#Lorien Acquintas

Even with the political factions that have split the council in recent years, candidates on both sides of the aisle are cautious when it comes to the mayor’s proposal of completely phasing out short-term rentals.

The West Maui Taxpayers’ Association released its endorsements for the Nov. 5 general election.

The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association is sponsoring an inaugural “Get Out the Vote” community event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Queen Kaʻahumanu Center in Kahului.

By virtue of being uncontested, Maui County Council Members Shane Sinenci of East Maui and Gabe Johnson of Lāna‘i will be re-elected to their respective seats this year. Central Maui Sen. Troy Hashimoto is also uncontested for his 5th District Senate seat, and District 9 Rep. Justin Woodson has no opponent to stand in the way of his return to the state House of Representatives.

With a June 4 deadline just a week away, there’s been a flurry of activity in the past three weeks by candidates seeking Maui County political offices, with several checking out and/or filing their official nomination papers.

Two candidates for public office are testing political waters and saying they aim to help address Maui’s housing crisis, especially in the wake of the August wildfires.

Since early February, five new candidates have checked out nomination papers from the Hawaiʻi Office of Elections for Maui County Council seats.