“People-Power” Drives Progressive Candidates’ Newly Formed ‘Onipa’a 2022:

Maui’s progressive movement has a problem once thought to be inconceivable: Political power, and how to keep it.

For decades, island progressive candidates have pounded on the doors of power, noses pressed against the glass, as they clamored for a seat at the table. Some election years, maybe one or two would slip into a County Council seat, but never in enough numbers to make a real difference politically.

That all changed in 2020, when enough progressives were elected to the Maui County Council to upset the balance of power and become the majority. Kelly Takaya King, Gabe Johnson, Tamara Paltin, Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, and Shane Sinenci transformed the nine-person council into one with a solid five-member progressive majority (with Mike Molina a pretty regular sixth vote). They had huli’ed the vote; they were finally in charge.

Same cause, new direction

But progressives’ former election clarion calls: “Vote for Change,” “Huli the Vote,” “’Nuff Already” are obsolete in 2022. Their solution to that problem arrived recently with the launch of ‘Onipa’a 2022, a hui of eight Maui County Council candidates who are determined to continue a progressive course. The group includes incumbents Johnson, Paltin, Rawlins-Fernandez, and Sinenci, and newcomers Noelani Ahia, Nara Boone, Jordan Hocker, and Robin Knox, who will hold a series of rallies around the island in the run-up to the general election on November 8.

‘Onipa’a is the Hawaiian word meaning “steadfast, immovable, resolute.” “’Onipa’a is to be steadfast in the pursuit of justice, regardless of the gale force winds that try to uproot us,” Rawlins-Fernandez said in a news release announcing the group’s formation. She called the candidate hui “unprecedented” and one that “was inspired by our community demonstrating how powerful our voices are when used as one.”

The group’s message: Vote for us, or risk losing the “community-guided” achievements we’ve made during the past two years.

“People-power vs. money”

The candidates decided to join forces and finances to fight a faction I’ve dubbed “Anybody But Progressives” [ABP]. They also want to supplement decisions being made independently by progressive “independent expenditure/super PAC” committees, such as Maui’s Ohana Candidates, and the political action committee Maui Pono Network.

“People-power versus money,” is how Rawlins-Fernandez described this year’s election battle in a recent interview. “In general, candidates choose to campaign alone. If you endorse another candidate, you risk losing votes.”

She laughed. “So what we’re doing now runs against all that advice that we received. Unlike political action committees, we control the messaging. The candidates are driving this ‘Onipa’a 2022 movement.”

And driving it hard. Warns Rawlins-Fernandez, “If [ABP’ers] get a majority, it wouldn’t take very long to undo everything we’ve accomplished.”

 Money-saturated election

In the past two years, the progressive-dominated council has passed an impressive amount of what it calls “community guided” legislation. Bills have been passed and signed into law affecting tourism, hotels, short-term rentals, affordable housing, and climate change–all the progressive hot button topics.

These actions have infuriated developers, builders, tourism advocates and other members of Anybody But Progressives and they’re making a major push with their checkbooks to return to a status quo they prefer. ABP’ers have given about four times as much money to their preferred Council candidates than progressives have collected. The Hawaii Carpenters Union has been particularly involved with individual donations and through its Be Change Now independent expenditure committee/super PAC, as excellently detailed in this Civil Beat story by Marina Starleaf Riker.

The combined campaign coffers of all ABP-supported Council candidates total around $729,000 as of the last campaign reporting period (ending September 26). Compare that to progressive candidates, who have combined campaign donations totaling just $169,000 for the same period.

ABP donors will probably end up spending north of $2 million this election season to support both mayoral and council candidates. Particularly big bucks have been thrown at return candidate Tom Cook and newcomers Buddy Nobriga, John Pele, and Nohe U’u Hodgins. Former council member Riki Hokama and Claire Kamalu Carroll are also looking to hitch a ride on ABP coattails.

Oddly, incumbent Tasha Kama seems to be hovering somewhere in the middle. Although ABP-leaning, she hasn’t received the tranche of money donated to her opponent Nobriga ($78,000 and counting). And, unusually, Kama will be among endorsements made on the coming “Maui Ohana Candidates” voting card coming soon to Maui households. Along with the ‘Onipa’a candidates, it will recommend Kama and a “yes” vote on all charter amendments.

“Lack of Energy”

Rawlins-Fernandez acknowledged that forming ‘Onipa’a 2022 also was motivated by “a lack of energy” in this year’s election cycle. “The pandemic did a number on organizing. There are still quite a few people who don’t feel comfortable in large groups, and that hurts ‘people-powered’ movements like Maui progressives,” she said. “You’ve got to bring people together. We need rallies, marches, and demonstrations.

“The ‘Onipa’a 2022 tour is an opportunity to get people together again, to remind them how far we’ve come and how much work it took to get us to this point. We’re doing these district tours to try to re-energize our community. To remind them what’s at stake in November.”

South Maui candidate Robin Knox called the “special interest groups” and “dark money” factors at play this election season “trust-eroding,” adding, “By creating this hui, we have been able to run more robust campaigns, limiting cost as a barrier.”

Makawao-Haiku-Paia candidate Boone, who has been heavily outspent by U’u-Hodgins, the daughter of Carpenters Union official Bruce U’u (and the recipient of $128,000 in donations, to Boone’s $16,000), said the rallies were designed to “remind people of their power as we tour the districts together.”

Rawlins-Fernandez emphasized that this tour, which has scheduled rallies in Haiku (Oct. 10), Pukalani (Oct. 14), Lahaina (Oct 17), and Molokai (Oct.27) with more in the works (voteonipaa.com), is not designed to raise money. “It’s to remind people how far we’ve come and what we’re going to lose if it goes away.”

Kihei event

I attended the first of these rallies last week at the Kihei Community Center, along with around 75 others, most of them already committed progressive voters. There was food and socializing. Each candidate had a table and mingled with the crowd. An evening focal point was a short film, “We are ‘Onipa’a 2022” that bordered on hagiography as it reviewed the careers of progressive trailblazers such as Wayne Nishiki, Sol Kaho’ohalahala and Michelle Anderson, and more recent council members Elle Cochran, Alika Atay and Kelly King. Finally, it turned to the current group of incumbent candidates and their legislative accomplishments.

Then the candidates took the stage, and stepped forward, one by one, to offer a few words on each of the subjects near and dear to the movement and to them: housing, homelessness, water, the environment. It was well-orchestrated and well-received.

But will it generate votes? ‘Onipa’a 2022 has about four weeks to find out.