Thousands petition to delay West Maui’s return to tourism | News, Sports, Jobs

“For myself personally, I’m not ready to go back. I don’t want the conversation to always be, ‘Oh did you lose your home? How were you displaced in this wildfire?’” Kiakona, a bartender at Merriman’s Maui, said during a news conference at the State Capitol on Tuesday.

“And that’s for myself. And imagine somebody else who doesn’t have the mental stability given they might be in more trying times and somebody consistently reminding you of the disaster you just went though, and reminding you of that trauma that could be detrimental to them. And this is where we come with that plea, that so many of us are not ready.”

Kiakona and other West Maui residents delivered a petition with more than 10,000 signatures to Gov. Josh Green’s office on Oahu on Tuesday, urging him to delay the Oct. 8 reopening of tourism for a portion of West Maui.

Since Green made the reopening announcement in early September, residents have been saying that they are not ready, saying some are still traumatized by the fires and that things are still in flux, with many residents trying to find long-term shelter and students not yet back in school.

Maui County Council Member Tamara Paltin, who holds the West Maui residency seat, speaks at a news conference at the State Capitol on Oahu Tuesday calling on Gov. Josh Green to not reopen West Maui to tourists on Sunday. Photo courtesy Tamara Paltin

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen has said that the reopening will happen in phases, starting Sunday with The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua along with areas from Kapalua to Kahana Villa.

Even some who work in tourism-reliant industries are concerned about the reopening. Dalilha Rodrigues, who ran Dee’s Poi Mochi on Papalaua Street, said even if her food truck survived the fire, “I still wouldn’t have opened” for the return of tourism.

“If I cannot sit and cry for myself, what makes you think I going be ready for get up in the morning and smile for one tourist?” she said outside the Lahaina Civic Center on Monday.

At the Capitol on Tuesday, many residents and supporters wore red Lahaina Strong T-shirts. They were joined by Maui County Council Member Tamara Paltin, who holds the West Maui residency seat.

“So many people don’t know where they will live six months from now,” Paltin said during the news conference, which was posted on social media. “Some people don’t know where they will live past Oct. 31 and so many people I’ve spoken to have had tourists stick cameras in their faces demanding to be told what the experience is like, if they lost their house and things like that. Nobody is in the headspace to deal with that politely.”

Maui state Sen. Angus McKelvey, who also represents West Maui, said during the news conference that the community needs help with things such as mortgage relief, aid for renters facing eviction and relief for businesses.

“These are the things the economy needs to stabilize,” said McKelvey, who got emotional at times. “There is action that can be taken to stabilize our economy now that is not being taken and now what you have as a result of hard deadlines and worldwide announcements is a community pitted against each other and an island pitted against each other.”

A spokeswoman for Green could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday evening.

The governor has said the state chose Oct. 8 because it marked two months since the fire. He said he understood the concerns of residents not wanting tourists to come back but has also heard from many people worried about losing their jobs and having to relocate out of state if tourism does not return.

According to a news release from organizer Lahaina Strong, residents are also seeking to have Green and Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke come to hear directly from the community, allow survivors more time to grieve, stabilize housing and rent for impacted residents, ensure safety and schooling for children, provide a COVID-level safety net for working families and local businesses, enact a moratorium on foreclosures, allow tensions with tourists to subside and market out other Maui regions to tourists instead.

On Friday, McKelvey and state Rep. Elle Cochran, who also lives in and represents West Maui, sent a letter to Green saying the opening on Oct. 8 “is too much, too soon.”

“These sentiments are from hundreds of community members who have expressed that they are not yet mentally and emotionally prepared to welcome and serve tourists, particularly after enduring the traumatic impact of the recent wildfires,” the legislators said.

They added that they understand the pressing need for revenue for the small businesses and financial support for workers but it “becomes a daunting task” to have community members to set aside their grief and trauma to make way for outsiders. They asked to delay the reopening and use a phased approach when residents are ready.

“There is very real consequences to every action that this elected and appointed decision-makers make,” Paltin said. “It shouldn’t be made in a vacuum, it shouldn’t be made behind closed doors.”

The decision, Paltin said, “should be made in an open and transparent way with back and forth discussion, and I’m just sorry to the people of West Maui that that didn’t happen.”

* Staff Writer Melissa Tanji can be reached at [email protected]. Managing Editor Colleen Uechi contributed to this story.