The Maui County Council narrowly appointed Council member Tasha Comma as chair of the Housing and Land Use Committee (HLU) after an hour of heated debate about committee workload, process and priorities.

A motion to appoint Gabe Johnson as HLU chair failed on a roll call (4 ayes, 5 noes). Council then considered an alternate leadership arrangement; Vice Chair Yuki LeSugimura Sugimura’s motion to name Tasha Comma as HLU chair carried on a 5-4 roll call. The closely divided votes reflected broader tensions on the council over how to move housing-related measures, particularly those tied to recovery and rebuilding in West Maui.

The debate focused on whether authors of council-originated bills should have priority in sending their legislation to the committee they chair — a change that passed as part of the council’s rules package earlier in the day — and whether the HLU chairmanship should be in the hands of members perceived as more assertive in advancing housing policy. Council member Gabe Johnson, whose attempt to win the chairmanship failed, summarized his position during debate: “My bills are my priority. I wrote the bill. I’m gonna work hard on it.” Johnson and others argued authors need tools to prevent proposed measures from lingering in committee calendars.

Opponents said HLU is a heavy workload that requires sustained facilitation and consistent scheduling. Several council members and testifiers pointed to backlog and long-standing housing problems since the Aug. 2023 wildfires. Ward-level and recovery-related bills (examples cited in discussion included items referenced by their docket numbers during the session) were highlighted as urgent matters that also involve countywide land-use rules.

Final recorded votes and context:
- Attempt to appoint Gabe Johnson as HLU chair: failed (4 ayes, 5 noes).
- Motion to appoint Tasha Comma as HLU chair (with Lou Hodgins as vice chair): passed 5-4 by roll call.

Council members said the decision does not remove the ability of any member to author or advance legislation. Several members urged closer coordination between committee chairs, staff and the administration to move recovery-focused land-use and housing measures more quickly.

The new HLU leadership will take up housing ordinances, community plan updates and recovery-related land use questions; council members said they expect the committee to coordinate closely with the DRIP (Disaster Recovery, International Planning) committee given ongoing Lahaina recovery work.

The exchanges at the meeting were unusually pointed for an organizational session, with several council members delivering starkly different assessments of the prior term’s performance and the urgency of housing work.

Council members and staff said committee assignments and procedural changes adopted at the meeting are intended to help the council address rebuilding, housing availability and planning issues more efficiently during the two-year term.