Jon Woodhouse, Author at The Maui Independent

Maui Ohana Slate Surges to 5-4 Council Victory with New Activist Energy Keani Rawlins-Fernandez Says She Will Support Kelly King as Council Chair to Implement Progressive Solutions

Posted by Jon Woodhouse - November 8, 2018

A major victory for Maui Ohana candidates in Tuesday’s election is likely to signal a sea change in direction for Maui’s County Council. Even though former council member and old…

Real Estate Money Floods Victorino, Arakawa and Lee Campaigns Developer Donations to Old Guard Seek to Stop Maui Ohana Candidates from Bringing Public Interest Government to Maui

Posted by Jon Woodhouse - November 3, 2018

With the Maui election just a few days away we’re turning the spotlight again on how some County candidates have their campaigns funded primarily by development and real estate interests,…

Hokama’s $76 Million Wailuku Parking Boondoggle Council Member Squanders Taxpayer Money for Unnecessary Structure While Homelessness Soars

Posted by Jon Woodhouse - October 22, 2018

For a politician supposedly serving the island of Lanai, Maui County Council Member Riki Hokama seems overly interested in the development of Wailuku. As head of the Budget and Finance…

Out of State Real Estate Donors Back Incumbent Stacey Crivello to Expand Mokoka’i Short Term Rentals Challenger Keani Rawlins-Fernandez Thinks It's Time For A Change on Moloka’i on Election Day

Posted by Jon Woodhouse - October 18, 2018

For many years Maui County Council Member, Stacey Crivello, who is running for reelection next month, has positioned herself as a champion of the people of Moloka’i. This longtime career…

Can Elle Cochran Win Maui’s Mayoral Race and Send the Good Old Boys Packing? Q&A With the Most Outspoken Populist Reformer in County History

Posted by Jon Woodhouse - October 12, 2018

Council Member Elle Cochran, who was the top vote-getter in the 2016 Maui Council election, is running for mayor this November on a platform of revolutionizing County government to create…

Will Maui’s Corporate Donor Swamp Buy This Election for Victorino and the Old Guard? Flood of Campaign Cash from Recipients of County Contracts Tries to Stop Maui Ohana Candidates from Advancing Public Interest Government

Posted by Jon Woodhouse - October 11, 2018

This November’s mayoral and Council election finds Maui at a critical crossroads. Voters could allow the old guard, in the pockets of major developers to continue to dominate our County…

Just Say No To Roz Baker Ignore Her Ads: Her Record as a Backroom Booster of Pesticide Conglomerates Has Been Disgraceful

Posted by Jon Woodhouse - August 6, 2018

Almost Orwellian in its doublespeak deception, Maui Senator Roz Baker’s latest campaign ad promotes her as a champion of ‘aina protection. “From protecting our reefs from harmful sunscreens to creating…

Maui’s People-Powered Candidates Poised to Take Majority in 2018 County’s Monsanto-Boosting Old Guard Establishment May Lose its Majority Stranglehold in Historic Election

Posted by Jon Woodhouse - July 26, 2018

The upcoming 2018 Maui election offers an extraordinary, historic opportunity to change the power structure that has limited progressive change on our island. The Maui Ohana wing of the County…

Maui’s Sign Wars No Billboards Allowed But Political Campaign Signs Abound

Posted by Jon Woodhouse - May 26, 2018

Due to the diligent perseverance of a group of female environmentalists back in the 1920s, Hawaii’s beautiful landscape has remained free of the blight of endless roadside billboards. But come…

How Monsanto Failed to Stop Hawaii Legislature From Banning Chlorpyrifos Lawmakers Placed Public Health Over Dubious Claims by Pesticide Lobbyists

Posted by Jon Woodhouse - May 7, 2018

Hawai’i’s new pesticide bill passed last week made our state the first in the nation to ban the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos. State legislators managed to pass this historic legislation in…