‘Not Pau Yet’: Bissen files for mayoral re-election, saying steady leadership is crucial

Surrounded by community supporters, labor leaders and his grandsons, Mayor Richard Bissen officially filed nomination papers Monday morning to seek re-election as mayor of Maui County.

Standing beside the next generation of his family, the moment was both personal and symbolic. Bissen reflected on the long-term responsibility behind his decision to continue serving Maui Nui.

“When I look at my grandsons, I think about the future every ‘ohana in Maui County deserves — a future where our keiki can stay rooted here, where local families can still afford to live here, and where we protect not only our community, but the values that hold our community together,” Bissen said. “We have made significant progress, and I remain committed to seeing this work through. We are not pau yet.”

Bissen said his decision to seek another term comes at a pivotal chapter for Maui County.

Communities continue rebuilding and recovering after the 2023 Maui wildfires while addressing long-standing challenges tied to housing affordability, infrastructure needs and economic resilience. He emphasized that steady leadership is essential to maintaining progress and delivering long-term solutions for local families.

According to his campaign, the following accomplishments by the administration were highlighted:

• Affordable housing production has increased by approximately 190% since 2023, with nearly 900 affordable homes delivered and approximately 5,000 affordable and market homes expected to come online over the next four years.
• Bissen led his administration to secure approximately $1.6 billion in federal recovery funding for Maui’s long-term wildfire recovery efforts while advancing major infrastructure investments and strengthening emergency preparedness
• Returning water to public stewardship has been prioritized. Through ongoing efforts to acquire major private water systems and infrastructure in West Maui, the County of Maui is positioned to increase public control of drinking water systems from approximately 45% to 93%. Bissen said the effort is aimed at protecting long-term water security and ensuring water is managed as a public trust for future generations.

Bissen said his administration’s priorities remain focused on expanding housing and infrastructure, protecting cultural and natural resources, supporting Lahaina and Upcountry wildfire recovery, improving residents’ quality of life and well-being, diversifying the economy and creating opportunities for local residents to live, work and raise families in Maui County.

“Over the past few years, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what we leave behind. Not buildings or projects, but whether people will still feel connected to this place. Whether local families will still recognize Maui as home. Whether our grandchildren will inherit a community that still knows who it is,” Mayor Bissen said.

“People may see today as the beginning of another four years, but I’ve never viewed this work through the lens of election cycles. The decision to run, and the decisions I make every single day, are about the decades ahead. They’re about whether the next generation will still recognize this place as home.”

Unions, leaders and community supporters attending Monday’s filing highlighted Bissen’s leadership and commitment to working families throughout Maui Nui. “Their presence reflected a broad coalition centered on long-term stability for Maui Nui,” according to the campaign.

“His ability to communicate, his ability to not make hasty decisions, to work with community for community is an example that not many can exemplify,” said expert waterman, community advocate and leader Archie Kalepa. “To have someone who understands the people of this place, and to be able to make decisions that will be beneficial to the history and genealogy of these islands is so important, and one of the many reasons why I’m supporting Mayor Richard Bissen.”

As of Monday, May 11, the following individuals had either pulled papers or filed to run for Maui mayor:

Bissen, Richard T., Jr. (filed: May 11, 2026)
Harris, Dwight L. (pulled papers: April 9, 2026)
Herrmann, Justin (filed March 4, 2026)
La Costa, P. Denise (pulled papers: Feb. 2, 2026)
Moses, Joseph (pulled papers: Feb. 4, 2026)
Petteson, Amy (pulled papers: April 21, 2026)
Sugimura, Yuki Lei Kashiwa (pulled papers: Feb. 10, 2026)
Welsh, Callahan P. (pulled papers: April 27, 2026)

For nonpartisan County mayoral and Maui County Council elections, the Primary Election is Aug. 8, 2026, and the General Election is Nov. 3, 2026.

For more information, visit bissen2026.com or contact the Bissen 2026 Campaign at aloha@bissen2026.com.