‘I he’ene Lea ‘a e Tu’unga ‘o e Vahefonua ‘o e 2024 ‘i he efiafi ni, na’e fakakaukau ai ‘a e Pule Kolo ko Richard T. Bissen, Jr. ki he me’a fakamamahi kovi taha ‘i he hisitōlia fakaonopooni ‘o e ‘Iunaiteti Siteiti – ko e ngaahi vela ‘o e vao ‘i Maui ‘i ‘Aokosi 2023 – lolotonga ‘ene fakapapau’i ke ne tau’i ‘a e faingata’a’ia ‘o e ngaahi fale kuo fuoloa ‘ene ‘i ai ‘o fakafou ‘i ha fokotu’u fo’ou ke fakasi’isi’i ‘a e totongi nofo ke fakasi’isi’i ‘a e totongi nofo.

Naʻe fakahā ʻe he Pule Kolo ko Bissen lolotonga ʻene leá te ne ʻoatu ki he Fakataha Alēlea ʻo e Vahefonua Mauí ha fokotuʻu lao ke tokoni ki hono fakatuʻumaʻu ʻo e totongi nofo ʻi he Vahefonua Mauí.

“ʻOku fakataumuʻa ʻeku fokotuʻú ke ʻomi ha fakanonga ki ha lauiafe ʻo homau kakai ʻoku nau fehangahangai mo e tupulaki ʻa e taʻemalu ʻo e maʻu ha ʻato ʻi honau ʻulú maʻanautolu mo honau ngaahi fāmilí, pea ke tokoni ke ʻomi ʻa e tuʻunga maʻumaʻuluta ki he fie maʻu lahi ʻa homau koló ki ha ngaahi fale lolotonga ia ʻoku totonu ke fakapalanisi ʻa e ngaahi fie maʻu ʻa e kau maʻu ʻapi nofo totongí,” ko ʻene leá ia.

Naʻe toe fakahā foki ʻe he Pule Kolo ko Bissen ʻe fakafoki ʻe ia ha tuʻutuʻuni fakalotofonua ʻa e Vahefonuá ʻi he 2011 ʻo ʻikai ke ne toʻo ha ngaahi tangi ʻoku ʻikai fakahā hono hingoá fekauʻaki mo e ngaahi nofo totongi taimi nounou taʻefakalaó. ‘E ‘ikai fuoloa, ‘e kamata ke to’o ‘e he Talekita Palani ‘a e ngaahi tangi kotoa pe fekau’aki mo e ngaahi nofo totongi taimi nounou ta’efakalao pea te ne tuli ia ki he tu’unga kakato taha. ‘Ikai ngata aí, ko e ngaahi ‘iuniti ‘o Minatoya ‘oku fakakalasi ‘oku ‘ikai ke nau totongi ‘a e ngaahi ‘iunití ‘e fai hano vakai‘i ‘o e tu‘utu‘uní mo e fakalaó, ‘i he kumi ‘e he Pule Koló mo ‘ene pule‘angá ha ngaahi fili lahi ange ki he ngaahi falé.

Ko e Lea ʻa e Pule Kolo ko Bissen ki he Tuʻunga ʻo e Vahefonuá ʻi he pō Falaité naʻe tohoakiʻi mai ai ha kau tangataʻi fonua ʻe laungeau, kau ʻōfisa mo e kakai ʻo e koló ki he Fale Faiva ʻo e Kasele ʻo e Maui Arts & Cultural Center ʻi Kahului.

Ko e konga lahi ʻo e efiafí naʻe fakakaukau ai ki he meʻa fakamamahi ʻi ʻAokosi 2023 pea ʻoatu ʻa e mahalo ki he tokolahi naʻa nau poupouʻi ʻa Maui ʻi he taha ʻo hono taimi faingataʻaʻia lahi tahá. ʻI he taimi naʻe tō ai ʻa e vela ʻo e vaotaá ʻi ʻAokosi ʻi Lahaina mo Kula, naʻe mole ai ha moʻui ʻe toko 101, ʻoku kei ʻikai ke ʻiloʻi ha toko ua pea ʻoku ʻauha pe maumauʻi ha ngaahi koloa ʻe laungeau.

“ʻOku ou ʻi heni ke lipooti ʻoku loto mamahi ʻa e tuʻunga ʻo homau Vahefonuá,” ko e lea ia ʻa e Pule Kolo ko Bissen.

“Mei he meʻa fakamamahi ko ʻení, te tau tuʻu hake fakataha, mālohi ange, tuʻumālie ange, mo tukupā ko ha komiunitī ʻoku uouangataha ʻo ʻikai ngata pē ʻi heʻetau toe langa haké, ka ʻi heʻetau toe tupu haké,” ko ʻene tānaki atu ia .

Naʻe māhina pē ʻe fitu ʻa e Pule Kolo ko Bissen ʻi heʻene ʻi he lakanga ʻi he taimi naʻe tafiʻi taimi tatau ai ʻe he ngaahi vela fakaʻauha ʻo e vaotaá ʻa Kula, Kihei mo Lahaina. Naʻe tali leva ʻene timí ʻi he kamata pē ʻa e ngaahi afí, ʻo nau tokoni ki he fetukutuku ʻo e kakaí, ʻave ʻa e ngaahi fetuʻutaki mahuʻingá mo kamataʻi ʻa e ngaahi feituʻu fakatauʻanga meʻakaí. Naʻe vave pē hono tokoniʻi ʻo e ngaahi timi fakalotofonuá ʻe he ngaahi hoa ngāue fakasiteiti mo fakafederal, fakataha mo e ngaahi kautaha ʻikai fakatupu paʻanga mo e ngaahi kautaha ʻikai fakapuleʻanga mahuʻingá. Lolotonga e tuku ‘e he kau polisi, kau tamate afi mo e kau tali fakavavevave kehe ‘enau mo’ui ‘i he laine, na’e ‘alu hake ‘a e kau to’a meiate kinautolu ‘oku nau tui teunga – pea meiate kinautolu ‘i he ngaahi feitu’u faka’aho.

Ko e meʻa mahuʻinga tahá, naʻe fakamālōʻiaʻi ʻe he pule koló ʻa e komiunitī ʻo Maui Nuí ʻi heʻenau tali taʻehanotatau ki hono tokangaʻi ʻo e fāmilí, ngaahi kaungāmeʻá, kaungāʻapí pea naʻa mo e kau muli.  

“ʻOku ʻi ai ha ngaahi ngāue angaʻofa mo loto-toʻa taʻefaʻalaua ʻoku nau talamai ʻa e talanoa ʻo ha komiunitī ʻoku ngāue, ʻo fai ha meʻa pē ʻe fie maʻu ke tokoni ki he ngaahi kaungāmeʻá pea pehē ki he kau muli,” ko e lau ia ʻa e Pule Kolo ko Bissen.

Lolotonga e leá, naʻe fakahā ʻe he Pule Kolo ko Bissen neongo ʻa e ngaahi velá, ka naʻe kei maʻu pē ʻe he Vahefonuá ʻa ʻene tuʻunga lelei ʻaupito ʻi he ngaahi pōnití. Hili hono vakaiʻi lahi ʻo e puleʻi mo e tuʻunga fakapaʻanga ʻo e Vahefonuá, naʻe lipooti ʻe he ngaahi kautaha fakafuofua ʻa e Standard & Poor’s mo e Moodyʻs ʻoku “tuʻumaʻu” ʻa e tuʻunga fakapaʻanga ʻo e Vahefonuá.

ʻI hono lau ko e fakatamaki vela kovi taha ia ʻi he hisitōlia ʻo ʻAmelika fakaonopooní, naʻe fakalalahi ʻe he ngaahi vela ʻi ʻAokosí ʻa e ngaahi faingataʻa kuo ʻosi faingataʻa ʻi he Vahefonua Mauí, kau ai ʻa e ʻikai ha ngaahi fale ʻoku lava ke maʻu, nounou ʻa e vaí mo e ngaahi fie maʻu ki he ngaahi langa fakalakalaká.

Ko e Pule Kolo ko Bissen, ʻi hono fokotuʻu ha Timi Fakahinohino ʻa Lahaina ʻo ha kau ngāue tokoni ʻe toko ono ʻoku loloto honau ngaahi aka ʻi Lahaina, fakataha mo e ʻŌfisi Fakaakeake ʻo e Vahefonuá, ʻoku nau tali ʻa e fakaakeaké mo e toe langa. Lolotonga iá, ‘oku kei hokohoko atu pē ‘a e ngāue ‘a ‘ene ngaahi potungāué ki he ngaahi ngāue mahu‘inga faka‘aho hangē ko e ngaahi fakalelei ki he ngaahi falé, ngaahi ma‘u‘anga vai ‘oku tu‘uloá pea mo hono fakalelei‘i mo fakalelei‘i ‘a e ngaahi langa fakalakalaka mahu‘ingá.

Ke vakai pe download ha tatau ʻo e Lea ʻa e Pule Kolo ko Bissen ki he Tuʻunga ʻo e Vahefonuá ʻi he 2024, ʻaʻahi ki he www.mauicounty.gov/mayor . ʻE lava ke maʻu ha vitiō ʻo e tuʻasilá ʻi he peesi Facebook ʻa e Vahefonua Mauí; ʻe ʻoatu ha vitiō kehe ʻi he uepisaiti ʻa e Vahefonua Mauí ʻi he kahaʻú.

‍