Lahaina Rebuild Obstruction May Cause Fire Victims to Reject Green’s ‘Settlement’

Dear Editor,    January 27, 2025

I have been going to Maui since 1985 several times per year. I bought a property in 2015. I invested considerable money fixing it up and brought lots of tourists to the island and employed a property manager and many people involved in cleaning and maintenance.

I was there the day that my property burned down.

Since that time, the mayor has met with our homeowners association and the treatment that we are getting trying to rebuild is shocking. 

If Governor Green’s proposed Lahaina Fire Settlement makes it to a vote of fire victims, will the vote pass?

Everyone seems to think that the settlement offer is a done deal, but I am going to vote against it, as many others are, because we need to get the people responsible for the Maui Wildfires away from the rebuilding process.

My information is that Governor Green has done a lot of work on this deal and, if successful, it could result in quicker access to cash and no bankruptcies of the fire defendants. Since Hawaiian taxpayers are indirectly on the hook for this disaster, Governor Green’s efforts may save them a lot of money in the longer term.

One issue that may perplex plaintiffs is the delays in permits, and the possibility that oceanfront properties may never be allowed to be rebuilt. This may seem strange to many as the County may have dropped the ball after the 2018 fire. The post-fire reports are there to read for people to form their own opinions but televised interviews seem to indicate that some people are claiming negligence in the County government.  With such opinions and the declaration of a Federal Natural Disaster, it may seem inexplicable how the County is blocking rebuilding.

If a valuable oceanfront property is not allowed to be rebuilt and if permit delays continue for others, or councillors continue to suggest that rebuilds lose STR status, would that cause a vote to fail?

Apparently, the settlement vote requires a supermajority, and I head one lawyer say it may take 95% to pass.

What are the downsides to the settlement not passing?

Some possible scenarios could include Hawaiian Electric going through bankruptcy, land holder defendants having to liquidate their land, County and State legal fees and settlement costs materially impacting operational budgets for years to come, and calls for criminal charges against people that had the authority to prevent and mitigate the damages. Plaintiffs that are barely hanging on may have to wait several more years to receive compensation. Not to mention a slowing down of the recovery. There is a Lahaina recovery plan but is it worth the paper it is written on if the deal falls through?

This is all happening with a background of trying to ban 7000 STRs, which may result in further mass legal actions.

The County may have to think about hiring an army of lawyers. The Governor may have to issue more proclamations to get the necessary votes for the impending settlement deal.

Sentiment for many non-locals is possibly already negative because of how they think the County views them. Some may feel that they are being blamed for bad decisions made by people they can’t vote for. The question has to be asked, If the planning and execution of wildfire prevention was caused by negligence, do voters expect a different outcome with the rebuilding planning and execution.

Some may say that the only person that can prevent a possible vote failure for the settlement is the Governor. He has had to release proclamations to help victims already. The next proclamation may have to allow all residential and commercial rebuilding in coastal areas with no delay. Such a proclamation may prevent a vote failure and plaintiffs possibly laying waste to the finances of Hawaii.

Dr David Smyth MD

Alberta, Canada

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Celebrities Come Home!

Dear Editor,      Jan 17, 2025

So much for DEI. We didn’t elect the first woman of color for President, nor even the first woman President, for that matter.   Nor even reelect the first SENILE President!  But we did reelect the first ORANGE billionaire president!  That’s an even tinier minority! 

Likely, things will not be a disaster.  Sure, Donald Trump has major personality and character flaws but the agenda he ran on is pretty “normal”: tax cuts for a fragile economy, border security in a time of two very dangerous wars and threatening tariffs to get foreign economic cooperation.

And probably, the nuttiest of his policies won’t get through Congress because there are even Republicans that hate him enough to side with Democrats on some issues.  And the media hates him so much that they will watch him like a drone with laser vision.

So, all you celebrities who fled to foreign lands, you can come home!

Leighton Loo

Mililani, Oahu