Deep sadness: Council Member Tasha Kama dies Sunday night

Maui County Council Member Tasha Kama died at 9:25 p.m. Sunday at Maui Memorial Medical Center, surrounded by her loved ones, according to a family statement posted on the Kahului council member’s Facebook page. She was 73.

“It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing of our mother Councilmember Natalie ‘Tasha’ Kama,” the Facebook post says. “She dedicated her life to her family and community with love and compassion.”

Facebook comments were quickly filling with heartfelt expressions of condolences and sadness.

For example, Antoinette Carvajal said of Kama: “Her presence spoke of grace, calmness and patience. When she entered a room, you truly felt her Aloha. She spoke kindly with deep thought behind her words. Hugs to our Kama ‘Ohana. May our prayers for you bring warmth and love into your home.”

A memorial service will be announced at a later date, according to her family.

Late Sunday night, Kama Senior Executive Assistant Evan Dust confirmed her passing and said her Council office expects to issue a news release Monday morning. Dust said that, without first consulting with Kama’s family, he was unable to share her cause of death or how long she had been hospitalized. She was in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

At the time of her passing, Kama served as the Council’s presiding officer pro tempore and chaired the Housing and Land Use Committee. Her panel has handled some of the Council’s toughest issues of late

Those recent “hot button” topics included the Honuaʻula master-planned community project in South Maui and the controversial short-term vacation rental phase-out measure, Bill 9. Kama voted “no” on Bill 9, along with Council Members Yuki Lei Sugimura and Tom Cook.

Kama has been part of the current Council’s five-member majority, including Sugimura, Cook, Council Chair Alice Lee and Council Member Nohelani Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins. Now, the majority-minority split is gone, replaced by four traditional, conservative-leaning members — Lee, Sugimura, Cook and Uʻu-Hodgins — versus progressive Council Members Tamara Paltin, Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, Shane Sinenci and Gabe Johnson.

As a pastor, Kama brought her faith in God to the Council and advocated for the poor. She remained calm in the face of recent criticism for her stands on issues and her handling of the often-difficult Housing and Land Use Committee. She held on to chair that committee despite an effort to oust her at the beginning of the current Council term in early January.

No special election

There will not be a special election to fill the remaining 14-plus months of Kama’s term as Kahului council member. That’s because — under Section 3-4 of the Maui County Charter, titled “Vacancy in Office” for council members: “If the unexpired term is less than 15 months, the remaining members of the Council shall appoint a person by resolution adopted by a majority of its remaining members to fill the vacancy for the current unexpired term.”

However, if the Council fails to fill the vacancy in 30 days, “the mayor shall appoint a person to fill the vacancy,” the Charter says.

Either the Council or mayor needs to appoint a qualified person, that is a resident of Kahului for at least a year. Other qualifications include being a US citizen and a voter.

Political career

In 2018, Kama defeated then outgoing Mayor Alan Arakawa by a vote of 28,546 (56.4%) to 17,640 (34.8%) for the Kahului Council seat as part of the progressive ʻOhana Coalition. She later switched sides and joined the Council’s more traditional-leaning majority.

She called her 2018 race a “David and Goliath” contest with Arakawa, a three-term mayor and former Kahului council member. At the time, she said she felt compelled to run for the Council seat because of the rising cost of living and the exodus of some of her family members to less expensive places on the US continent.

For Kama, her third shot at elected office was the charm in 2018. In 2008, she came up short in challenging then-Speaker of the House and Wailuku state Rep. Joe Souki. And, in 2002, she ran an unsuccessful campaign against longtime Council Member Dain Kane.

Before serving in elected office, Kama was a longtime advocate for affordable housing, homeless residents and local families. She also helped undocumented immigrants. She was the mother of 11 and grandmother of 30 when first elected to the Council in 2018.

Social justice advocate and community service

She served the community as the lead organizer for Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE) Hawaiʻi. Her professional background also included work for Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center, focusing on addressing homelessness and housing insecurity. Her formal education included an Associates in Science in Human Services and Certificates of Competence in Case Management and Substance Abuse Counseling from the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College.

Kama also served as past president for FACE Maui and held positions with the Sovereign Councils of the Hawaiian Homelands Assembly and the Paukūkalo Hawaiian Homes Community Association.