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Community invited to send questions for council candidates

By Staff | Aug 5, 2010

LAHAINA — Voters can meet the candidates for the West Maui seat on the County Council at a Pre-candidates’ Night on Sunday, Aug. 15.

Slated at Maui Theatre at Old Lahaina Center, the forum is sponsored by West Maui Taxpayers Association Inc. (WMTA) and Lahaina News.

Participation will be limited to hopefuls for the West Maui council seat.

The free event will begin with “Meet & Greet West Maui County Council Candidates” from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m.

WMTA Treasurer Joe Pluta explained that “the seven individuals seeking the West Maui council seat will be invited to talk with attendees directly about any and all matters they wish. They will each be provided a table for display of campaign materials and literature which can be picked up by attendees.

“This meet and greet starts at 4:30 p.m. and lasts until 5:15 p.m. During that 45 minutes, please visit these candidates, obtain their campaign literature and also please ask them directly the questions you want to know face to face.”

Next, the candidates will give speeches on stage and take questions. Alaka‘i Paleka of KPOA will serve as emcee.

“At 5:30 p.m., these seven individuals will be brought on stage and will be given a few minutes each to tell us all why we should vote for them,” Pluta said.

“What are the issues they think are the most important in West Maui for our community, and what will they do to ensure that they are addressed by the whole County Council if they are elected as our West Maui council representative?”

Members of the community are encouraged to send questions to WMTA to pose to the candidates. Send the questions in by mail to WMTA, P.O. Box 158, Lahaina, HI 96761, or e-mail them to jdp@maui.net.  

WMTA has polled the community at prior Annual Meetings, and during the past few years, top priorities of attendees include access to emergency medical services, affordable housing and traffic/roadway improvements.

“The candidates will be informed of the questions… for them to determine which they wish to respond to at this event,” Pluta explained.  

“As a special incentive to send in questions, the names of those residents — over 18 years of age — who sent in questions will be recorded on cards and entered into a random drawing that evening. The first six names drawn will win dinner and show tickets for the special performance that evening starting at 7:30 p.m.”

All Maui County voters are invited to attend the event. Four-hour validated parking is available at Lahaina Center by Hilo Hatties.

After an intermission from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., the Maui Theatre will host a benefit for the West Maui Hospital & Medical Center.

Enjoy great food and entertainment at a nominal price for a good cause.

The fund-raiser will feature Outback Steakhouse special dinner plates and entertainment by Maui hula halau, An Den, Tiva and Pacific Vibes, Lexi and Mele Pono.

Dinner and show tickets are $30 per person (tax included); tickets for the show only are $20.

Add $5 for VIP seating in the first five rows in the center of the theater.

Fifty percent of the net proceeds are being donated by the producers, Hit Mix Music Group, to the West Maui Hospital & Medical Center Foundation Inc., a nonprofit Public Charity, for a designated “Community Resource Fund.”

For reservations and tickets, call Maui Theatre at 661-9914, extension 1.