Council confirms new Housing, Oiwi Resources and Finance directors

With Maui County Council's unanimous confirmation today, Richard E. Mitchell is officially the Director of the County of Maui's newly created Department of Housing; Kaponoʻai Molitau is officially the Director of the new County Department of ʻŌiwi Resources; and Marcy Martin is the new Director of Finance.

Council voted 9-0 during its regular meeting to adopt resolutions recommending approval of Mayor Richard Bissen's three appointees. The Council vote follows its Government, Relations, Ethics, and Transparency (GREAT) committee meetings July 9 for Molitau and Mitchell and July 26 for Martin.

"Your committee expressed strong support for all three appointees and voted unanimously to recommend the resolutions be adopted," Councilmember and GREAT committee chair Nohelani U'u-Hodgins said before today's vote.

Mayor Bissen praised the Council's confirmation today.

"Mahalo to Maui County Council for confirming these new leaders who are working hard today for a healthier, more resilient tomorrow," Mayor Bissen said. "Community service is essential during this pivotal time in Maui County's history, and I commend Richard E. Mitchell, Kaponoʻai Molitau and Marcy Martin, along with their deputies, for stepping into these crucial roles and vowing to help our community rebuild and recover."

Mitchell leads the new Housing Department, which launched July 1, with his deputy director, Saumalu Mataafa.

The new Housing Department was created when Maui County residents voted to pass a ballot measure in November 2022 that called for bifurcating the Department of Housing and Human Concerns. Mitchell, who previously worked as a Legislative Attorney in the Office of Council Services since 2019, earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Syracuse University, a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University. For more information on Mitchell, visit https://mauicounty.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=13526.

Molitau leads the new Department of ʻŌiwi Resources, which launched July 1, with his deputy director, Kekai Robinson. The Department of ʻŌiwi Resources was created when Maui County residents voted to pass a ballot measure in November 2022. The department was established to implement programs to ensure proper management of ʻŌiwi cultural resources, including the Hawaiian language, place names, historical and archival materials, cultural sites, iwi and burials, and natural resources used in cultural practices.

Molitau is founder and CEO of Native Intelligence, opened in 2009 as a Hawaiian cultural resource center and retail business in Wailuku. As Kumu Hula of Hālau Nā Hanona Kūlike ʻO Piʻilani, he has been teaching youth, kūpuna and other kumu in the art of Hawaiian dance, oli and Hawaiian chant for the past 21 years. For more information on Molitau, visit https://mauicounty.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=13510.

Martin leads the Department of Finance, with her deputy director, Maria Zielinski. Martin has nearly 25 years of experience in the Finance Department's Real Property Assessment Division, where she started as a valuation analyst in 1995. From 2019 to 2023 and since February 2024, she served as County Real Property Tax Administrator, directing a staff of more than 40 full-time employees in the appraisal, assessment, administration, tax mapping, title abstraction, compliance and enforcement, and GIS mapping of real property for assessment purposes. For more information on Martin, visit https://mauicounty.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=13505.

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