Maui Council Chair Encourages Civic Engagement Online

Maui Council Chair Alice Lee (left) and Rep. Angus McKelvey (right)

In light of Coronavirus (COVID-19), at least two Maui elected officials were encouraging civic engagement online.

State Representative Angus McKelvey established a YouTube channel for this purpose and Council Chair Alice Lee said today she encourages the public to provide testimony and view meetings of the council and the council’s committees online.

Rep. McKelvey, whose district covers West Maui, said the new YouTube channel was established to keep the public informed of on goings at the legislature at the legislative process. McKelvey’s capitol updates include his perspective on recent events, updates on bills of concern moving through the legislature, district news and more.

Rep. McKelvey said, “I find it important to engage people in the Legislative process. After all, this is your State Capitol and what happens here shouldn’t be a mystery to you.”

Meantime, information on submitting public testimony by email at the county level can be found on all council and committee meeting agendas. Council Chair Lee said public testimony submitted by email, fax or letter is given the same consideration as testimony provided in person. 

Council and committee meetings may also be viewed live or pre-recorded online. The public may visit www.mauicounty.us—the council’s page for agendas, video streams and news—for more details on county legislation and the legislative process.

While the public is still free to attend the meetings at the location listed on the notice, Lee said precautionary measures like avoiding public gatherings especially apply to older adults and those with serious medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes and lung disease.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified these groups as having a higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19,” Lee said. “I would like to urge the public to stay informed through the County of Maui website and to take precautions to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.”

Members of the public may also sign up to receive email updates on Coronavirus through the following links:

• https://tools.cdc.gov/campaignproxyservice/subscriptions.aspx?topic_id=USCDC_2067
• https://health.hawaii.gov/news/covid-19-updates/