New Carpenters Union Super PAC Is Spending Big in Maui Council Races

A new political action committee linked to the carpenters union has spent more than $290,000 this month to influence the outcome of three Maui County Council elections, seats that could shape the future of development on an island on the edge of an important reconstruction. effort.

For a better tomorrow, the new super PAC created less than two months ago has sent mailings to voters in Maui supporting the re-election of Tom Cook, Tasha Kama and Nohe U’u-Hodgins, who are seen as part of the pro- development. majority on the council.

Cook will face former council member Kelly King on Nov. 5. Kama is running against Carol Lee Kamekona. U’u-Hodgins’ opponent is Nara Boone.

A loss for either incumbent would tip the balance in favor of a political faction on the council that has generally opposed large development projects and advocated for a greater share of affordable housing units.

For A Better Tomorrow has also paid for advertising to support candidates in Kauai, Hawaii Island, and in two legislative races, according to reports filed with the Hawaii Campaign Expenditure Commission.

Known as independent expenditure committees in Hawaii, super PACs like For A Better Tomorrow have no limits on the amount of donations they can receive from a single source and no limitations on what they can spend supporting or opposing political candidates.

The only condition is that the Super PAC cannot coordinate its advertising with the candidates’ campaigns.

For A Better Tomorrow is financially supported by the Hawaii Carpenters Market Recovery Program Fund, which is affiliated with the Pacific Resource Partnership. The fund gets its money from contractors who employ workers represented by the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters. The fund created For A Better Tomorrow with a Contribution of $7.6 million in September.

Groups related to the carpenters union spent heavily in 2018 and 2022 to influence elections for governor and lieutenant governor. Two years ago, those groups also began participating in county council elections.

“Like many other working families, our members are deeply concerned about the future of our islands,” Sean Newcamp, president of For A Better Tomorrow, said in a written statement. “We want affordable housing, a living wage, retirement security and a quality of life that ensures Hawaii remains a place where we, our keiki and future generations can thrive.”

While there is generally consensus on things like Lahaina’s recovery efforts, the County Council tends to be more divided on how to approach new development projects.

The council is divided between five members considered more pro-development and four others, who run on a list called Ohana candidates and who tend to prioritize environmental protection, among other things.

Pro-development members of the council include Cook, Kama and U’u-Hodgins, as well as Yuki Lei Sugimura, who oversees the county’s finances and chairs the council’s budget committee, and council president Alice Lee.

Current Ohana candidates include Tamara Paltin, Keani Rawlins-Fernández, Gabe Johnson and Shane Sinenci. Johnson and Sinenci are unopposed in the general election.

The Ohana group took control of the council in 2018, but lost power in 2022 when Kelly King and Mike Molina left to run for mayor. In those years, concerns about the county’s use of injection wells and other environmental issues clearly illustrated the division among council members.

Now, the division is over.

“The main and contentious issue is development versus slower growth,” said Dick Mayer, a retired economics professor and longtime Maui political observer.

More construction means more jobs for carpenters and other construction industry professionals.

Maintaining the status quo on the council could mean a smoother path for developers in the future. If control returns to the Ohana group, new developments are more likely to encounter resistance and the council will pressure developers for more affordable units, Mayer said.

For A Better Tomorrow paid more than $289,000 for advertising supporting Cook, Kama and U’u-Hodgins. He separately spent more than $80,000 on ads supporting Kama and Hawaii County Council member Matt Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder, according to a report on electoral communications presented on October 3.

On Maui, Kama has been the biggest beneficiary of For A Better Tomorrow’s spending.

In 2022, he won the Kahului seat by just 9 percentage points over his opponent. It was one of the closest races that year.

Kama said he was happy about the support this election season.

“I was really grateful that the super PAC supported me,” Kama said. “Sometimes you don’t know what they’re going to do from one day to the next.”

Many also see Cook as vulnerable. He bested former Councilwoman Kelly King by just 144 votes in the primary election. Cook also said he is grateful for the support.

“I’m more of a carpenter than a politician,” he said.

Cook and Kama said they feel developers and workers in the construction industry get a bad reputation.

“People want us to build affordable housing for local people,” Cook said. “But the people who are actually capable of doing it are criticized. I don’t understand”.

Most eyes have been on Cook’s seat in South Maui. It is also the district where some big development projects are in the pipeline.

More than 6,400 units are planned to be developed in South Maui in the coming years, according to a community presentation from Mayer.

Residents angry about the lack of affordable units in those developments point to a project called Honuaula, formerly known as Wailea 670. Of the 1,150 units included in that development, 288 are planned to be affordable, in accordance with county codes that require 25% of new developments to be reserved for workforce housing.

On Maui, affordable housing is defined as housing units intended for those earning less than 140% of the area median income, which for a family of four is about $168,000 a year.

The council could require developers to produce more affordable units. It also has the power to approve zoning changes or amendments to community plans that are necessary for projects to move forward.

The council also appoints members to county boards, such as the planning commission, which makes recommendations to the council and mayor on proposed developments.

“Could they prevent them from developing? “I don’t know if they can,” Mike Moran, former president of the Kihei Community Associationhe said of the Ohana candidates. “But they can slow it down and make it more challenging.”

While most Super PAC spending has focused on pro-growth candidates, there is some outside support for Ohana candidates.

Super PAC Maui Pono Network spent $1,000 on ads supporting Ohana’s list. the group reported raising $16,000 this electoral cycle, which began in 2022.

A group of residents, mostly from Maui, also raised $13,500 to mail out a “Save Maui Voting Guide” that, in addition to supporting Ohana’s slate, also endorses Sen. Angus McKelvey and Reps. Terez Amato , Elle Cochran and Mahina Poepoe.

doivil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is funded in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.

This story was supported by funds from the Data-Driven Reporting Project. The data-driven reporting project is funded by the Google News Initiative in partnership with Northwestern University | Medill.