The mysterious, mainland-created dark money group Hui O Maui added another $177,500 to its two campaign subsidiaries—”Hui O Maui Citizens for Change” and “Vote No on Charter Amendments Hui O Maui Nui We Can’t Afford It”—according to financial documents filed Monday with the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission.
This brings the total amount Hui O Maui has committed to the 2020 Maui election to almost $297,500—outspending its competitors by almost three-to-one. The money is going to support a campaign against the proposed seven charter amendments and to re-elect incumbent county council members Yuki Lei Sugimura, Alice Lee, Tasha Kama and Mike Molina, as well as candidates Stacy Crivello, Tom Cook, Alberta de Jetley, Rick Nava and Claire Kamalu Carroll.
Hui O Maui is a 501(c)(4) organization, which means that it does not have to reveal its donors. In September, Hui O Maui funneled $100,000 to Hui O Maui Citizens for Change, a super PAC chaired by Las Vegas-based political strategist Grant David Gillham. In October, Gillham’s super PAC received an additional $77,500 from Hui O Maui, according to reports filed with the election commission. No other donors were listed (super PACs must report all donor names).
In October, Hui O Maui also donated another $100,000 to the ballot committee Vote No on Charter Amendments Hui O Maui Nui We Can’t Afford It, after giving it $20,000 in September. That committee is chaired by Roselani ice cream executive Buddy James Nobriga, who has repeatedly ignored calls asking about the identity of his committee’s single donor.
Gillham and Nobriga’s organizations have used the money to blitz airwaves with radio ads, including one featuring Mayor Michael Victorino. They’ve erected banners, flooded mailboxes with postcards and saturated social media with videos and posts.
By comparison, financial reports filed with the state campaign spending commission indicate that the five progressive organizations opposing the Hui O Maui slate have raised, collectively, about $115,000. They are Maui’s Green Future Project ($41,000), Maui Pono Network ($31,000), The Maui Miracle ($1,000) and the ballot issue committees Holomua Ohana for Professional Management ($28,000) and Grow Maui Jobs in Local Food and Affordable Homes Production ($14,000).
Those organizations have used their funds to advocate “Yes” votes on the seven charter amendments and to champion progressive candidates Tamara Paltin, Kelly King, Gabe Johnson, Shane Sinenci, Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, Carol Lee Kamekona, Aja Eyre and Mike Molina (supported apparently by everyone).
Notably, election commission financial filings indicate, there were individual names attached to the donations made to these organizations.
Hui O Maui isn’t the only big dog stepping into the Maui election arena. The Chicago-based National Association of Realtors Fund committed some $60,000 for ads supporting Stacy Crivello, who is challenging Keani Rawlins-Fernandez for the Moloka’i council seat.
That race is among the most heated—in terms of campaign spending—of the election. The other is the Gabe Johnson-Alberta de Jetley match-up for the Lana’i council seat. Hui O Maui spent $16,000 putting out a card specifically supporting de Jetley, in addition to including her in a second group postcard.
While Hui O Maui’s money puts it at the top of the heap for the 2020 election, it’s no record. That would be the $940,000 raised during the 2014 election by the Maui Timeshare Ohana Political Action Committee (now known as One Ohana). Between 2016 and the 2018 election, One Ohana slightly outspent Hui O Maui with $298,509.88 in campaign expenditures.
But of course, that name made its real estate interests transparent. Hui O Maui remains an enigma. A deep-pocketed one.
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