Maui County Council member Tasha Kama dies at 73

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Tasha Kama, a Maui County Council member and retired church pastor who advocated for Hawaiian homestead beneficiaries and social justice issues, has died. Kama, 73, was in the middle of a fourth consecutive term, and held a seat with a Kahului residency requirement voted upon by all Maui County residents. She died Sunday evening, according to a Facebook post by her family, who said Kama was surrounded by loved ones. No cause of death was given. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said on Monday that flags at the county’s Kalana O Maui building in Wailuku will be lowered this week in Kama’s honor. “She was a woman of deep faith, compassion and aloha — a leader whose every action reflected her love for our people and her commitment to service,” Bissen said in a statement that also offered condolences to Kama’s family. “Tasha led with humility and strength, always guided by her belief in doing what was just and right for our community. Her wisdom, warmth and unwavering faith touched countless lives and will continue to guide us long after her passing.” Gov. Josh Green also offered condolences, and said in a statement, “Tasha devoted her life to public service, championing affordable housing, uplifting kupuna and families in need — and guiding Maui County with faith, kindness and aloha. Her legacy of service will continue to guide us as we work together to move Maui and the state forward in her honor.” Kama was born on Oahu, and was one of 12 children raised by parents Clarence and Ruth Lei Kamai. Kama’s father moved to Maui in 1973 to accept a state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands homestead lease. Later, Kama became a pastor at her father’s Christian Ministry Church after moving to the Valley Isle in 1983. According to her campaign website, Kama, who had 11 children of her own, also led the revival of a parent-teacher association for Iao Intermediate School, was a social justice organizer with Faith Action for Community Equity on Maui, helped establish the Waiohuli and Keokea homestead community associations, and remained an advocate for DHHL beneficiaries. Kama ran for several elected office positions unsuccessfully before becoming a Maui County Council member, including contests for the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs in 1994 and 1998. In 2008, she challenged incumbent state Rep. Joe Souki for his seat in the Legislature in the Democratic primary election but lost. She also fell short on obtaining a state Senate seat in 2013 to replace Shan Tsu-tsui, who had just become lieutenant governor. In 2018, Kama won her first election to the Maui County Council by beating former Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa. During a PBS Hawai‘i “Insights” TV show in 2024, Kama said her motivation for serving on the council was her children, half of whom she said live on the mainland while Maui struggles through a housing crisis in which demand for affordable homes outstrips supply. “When I think about them, and I thought about what their futures would be like when they were young, I told myself that I wanted them to have a great future here on Maui,” she said. “And in order for that to happen, I had to continue to be engaged.” Kama was the council’s presiding officer pro tempore and chair of the Housing and Land Use Committee. As committee chair, she voted earlier this year against a controversial bill crafted by Bissen to prohibit short-term vacation rental use in about Maui 6,100 condominiums to free up units for residents displaced by the 2023 wildfire that destroyed close to 5,500 homes. The committee voted 6-3 to advance the bill for a full council decision that has yet to take place, and Kama’s dissenting vote was a tough one personally. “This process for me has been very difficult, very hard, conflicting at times,” she said in advance of voting at the committee’s July 24 meeting. “Sometimes it just makes me wild and wicked, and when I go home my family doesn’t recognize who I am.” Kama told her colleagues and the public that her children have different opinions on the bill and let her know about it, and that she tries to do what she feels is best. “You all got to do what you all know is the right thing to do, because that’s what moves you, right?” Kama said. “That stuff that’s deep down inside your naau (gut). That’s what moves you. And sometimes you’re good and sometimes you’re not. Sometimes you’re right and sometimes you’re not. But then that’s all right because the next day you wake up and you breathe, and you start all over again and you try to make it through that day until the rest of your life. “So as hard as this has been, and I’m already thinking about my kids and the phone calls I’m probably going to get about why I said and did what I did … but I hope that — no matter what decisions we make — that we don’t stop caring for each other, we don’t stop loving each other, and that we don’t ever stop talking to each other about stuff that matters.” Council Vice-Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura on Monday remembered Kama as a colleague, best friend and frequent carpooler to community events who had a deep love for her family, her faith, and an unwavering dedication to the people of Maui County. “Tasha was humble, kind, and selfless — always putting others first,” Sugimura said in a statement. “She gave everything she had to make life better for our community. … Maui County has lost one of its brightest lights.” Plans to honor Kama’s life are to be announced in the coming days, according to her office.