Aloha

I was born on Maui in 1971 to two wonderful parents, Wayne and Celine. My formative years were spent in Paukukalo, where I spent a lot of time on the beach and went camping with my family in Makena.

From this humble beginning, my love for the ocean was developed. Kahekai means “flowing ocean” in Hawaiian, and I’ve taken this name to heart. During my time at Baldwin High School, I began to explore the variety of surf breaks on Maui and became fascinated with surfing. As a surfer, the health of the reefs and ocean became very important to me.

After high school, I began working as a legislative aide for my father. By doing so, I developed a love for Wailuku, and the pedestrian-friendly small town atmosphere, while conducting research at the Wailuku library. Being a legislative aide furthered my knowledge and commitment to serving the community and I became aware of the many challenges Maui County faces.

I have worked in and owned several small businesses, which has given me the experience to take on the economic challenges that face our business community. By working in my family’s farmers market, I became familiar with Maui’s local food producers and I understood that local, diversified agriculture is important to Maui’s future.

I currently own a small baking company making fruit breads for my family’s markets while raising my three children in Haiku. I love living in Maui and I would be honored to serve all of the people of Maui. Mahalo for giving me the opportunity to represent you on the County Council.

I strongly advocate:

• Expanding our economy to provide jobs we can depend on.
• Supporting agriculture and renewable energy
• to provide a local food supply, new jobs and lower our monthly electric bills.
• An increase in the amount of parks, recreation areas, and public shoreline access
• Support for the bus system, senior, disabled and youth programs.
• Quality, affordable homes that reflect our island culture.
• Access to clean water, fairly distributed and publicly controlled. Make water recycling, graywater, water catchment and reservoirs part of the solution to our water shortage.
• Protection and respect for our Hawaiian heritage and diverse cultures.
• Reforming the property tax structure to protect our residents.
• Providing a safety net for our families through social services and Healthy Start programs.

My Experience:

• Small business experience for over 20 years.
• Former Maui County Council legislative aide.
• Volunteer leader and fundraiser for schools, community organizations and athletic clubs.