Two council members to step back from rental housing discussion

Both had been board members of MEO, landowner of the project site

Maui County Council Member Tasha Kama will continue to refrain from participating in discussion and voting on Maui Economic Opportunity’s proposed Ke Kahua Rental Housing Project due to her ties to the nonprofit organization, Kama said in a news release on Friday.

Kama, who up until Thursday was an MEO board member, sought and received guidance from the Maui County Board of Ethics that said on Wednesday afternoon that she should recuse herself from participating and voting on the project.

Kama, who is also the chairwoman of the council’s Housing and Land Use Committee, which is hearing the Ke Kahua deliberations, tendered her resignation as an MEO board member effective at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

Kama conferred with Council Services attorneys on whether she should continue to recuse herself on the matter and has decided to seek a new opinion from the board now that she has resigned her position.

She said she will continue to refrain from participating in discussion and voting at the committee level and at the full council while waiting for a new opinion.

At the committee’s last meeting Wednesday, when the project was discussed, committee Vice Chairman Tom Cook led the meeting.

But Kama did lead the committee meetings regarding the project on Feb. 28 and March 2, during which no decision-making took place.

She disclosed her board member status with the committee at the first meeting.

Council Member Gabe Johnson is also a board member for MEO and had also disclosed his status at the first meeting Feb. 28, saying he would recuse himself and not vote.

He did attend the following committee meetings, but said on Friday that after learning of the board’s opinion regarding Kama, he will not attend the meetings regarding Ke Kahua.

Johnson said that as long as MEO will have him, he will continue in his role, as he represents the Lanai Kupuna Council on the board.

The Housing and Land Use Committee will again take up the Ke Kahua project at 9 a.m. on March 22.

The 100 percent affordable rental project in Waiehu will consist of 120 units and will be developed by Waiehu Housing LP and managed by nonprofit Hale Mahaolu on an 11.5-acre site owned by MEO.

The full council has a 60day deadline, or until April 22, to act on the fast-track affordable project, otherwise it will be approved.

The project is seeking 12 exemptions from the County Code.