This special meeting of the Maui County Council, held on January 12, 2026, convened at 20:30 UTC (locally noted as 9:05 AM on January 5, 2026, in the opening remarks) to welcome newly sworn-in Council Member Colonoy Batanka (also referred to as Conoy/Calonoy Batanga) and proceed with administrative committee reassignments. Two public testifiers, Zandra Amaral Krause and Daniel Ornales, offered welcome remarks and advice for collaboration, while the council unanimously adopted Resolution 26-1 to adjust standing committee assignments following the vacancy left by the late Council Member Tashakama.
Well, the special meeting of January fifth, twenty twenty-six, please come to order. It's nine oh five, and I just realized it's my brother's birthday. Good morning, uh, council members, staff, and members of the public. Special um aloha to our new newest member, Conoy Batanga, sworn in this morning. The special council meeting of January fifth will come to order, and Ms. Clerk, please proceed with roll call. Thank you, Chair. Proceeding with roll call. If there are any members that are participating online, please let us know who, if anyone except minors are present with you. Council Member Cowanoi Batangan. Councilmember Tamara Paulton. Excused. Councilmember Gabe Johnson. Aloha, Chair, Councilmembers, Commune members. Council Member Key Rollins Fernandez. Aloha Kakahaka Chair. Aloha Kakayaka Call. Thank you. Councilmember Tom Cook. Happily here. Council Member Noheilani U Hodgins. Councilmember Shane Senency. Chair, you have eight members present, one excused. So do we have any testifiers? Chair, we have one testifier currently signed up, and that is Xandra Amaral Krause. Well, Ms. Krauss is coming down. I just wanted to let you know, uh member Kalonoy Batangan. We have a tradition here, so being the newest member, you uh you have to buy us lunch. Okay, testifier. Chairwoman, does that include the audience as well? Yeah. Why not? Hello, my good morning, my friends. I'm Zandra Amaral Krauss testifying on your agenda. I know, madam, and I believe that's a 96-1. I'd like to take the opportunity to welcome the new member of your body who will be representing the citizens of Maui Nui in Tashakama's place. I'm sure he'll do a great job. All of as all of you. As the new year came. There is one thing that well, I'd like to first of all say the past three years have been very trying for all of you. And the administration, our mayor and his staff. And I'd like to say, as a citizen, thank you very much for the job you've done and continue to do. Um offer, no that it's been very difficult, especially for the citizens of La Haina and other areas. But I am really, I was looking over the suggested um committees, and I was very happy with what I saw. Um I know that with the new council member, there were three very good candidates, and I'd like to tell the sitting council that I know it was very, very difficult for all of you in making a selection, and thank you all, and thank you for those that stepped up. In the coming year, I think that collaboration between yourselves. One thing I'd like to eliminate or see eliminated, because I cannot eliminate that. I'm not, I don't I don't sit wasted, is the mentality of us against you, the four, five mentality. My dear council members, remember, if you're thinking that you're one of the five, but you one of the four, you are putting that energy out to your fellow council members.