#Josiah Nishita

This morning the Maui County Salary Commission rescinded its two-week-old decision on pay raises for the mayor, managing director and deputy managing director. Then, it recalibrated raises for those top leadership positions, using as a benchmark a recent Hawaiʻi State Salary Commission pay raise for Gov. Josh Green.

The Maui County Salary Commission voted unanimously, 5-0, last month in favor of double-digit percentage salary pay hikes aimed at attracting and retaining top talent to elected and appointed executive and legislative branch seats held by public officials. The pay raises go into effect July 1 and range from a high of $325,104 and $292,594 […]

The Maui County Salary Commission has given hefty pay raises to elected and appointed executive and legislative branch public officials, based on a “classification and compensation report” carried out by government consultant MGT. In a letter to County Council members, acting Salary Commission Chair Grant Nakama reported that the commission voted in favor of the […]

Bissen will attend the 80th National Session of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design from March 19-21, 2025, in California. He will present on the Kahului Community Center Park project.

A council committee backed the $1.7 million purchase of land that could be used in the short term to house volunteers helping with rebuilding and to store construction materials.

Erin Wade, a seasoned urban planning professional with more than 20 years of experience in municipal leadership, was sworn in Thursday morning as the County of Maui’s Deputy Managing Director.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen will travel out of the state from this morning, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, until the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.

Mayor Richard Bissen announced the selection of John Smith, a leader with the County of Maui’s Department of Public Works, to serve as the new administrator of the County’s Office of Recovery. County officials say Smith has been instrumental in leading infrastructure restoration efforts following the recent wildfires. In his new capacity, he will now oversee the County’s comprehensive recovery efforts.

Residents are invited to provide feedback on the County of Maui’s proposed acquisition of the approximately 273-acre Von Tempsky property, formerly known as Kula Ridge Mauka in Kula.

The Kula Community Association invites Kula residents to its General Meeting at the Von Tempsky Community Center on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for an evening of honoring outstanding community members, hearing updates from County officials on fire and water update for Upcountry and other 2025 KCA business. 

The Kibou for Maui Project in Japan hosted a Maui leadership delegation and a youth cohort of 11 students from Lahainaluna High School to facilitate an educational and strategic exchange between Maui recovery effort leaders and disaster experts in Japan’s Tohoku region.

Mayor Richard Bissen joined Maui’s state, county and community leaders at After the Fire USA’s 2024 Wildfire Leadership Summit last week in Sonoma, Calif. Together, they shared updates on Maui’s wildfire recovery efforts and gathered valuable insights from other jurisdictions affected by similar disasters.

Mayor Bissen, along with County of Maui Managing Director Josiah Nishita and other County staff, will travel to California to attend the After the Fire USA 2024 Wildfire Leadership Summit.

The County of Maui’s Office of Recovery and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement announced a partnership that brings CNHA’s Kākoʻo Maui Resource Center to the Office of Recovery-West Maui at Lahaina Gateway.

In the 10th month following Maui’s historic wildfires, Mayor Richard Bissen will travel to Washington, D.C., on the evening of Friday, June 14, to Sunday, June 23, 2024, to provide federal partners with updates on recovery and encourage continued support for disaster relief efforts.

A new travel gift program was announced on Wednesday, providing more than 3,000 roundtrip Alaska Airlines flights, as well as Disneyland tickets and accommodations to Maui families affected by the Aug. 8 wildfires.

The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers and Maui County have reached a negotiated settlement agreement on hazard pay for Maui officers who remained on duty during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a SHOPO announcement.

Mayor Richard Bissen made a plea to the state for $401.75 million over the next three years to help Lahaina rebuild and recover. The request was made before the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday, on behalf of the people of Maui County. County of Maui would separately leverage $198.75 million over the next three years, according to a news release announcement.

The Maui County Council today confirmed Mayor Richard Bissen’s appointment of Josiah Nishita to head the Department of Management. 

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen “promised” Thursday that Olowalu will not be the final site for the estimated 400,000 cubic yards of fire debris to be removed from the Lahaina burn zone.