Carpenters Union endorses Cabiles in bid for Maui County Council Upcountry seat

Derrick Cabiles, a logistics manager, small business owner and community advocate, announced his candidacy for the Maui County Council’s Upcountry residency seat, according to a campaign announcement.

Cabiles received an endorsement from the Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters, a union representing more than 6,000 construction workers statewide, the campaign said.

Mark Anthony Clemente, political director for the Hawaiʻi Carpenters Union, said Cabiles has shown a commitment to listening to residents, supporting local jobs and keeping Maui affordable for working families.

Cabiles, a father of five and grandfather of seven, said he decided to run because working families and frontline workers are being priced out of their homes while young people leave the islands. His campaign platform focuses on workforce housing and streamlining the county permitting process for small businesses, according to the announcement.

“With my decades of experience in small business, statewide food distribution and commercial driving, I know how to deliver real results,” Cabiles said. He added that, if elected, he would focus on roadway and water infrastructure upgrades, local food network development and fiscal accountability.

According to the campaign, Cabiles spent 16 years managing Maui operations for the state’s largest perishable food distributor. He also owned and operated 5-D Fencing Co. and currently works as a commercial driver on Maui roads.

Cabiles was raised in Hawaiʻi and lives in Upcountry Maui. The campaign describes his background as spanning logistics management, entrepreneurship, public safety and commercial transportation.

More information on Cabiles’ campaign is available at derrickformauicounty.com.

The following individuals have filed papers to run for the Upcountry Maui Council seat: 

• Derrick W. Cabiles of Pukalani
• John “JB” B. Guard IV of Kula
• Bobby H. Pahia of Pukalani
• Jon Masaru Yokouchi of Kula

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