3 Finalists Considered for Maui’s 9th District House

Gil Keith-Agaran, file photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

The Maui Democratic Party has narrowed the list of candidates for the vacant 9th District State House seat to three finalists.

Dave Merchant, chair of the nominating committee said all seven candidates who were considered were well qualified, thoughtful, and demonstrated a commitment to public service.

The applicants considered included: former Maui mayor, James “Kimo” Apana; Anthony Edington; Renee-May Kehau Filimoe’atu; 2012 Kahului council candidate Alan Fukuyama; Kallie Keith-Agaran; former Maui councilman and 2012 District 9 candidate, Joseph Pontanilla; and Justin Woodson.

Governor Neil Abercrombie has 60 calendar days following the first day of the vacancy to make an appointment to the House seat.  The seat was vacated by former representative Gil Keith-Agaran, who was appointed recently to the state Senate.

The nominating committee will not release the top three names of the candidates and will defer to the governor on whether he will release the names of the three finalists to the public.