He Aliʻi Ka ʻĀina, He Kauwā Ke Kanaka.
The Land is Chief, Man is Servant. Returning Government to the People of Kahului.
Carol Lee
For Maui County Council 2026
Meet Carol
Aloha! I was born in Hilo with deep family roots in Kohala and Kalapana. I am a proud single mom of seven children and have eleven beautiful moʻopuna (grandchildren).
I served our country for 22 years in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves. This taught me how to lead in a crisis and demand strict discipline. For decades, I have fought hard for our community, our culture, and our land. My work includes:
- Community Service: I am the past President of ʻAhahui Kaʻahumanu Chapter IV in Wailuku. We feed the houseless, support the food bank, and give scholarships to our youth. I also organized a major food drive that fed 75 local families during the 2019 federal government shutdown.
- Protecting Our Culture: I serve on the boards of Malama Kakanilua and Hoʻoponopono o Makena. We stand up to protect our sacred sites, Iwi Kupuna (ancestral bones), and natural resources from over-development.
- Fighting for Homes: I worked closely with local homestead associations to pressure the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) to finally award leases so local families could build their homes.
I answer only to Maui's families and will not be influenced by corporate donors.
My Action Plan
Click a topic below to read my plans for our island.
Ending the Housing Crisis
We have a severe housing shortage. It is forcing our local workers to move to the mainland. We must act now.
- Enforce Bill 9: We must phase out illegal short-term vacation rentals. This will return thousands of homes to our local rental market.
- Build a Puʻuhonua: We need a safe place of refuge on county land. We will partner with non-profits to give the houseless mental health help, addiction treatment, and job training.
- Strict Rules for Developers: If developers use county money to build, they must sign strict rules. The homes must stay affordable forever and go to local workers first.
Rebuilding Lahaina
We must help Lahaina rebuild quickly but safely. We cannot let red tape erase Lahaina's history.
- Save Historic Homes: I support letting families bypass new zoning rules to rebuild their historic homes safely (Ordinance 5780).
- Speed Up Permits: We must process home and business permits at the same time to get people back to work.
- Direct Federal Funds: I will watch the $1.6 billion in federal money closely. It must go straight to survivors, not to bloated government offices.
Public Water
Water is not a commodity.
- Public Water Ownership: I fully support buying the West Maui water systems from private companies. Water must prioritize public need for sustainability, safety, and firefighting, not corporate profit.
Lowering the Cost of Living & Taxes
Our working families are stretched to the breaking point. I will protect your wallet.
- No Local Tax Hikes: I will not raise property taxes on primary residents or small businesses.
- Tax Out-of-State Wealth: We must tax empty land, vacation rentals, and out-of-state second homes to fund our county.
- Grow Local Food: I support building new county resource systems for locally owned agricultural growth. This creates sustainability and helps local farmers and lowers grocery costs for us.
- Hire Local: All public works projects must hire full-time Maui residents and train our youth.
Crime, Community & Fairness
We must keep our streets safe while treating our diverse community with respect.
- Refocus the Police: Create wraparound services and progrems to collaborate with MPD to reduce the overcriminalization of the houseless and integrate our most needy back into society.
- Build Trust: I oppose letting ICE use our local police. Immigrant workers must feel safe reporting crimes to keep us all safe.
Stopping Waste & Fixing Roads
I have zero tolerance for government waste. Your tax dollars must be spent on things you can actually use.
- Stop Bad Consultants: I will stop paying for confusing, outdated plans like the Water Use Plan. We need clear, simple rules.
- No More Haphazard Speed Bumps: I will end sloppy projects that slow down ambulances and fire trucks.
- Better Roads: I support public bonds to repave our neighborhood streets. But, we must track the money on a public dashboard. We need ADA sidewalks, bright lights, and safe crosswalks for our kupuna.
