Five first-time candidates are lining up to grab one of Maui’s most watched political jobs, the Wailuku-Waiheʻe-Waikapū seat long held by County Council Chair Alice Lee. The August 8 primary is shaping up as a shakeup moment for the nine-member Maui County Council, with a roster that spans lawyers, community organizers, a pastor and the county’s airports manager. How voters sort James Forrest, Randy Haʻaheo Konohia, Ashley Awakea Lindsey, Alan Lloyd and Marvin Moniz could reset the balance of power on housing, water and short-term rentals across the island.
The nonpartisan primary is set for August 8, and only the top two finishers will move on to the November 3 general election. The Wailuku-Waiheʻe-Waikapū residency ballot line-up is listed in the State of Hawaii’s State of Hawaii Office of Elections primary ballot preview. That state listing shows all five contenders appearing on the Wailuku ballot.
Each hopeful is pitching a different flavor of experience. James Forrest is a 25-year attorney who has previously run for council. Randy Konohia is a certified arborist and pastor who leans on a record of service work. Ashley Lindsey has served on the Maui Planning Commission and operates local businesses. Alan Lloyd has made affordable housing and tenants’ rights his main themes. Marvin Moniz brings more than two decades in airport operations. Their resumés and stances on water, housing and visitor accommodations are laid out in Civil Beat candidate Q&As.
The seat is drawing outsized attention because the County Council is currently split 5-4 in favor of a moderate majority, and progressives see this open race as their best shot at flipping control. At a recent candidates forum, Forrest said he was “eager to join the progressive side of the council,” according to Maui Now. Whichever way Wailuku goes will help determine the outcome of fights over recovery spending, zoning rules and housing policy that ripple far beyond one district.
What’s at stake
Two big policy battles are front and center in the race: the county’s December 2025 phaseout of many transient vacation rentals in apartment districts, known as Bill 9, and a newer zoning proposal, Bill 88, that could let some condominium properties seek hotel classification. Bill 9 was signed last December and described by the County of Maui as an effort to push many units back into the long-term housing pool, a shift that would affect thousands of TVRs in apartment-zoned areas. Bill 88, laid out in the council’s legislative file and committee minutes, would create new H-3 and H-4 hotel districts so qualifying properties could apply for rezoning if they meet specific criteria, according to the council’s Maui County Council Legistar record.
The candidates’ answers at the forum highlighted just how sharply residents are split on those questions. Lee has thrown her support behind Moniz, and coverage of the event notes that Lindsey said she backs Bill 9 even though she earns income from rental properties, according to Maui Now. Forrest and Lloyd put tenant protections and housing affordability at the center of their pitches. Konohia stressed community service and rehabilitation work. Moniz leaned on his long management record at Maui’s airports, including handling treatment of tens of thousands of gallons of water per day for irrigation, as proof he can navigate complex county systems.
Money and turnout could decide it
The money race is already separating the field. Reporting from Civil Beat shows Alan Lloyd and Marvin Moniz among the top fundraisers in the Wailuku contest, with Forrest, Konohia and Lindsey lagging behind in reported donations. In a primary that historically draws modest turnout, that edge in cash and name recognition could matter a lot. Voters will pick two names on August 8 to send to the November ballot, and the eventual winner or winners will help chart Maui’s next moves on housing, water and visitor-industry policy.
