Ask the Mayor: Why Doesn’t Maui Have Strip Clubs?
Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his office staff.
Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at AskTheMayor@mauicounty.gov, 270-7855 or mail them to 200 S. High Street, 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793.
Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column.
Mr. Mayor,
Q: I read with interest your answer from a couple of years ago about what’s preventing Maui from having strip clubs.
It seems to me to get around the liquor problem, all you have to do is have a BYOB exotic dancer establishment.
Would this be allowable under Maui County law? Thanks.
A: You may be correct. To serve liquor in an establishment featuring unclothed employees would require a cabaret license.
However, state law does not allow such activity in cabaret licenses anymore. Interested parties had until a sunset date of June 15, 1990, to apply for cabaret licenses.
In Maui County at that time, no one applied for those licenses, so there are no existing licenses to be transferred or be purchased by another establishment.