FrontrunnerBill 9: supports

Richard T. Bissen Jr.

Age 64 · Lifelong Maui Nui resident (Pāʻia, Piʻihana, Keʻanae, Kahakuloa)

Ninth Mayor of Maui County and Native Hawaiian. Former Chief Judge of the Second Circuit Court. Career spans Deputy Prosecutor, Maui County Prosecuting Attorney, First Deputy Attorney General of Hawaiʻi, Acting Director of the State Department of Public Safety, and Circuit Court Judge.

First-term record highlights include creating the Office of Recovery after the wildfires, signing Bill 9 in December 2025, delivering 880+ affordable homes since 2023, growing Maui Emergency Management Agency staffing, clearing the permit backlog, and reviving the Maui County Fair.

Affordable homes delivered

880+

Administration reporting since 2023

Federal disaster relief secured

$1.6B

Office of Recovery

Permit backlog

400+ → 51

DSA active reviews

MEMA staff growth

9 → 25

County emergency management

It shouldn't be a foregone conclusion the minute your child is born to say, "Yeah, you won't be able to live here."
— Campaign / public statements

Platform pillars

Housing for kamaʻāina
Water as public trust
Wildfire recovery & resilience
Community-centered governance (kuleana)
Rural engagement (Holomua Kākou)

Where they stand

Bill 9
Supports
Introduced and signed Bill 9. "Ninety-four percent of the units affected are owned by people who don't live in Maui County."
Housing
Supports
Supply plus STR conversion; 3,000 affordable homes planned by 2030.
Water
Supports
Committed to bringing water systems under public ownership.
Permitting
Nuanced
Cleared permit backlog; ongoing DSA reform.
Lahaina recovery
Nuanced
Created Office of Recovery; defending administration pace while securing federal relief.

Career

1987–1995
Deputy Prosecutor
1995–2003
Maui County Prosecuting Attorney
2005–2021
Circuit Court Judge; Chief Judge (2019–2021)
2023–
Ninth Mayor of Maui County