Incumbent Carmen Hulu Lindsey has served on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' Board of Trustees since 2012, representing Maui. She ran an uncontested race in 2022.
But this year’s election is the first time she’s been challenged since 2018 — by the same opponent, Ke‘eaumoku Kapu.
Jacob Aki, who is president of the O‘ahu Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, said OHA races are based on name recognition.
“Trustee Lindsey has been on the board for several years. She’s a well-known musician. She definitely has a lot more statewide recognition,” he said. “I think it’ll be a really tough battle for Keʻeaumoku Kapu to really be victorious in that race.”
OHA, created in 1978, is a semiautonomous state agency tasked with managing $600 million in trust funds made up of revenues once held by the Hawaiian Kingdom. Its nine-member board makes key decisions on how OHA spends its trust funds, investments and assets to help improve the conditions of Native Hawaiians.
While trustees represent geographic areas, any Hawai‘i voter can vote for OHA trustees. That eligibility stems from a 2001 Supreme Court decision that struck down a law limiting OHA elections to voters of Native Hawaiian ancestry.
Lindsey prioritizes housing and wildfire recovery
Lindsey has a real estate broker background and served as OHA board chair from 2020 to 2024. She was replaced by Kai Kahele.
She said her highest priority is housing for Native Hawaiians.
“OHA already has housing as a strategic priority, and I want to build on that commitment with a greater sense of urgency,” she said. “We need to move from planning to measurable results, more affordable housing, more opportunities for homeownership, support the multi-generational families, and partnerships that actually create housing for our people.”
Lindsey said she was able to convince the board to help with the 2023 Maui wildfire recovery. She said the trustees approved $5 million for Native Hawaiian homeowners and renters who lost their homes during the fires.
She also disagreed with OHA's proposed purchase of two local TV stations, KITV and KIKU.
“I know it’s going to take millions to purchase a TV station, and we have much more needed help that we need to give our people,” she said. “With the cutting of our programs on the national level, the fires on Maui and the storms hitting all of our state, we need to help them more.”
Kapu points to his experience in Lahaina recovery
HPR couldn't reach Kapu for an interview. He's a cultural coordinator at a nonprofit from Lahaina. He’s also served on various boards and commissions for nearly 30 years. He held a chair position for the Native Hawaiian Historic Preservation Council, advisory to the OHA’s Board of Trustees.
During a PBS Hawai‘i interview, Kapu pointed to his experience working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers during the Maui wildfires.
“I was networking with a lot of mainland contractors,” he told PBS Hawai‘i. “It was a little bit complicated for us in Lahaina because we believe in grassroot communities coming together and resolving a lot of the solutions that we’re dealing with.”
Hawaiʻi voters should receive their ballots in the mail by Oct. 16. The general election takes place on Nov. 3.
