I only learned about Na Hale O Maui a couple of years ago when I took on my role as Government Affairs Director for RAM. At the time it seemed like a good program, but I honestly didn't give it much thought. Nevertheless, as I've progressed in my role at RAM and learned more about the circumstances surrounding our severe lack of affordable housing inventory, I find myself thinking about Na Hale O Maui more and more. In fact, I've grown to think that programs like Na Hale O Maui may be our best hope in preserving affordable housing stock on Maui for future generations, and I am deeply concerned that we may not realize that until it is far too late. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to get Cassandra Abdul on for an interview to discuss her program and to see if we can get some renewed support from the REALTOR community. Cassandra has been in real estate for most of her adult life, and she holds an active real estate broker's license in Hawaii. Cassandra is an incredibly sweet person, but also an ardent advocate for her program and an extremely knowledgeable real estate professional, so this was a great conversation. Na Hale O Maui was founded by RAM members, and I sincerely hope RAM members sign up to be members of Na Hale O Maui after listening to this episode. If your interested, follow this link!

Aloha Friends,

Alberta de Jetley is running for Maui County Council, and I think we should all vote for her. In this episode, I have a nice long conversation with Alberta and we learn a lot about her background and what she plans on accomplishing if she wins in November. I've had the pleasure of having a few long conversations with Alberta at this point, and I am still surprised at how much more there is to learn about her every time. What struck me as most interesting from this interview is her incredibly diverse professional background, as well as her depth of knowledge concerning our County and the problems it has faced over the years. Given those two factors alone, I think she is a great candidate for the Lanai seat and she has my full support. If you want to learn more about Alberta or contribute to her campaign, check out her website www.albertadejetley.com  

[If you want to skip the intro, jump to the 6:15 mark.]

Mahalo,

Jason

Aloha Friends,

Today's guest is Claire Kamalu Carroll, Candidate for the Maui County Council's East Maui seat. Claire is the daughter of former Councilmember Bob Carroll, and a legitimately good candidate in her own right. I'll be honest and admit that I was already leaning toward voting for Claire Carroll early on purely based on the fact that her competitor, Councilmember Shane Sinenci, refuses to meet with RAM and ignored multiple invitations to participate in our candidate interview process. That inclination was solidified and reinforced after getting to know Claire a little more. Given Claire's determination, work ethic, concern for the community as a whole, and her willingness to communicate and share ideas, I think she is a great candidate for Maui County Council. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it, and I hope you learn something too. If you want to skip the intro, try jumping to the 4:29 mark!

Aloha Friends,

When a candidate tells you that they are "pro-business" you generally don't expect them to spend most of the interview talking about the importance of education and community service, but that is what happens when you talk to Rick Nava. Rick is currently running to represent West Maui on the Maui County Council, and he also happens to be an awesome person! In this episode we talk a lot about Rick's background, his long history of community service, his ideas for revitalizing Maui's economy, and Rick also dispenses some great life advice. All politics aside, I think it is hard not to like Rick Nava if you take the time to give this a listen. If you want to know more about Rick's campaign, visit VoteRickNava.com.

If you want to skip over the intro, jump to the 7:30 mark. 

WELCOME BACK! Thanks for tuning in for the first episode of Season 2 of the RAM GAD POD! I was dragging my feet about getting the podcast up and running again, but I had no choice after Aja Eyre reminded me that I had promised her a longer interview. Aja is running against Mike Molina for the County Council's Makawao-Haiku-Paia seat, and I'm a little surprised there isn't more buzz about her. I was thoroughly impressed after my short interview with Aja in July, and this longer interview only served to solidify my admiration for her. Regardless of how the election goes in November, Maui County is lucky to have Aja Eyre here and working to help the people of Maui. Even though the audio quality on my side of the conversation isn't great, I think this episode is still one of our better ones because of the outstanding guest. Mahalo to Aja for joining us and mahalo to you for listening!

Aloha All,

I start this episode (first 9 minutes or so) with a quick Maui County Covid-19 update, then I have an excellent interview with Lisa Teichner, Team Leader and Business Strategist at Keller Williams Realty Maui. Lisa is a wealth of knowledge and experience, and she shares a lot of great tips and insights on how to cope with this shifting market in this interview. If you are a realtor, especially if you are a newer realtor, this is an episode you should definitely listen to. 

Here are links to a few things referenced in the episode:

-Maui Time Covid 19 Updates: https://mauitime.com/maui-county-corona-virus-updates/

-Mayor Victorino's Public Health Emergency Rules: https://www.mauicounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/121453/County-of-Maui---Public-Health-Emergency-Rules?bidId=

- State Covid 19 page: https://hawaiicovid19.com/

- Shift: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times: https://www.amazon.com/Shift-Estate-Agents-Tackle-Tough/dp/0071605266

Aloha All,

This is my second fireside chat regarding Covid-19, and I hope it is helpful. Here are sites and links referenced in the episode:

Aloha All,

Given how crazy the world is right now, I've decided to switch up the format a little and do a fireside chat for my 50th episode. This episode is essentially an update on the Covid-19 situation, and my attempt at providing some clarity. I make reference to a bunch of online resources in this episode, so here is a list of the links:

NAR Coronavirus Emergency Legislation Update: https://www.nar.realtor/political-advocacy/coronavirus-emergency-legislation-what-realtors-need-to-know

The Maui News Covid-19 Closures: https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2020/03/coronavirus-outbreak-continues-to-shake-up-maui-events-and-facilities/

CDC Email Updates: https://tools.cdc.gov/campaignproxyservice/subscriptions.aspx?topic_id=USCDC_2067

Hawaii DOH Covid-19 Updates: https://tools.cdc.gov/campaignproxyservice/subscriptions.aspx?topic_id=USCDC_2067

Please note that I recorded this episode before learning that the Hawaii State Legislature has suspended its session, so that is why I did not reference it in the recording. 

This is a solo episode! I don't want to call it a Notes from the GAD update because I take a deep dive into a couple of issues, but there isn't an interview this week. As to the issues, here are some brief notes and links in case you don't have time to listen:

Maui County STRH Phase-Out Proposal: Here is the link to the Planning Department's presentation from March 6th, and here is a link to the MVRA Facebook page with videos from the meeting. Overall, the meeting was a bit disappointing. The Planning Department did not take public testimony, and the arguments presented were not very well thought out. I give a recap in the episode, but the basic gist is that the meeting not particularly informative.

Maui County Council action on Short Term Rental Homes: This Friday, March 13th, at 9 a.m, there will be a County Council Meeting. One of the agenda items is County Communication 20-194. This item is asking the Council to refer to the Maui and Lanai Planning Commissions a proposed bill to amend the comprehensive zoning ordinance relating to Short Term Rental Home Permits on Mai and Lanai. The proposed bill would amend Maui County Code Chapter 19.65 by drastically lowering the number of available STRH permits in the various community areas. This is not as drastic as the Planning Department's idea to ban Short Term Rental Home permits, but it would certainly keep a lot of operations from becoming compliant, because it would essentially set the cap at the current number of permits. How's that for frustrating the original intent of the ordinance...

SB3110: I've gotten a lot of calls about SB3110 and I completely understand why Realtors are concerned. This bill seeks to prohibit nonresident aliens and businesses, and trusts that are significantly controlled by nonresident aliens, from acquiring certain residential property in the State, except as otherwise provided by law. This bill still has several hurdles to overcome before it becomes law, but I do encourage you all to track this measure and to provide testimony when it gets scheduled for its first committee hearing. 

Covid-19: Tonight, March 11, 2020, at 7 p.m.,  Mayor Michael Victorino will be discussing updates on COVID-19 and answering some frequently asked questions during his Holo I Mua television show airing tonight at 7 p.m. on Akaku Blue Channel 55. Please watch, and please check out some additional guidance for REALTORS that has been provided by NAR. Additionally, if you want to check out some really compelling data related to Covid-19, I highly recommend this article by Tomas Pueyo that was recently posted on Medium.com. My advice: please avoid unnecessary social contact and unnecessary travel, please be cautious not to potentially spread the virus to those who might be particularly vulnerable, and please take this virus seriously. I wish this was a hoax from the main stream media, but it isn't! This virus is having a devastating impact on modernized countries with advanced healthcare systems, it is a very real threat to us all. 

Mahalo for listening!

Aloha Friends,

Don Couch and I had so much fun recording last week's podcast episode that he invited me back on his radio show on 1110 AM. This "Bonus" episode is audio from this morning's episode of On the Couch with Don Couch and Jack Gist. Our conversation primarily focused on the Planning Departments potential "phase-out" of Short Term Rental Home permits, and we let everyone know how they can get involved. If you have not done so already, please participate in RAM's Call For Action to OPPOSE a ban on LEGAL Short Term Rental Homes by clicking on this link.

Mahalo,

Jason