Virtual Maui Council Inauguration on Saturday, Jan. 2

Kīhei Charter School alumna Sophia Davis will deliver the keynote address at the Maui County Council inauguration on Saturday, Jan. 2, at 10 a.m. via video conference.

Davis is studying biomedical engineering at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. A 2018 high school graduate, Davis previously worked at Maui Innovation Group, where she helped build ventilators for Maui Memorial Medical Center.

Chair Alice L. Lee who made the announcement said, “What Sophia has accomplished in her young life is impressive, as are the vision and promise for the future that her role in this year’s inauguration represents.”

Kumu Kaponoʻai Molitau will open the ceremony with an oli and pule, Kathy Collins will be the mistress of ceremonies, and retired Battalion Chief Louis Romero, along with firefighters Ikaika Blackburn and Jerry “Pito” Javier, will lead the Star-Spangled Banner and Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī.

Judge Kirstin M. Hamman will officiate the swearing-in ceremony for the members for the 2021-2023 council which includes:

• Gabe Johnson (Lānaʻi)
• Tasha Kama (Kahului)
• Kelly Takaya King (South Maui)
• Alice L. Lee (Wailuku-Waiheʻe-Waikapū)
• Michael J. Molina (Makawao-Haʻikū-Pāʻia)
• Tamara Paltin (West Maui)
• Keani N. W. Rawlins-Fernandez (Molokaʻi)
• Shane M. Sinenci (East Maui)
• Yuki Lei K. Sugimura (Upcountry)

At 2 p.m., the council will hold its organizational meeting to elect officers, establish standing committees, adopt rules and appoint staff. Lee said Maui County Mayor Michael P. Victorino will preside until the council selects its chair for the new term.

For the first time ever, the entire proceeding will take place remotely, and there will be no inauguration activities in the Council Chamber or at the County Building, Lee said.

She said the public is invited to watch the inauguration live on Akaku Channel 53, at MauiCounty.us/agendas or on the Maui County Council’s Facebook page.

“This virtual inauguration gives the entire Maui County community an opportunity to equally share in this special occasion,” Lee said.