again. Put a couple cold ones in the cooler, grabbed my chair and drove up to Fleming beach. Found a nice parking spot in the shade. Got out and noticed a big sign that read “Scan to park.” The last scan I got was for a faulty prostate, but I figured better safe than sorry. I stood in front of the sign for what I felt was enough time to get scanned and then headed off to the beach. Came back a couple hours later and found a red and white ...

Letter: Not what founders wanted when they created country

The article in the June 19 issue had a headline that the “No Kings” march was anti-Trump. This is not an accurate characterization of what it was about. It was, above all else, a pro-democracy and pro-Constitution march, and it just so happens that President Donald Trump is currently the biggest threat to both of those. But to be sure, there are many other threats to American democracy in addition to Trump. For instance, if Vice President JD Vance becomes president one day, he also has contributed to the erosion of our democracy. Same with House Speaker Mike Johnson. ...

Letter: Tell council to pass Bill 9 to reverse Minatoya opinion

It is our time to have 6,000 apartments built in the 80s and 90s for our workers, but changed by Richard Minatoya, a former Maui Corporation Counsel deputy, to visitor use. Without this housing available, Maui County Council paid Hawaiian Community Assets to create a plan to address our housing crisis. The goal of the plan was to build 5,000 homes in five years. That plan, which would cost $1 billion to implement, is on council members’ shelves collecting dust. So, building homes for our local people seems to be too expensive and apartments rented to visitors are not ...

Letter: How about tax surcharge placed on golfing?

When I was in college many years ago, one of the professors asked us to name a nonproductive activity. I remember only one answer from that otherwise forgotten autumn day: leaf raking. But how about the pseudo-sport of golf? I would define sport as an activity that requires the execution of timely, coordinated and repeated muscle movements while purposely traversing a distance. That is the performance of exertive kinetic activity over time. Walking or riding to a spot or spots where one stands to swing or tap a club against a stationary ball hardly seems to qualify as a sport. ...

Letter: Two wrongs don’t make a right with proposed STR ban

I recently attended the June 9 Maui County Council meeting regarding the proposed Bill 9 to phase out vacation rentals, and heard impassioned testimony from both sides. As part-owner of a small family-run property management company which directly employs 25 people, and indirectly, maybe 40 more, this bill would effectively close our nearly 50-year-old business and decimate all our livelihoods. That said, I empathize with those in need of “affordable” housing. I’m from Portland, Oregon and there is the same problem there as well as pretty much everywhere, so this issue is not ...

Letter: Finish revision of zoning started by county in 2017

Maui County’s obsolete zoning code is making life difficult for our community. Known also as Title 19, it was first enacted in 1960. Maui Planning Department has adapted in response to setbacks in its Title 19 rewrite, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 wildfires, and understaffing issues. Instead of completely overhauling the code, the goal is to create a revised version of Title 19. The crux of the rewrite project is to modernize the code and eliminate redundancies. Simplifying Title 19 will expedite the building permit application process. Building an affordable ...