On Aug. 8, Brendan Balthazar woke up at 2 a.m. to a phone call that a brush fire near Kula, in the upcountry of Maui, was heading for a pasture where he had cattle. Balthazar,.
East Maui Council member Sinenci said the passage of this charter amendment returns the stewardship of the East Maui watersheds toward local residents of East Maui, “residents who have often sacrificed their lives maintaining this system, and who had to idly watch as their life suffered from a lack of water.”
The County Council's selections marked the culmination of a weekslong power struggle over control of the board that will help shape the region's future.