Maui County's nine-member council could look very different starting in January, after election results this week showed Kelly King reclaiming her South Maui seat and two newcomers, Bobby Pahia and Marvin Moniz, leading their respective races. If the results hold, the shift could reshape how the county handles growth, development and tourism limits for years to come.
According to final results reported by Honolulu Civil Beat, King led incumbent Tom Cook in South Maui, 47.1% to 41.6%. It's a reversal from 2024, when Cook beat King by just 97 votes, as reported by Maui News. In the Upcountry and Central Maui race, Bobby Pahia, a kalo farmer, pulled 60.4% of the vote against Jon Yokouchi's 25.2%, per the same Civil Beat count. Meanwhile, Marvin Moniz, who works as Maui Airports District Manager, led Ashley Awakea Lindsey 51.4% to 32% in the Wailuku-Waihe'e-Waikapū race.
A Potential Supermajority Takes Shape
The Maui County Council is a nine-member body that votes on bills covering housing, water and other local matters, Maui News notes. If the current results stand, three incoming members would join four sitting council members who have focused on community-led land and water stewardship, creating what the outlet describes as a potential supermajority. The council has often split 5-4 on major issues, with Vice Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura — who lost the mayoral race to Richard Bissen — part of what the Hawaii Journalism Initiative describes as the more moderate five-member majority. Pahia won the Upcountry seat Sugimura vacated while seeking the mayor's office, the same outlet reports.
As reported by Hawaii News Now, political analyst Dick Mayer said the council's prior composition had functioned as a 5-4 majority favoring development, and that six members voting together would form a supermajority capable of overriding the mayor's vetoes. Mayer told the outlet he expects the incoming majority to take a number of actions once seated. Under the Maui County Charter, the mayor may approve or veto bills passed by the council, and a county document indicates that six votes are needed to override a veto — though the full override procedure should be read in the charter itself.
King Eyes Development Safeguards And A Hotel Pause
King has outlined specific plans for her return to the council. She wants to reintroduce luxury-development safeguards into the South Maui Community Plan, including what Maui News describes as a building-cost analysis required before new projects are approved. She also intends to pursue a hotel moratorium — a policy that would cap, for a set period, how many hotels and vacation rentals can be built. None of these proposals have been adopted; they remain stated intentions ahead of the new council taking its seats.
Mayer, speaking to Hawaii News Now, predicted the new majority could curb new development and cap tourism growth, and said Maui's overall mood has shifted toward opposition to overdevelopment. He also argued that reducing the island's reliance on tourism could help Maui build a sturdier economic foundation going forward.
Tourism's Numbers — And Its Critics
The debate arrives as Maui's visitor economy keeps growing. Visitor arrivals on Maui rose 7% to more than 2.5 million in 2025, while visitor spending climbed 12.7% to reach $5.97 billion, according to Maui Now. That outpaced the state as a whole, where arrivals dipped slightly to 9.6 million even as statewide spending rose 5.7% to $21.75 billion. Maui's recovery has still lagged in other respects — the island's visitor arrivals in 2024 reached just 76.6% of 2019 levels, a slower rebound than Oʻahu or Hawaiʻi Island saw, Maui Now reported separately.
Public sentiment on tourism has also cooled statewide. A Spring 2026 Resident Sentiment Survey found 53% of Hawaii residents believe tourism has brought more benefits than problems, down from 58% a year earlier, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Sixty-seven percent of residents said the state should diversify its economy beyond tourism, up seven points from the prior year, the survey found. The share of residents who felt tourism was being managed well on their island fell from 52% to 47%, while those who felt they had a voice in tourism decisions dropped from 31% to 26%.
Industry Pushes Back On Added Regulation
Visitor industry leaders argue tourism remains essential to Maui's recovery. Naomi Cooper, with the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association, said the island is not too reliant on tourism and that the industry has kept Maui's economy alive and thriving, according to Hawaii News Now. She pointed to balancing efforts already underway in the visitor sector, including agritourism initiatives, and said her association has concerns but remains open-minded, expecting incoming leaders to be receptive. Cooper added that she hopes new county leaders will embrace changes already happening within the industry rather than layering on additional regulations.
Moniz, for his part, was backed in his campaign by groups including the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association, Civil Beat reported ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, when he and Lindsey were the two candidates vying for the Wailuku-Waihe'e-Waikapū seat. How that backing squares with a council majority leaning toward tighter tourism limits may become one of the more closely watched dynamics once the new term begins.
