Upcountry Maui County Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura, Thursday, accompanied by colleagues, friends, family, and supporters, filed for re-election.

Upcountry Maui County Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura, Thursday, accompanied by colleagues, friends, family, and supporters, filed for re-election.

Sugimura serves as the chair of the council’s Policy, Economic Development, and Agriculture Committee and is a member of the National Association of Counties, Rural Action Caucus.

Sugimura was first elected in 2016.  Campaign supporters say she “has focused on bettering the community by serving as an advocate for fairer handling of one-day liquor permits for nonprofits; authored and passed legislation to prohibit smoking in vehicles with minors under eighteen years of age; and worked to secure the needed funding for the Upcountry Skatepark, with construction slated to begin on March 19.”

According to her campaign, Sugimura is also leading the effort to establish specific job qualifications for directors appointed by the mayor. This effort, supporters say, “will help to ensure that the most qualified professionals are hired to serve the county.”

She is also “helping to ease the burden placed on farmers by working with county departments to implement a ‘One Farm Plan,’ to allow active farmers to obtain agricultural rates and exemptions through a single application,” according to her campaign.

“I am proud of what we have accomplished in a short period of time,” said Sugimura.

“I will continue to support working families, push for affordable rental and market housing, protect our precious watersheds, support the eradication of invasive species, and support social and economic development community,” said Sugimura.

Sugimura was born and raised in Wailuku and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa Campus. Before she was elected to the Council, Sugimura was a community organizer and worked on projects such as the revitalization of Wailuku Town and was the Maui Representative for US Senator Mazie Hirono.

She is married to Dr. Tak Sugimura, Ph.D. and has a son, Michael, who is a Dartmouth and Georgetown University graduate currently working at Booz, Allen, Hamilton as a data scientist.