Candidate Shaina Forsyth hails from West Maui state Senate District 6 and shares her present career and her intended direction towards community involvement in the State Senate. Jason Schwartz is a Candidate for Maui County COUNCIL KAHULUI seat. His ideas regarding tourism, environment are also touched on for future conversations.—6 21 22
Summary & Transcript
- [00:00 → 00:51] Introduction and Context
Jason Schwartz, host of the Neutral Zone on Maui, introduces the show and highlights its availability on various platforms including YouTube, Akaku Maui Community TV, and local radio. He welcomes the guest Shayna Forsyth, who is running for state senate. Jason emphasizes the importance of early exposure to candidates before primaries, a gap his show has aimed to fill by interviewing numerous candidates over the years. - [00:51 → 02:07] Shayna Forsyth’s Background and Education
Shayna introduces herself as a lifelong Maui resident born and raised on the west side. She pursued higher education off-island, earning an undergraduate degree in engineering geology from UCLA and a master’s degree in environmental science and management from UC Santa Barbara, focusing on conservation planning. After graduate school, she returned to Maui, driven by her passion for environmental science and conservation. - [02:07 → 05:02] Career Journey and Experience in Hospitality
Despite her qualifications, Shayna struggled to find work in geotechnical engineering during the 2010 economic downturn and transitioned into hospitality to support herself. She worked as a server at Chemos in Lahaina, where her parents had met decades earlier, symbolizing a deep personal connection to the community. Later, she became a concierge and then director of residences at Montage Kapalua Bay, managing two homeowners associations with diverse stakeholders. Shayna describes this role as akin to managing a small government, requiring balancing varied voices and interests. - [05:02 → 06:45] Motivation for Running for State Senate
Jason probes why Shayna, who seems to have a fulfilling career and life, would enter politics. Shayna responds that her interest in politics developed over time as she recognized how government decisions deeply affect community life. She expresses concern about political division and tribalism nationally and wants to inspire her generation to participate more actively. She views running for State Senate District 6—which covers West and South Maui areas including Kapalua, Lahaina, Maalaea, Kihei, Wailea, and parts of Waikapu—as a way to make a meaningful impact. - [06:45 → 09:03] Campaign Challenges and Outreach Strategy
The discussion turns to campaign logistics. Shayna describes the challenge of promoting her campaign with limited media resources and competing against an incumbent and several other candidates. She notes the importance of social media, mentioning a county-wide opponent who is active on Instagram. Despite the uphill battle, Shayna is committed to door-to-door canvassing and engaging with voters directly, leveraging her network of nearly 400 colleagues at Montage Kapalua Bay who have shown strong support. - [09:03 → 11:12] Vision and Community Response
Shayna shares that the community is eager for change, not as a criticism of incumbents but because the same leaders have held office for a long time. She hopes to bring fresh perspectives and energy to government. Jason encourages her to express the issues she’s passionate about, emphasizing this election as her chance to communicate her vision clearly. - [11:12 → 12:52] Core Issues: Affordable Housing and Environmental Sustainability
Shayna identifies two primary passions driving her candidacy: affordable housing and environmental sustainability. She describes her personal experience of hardship living paycheck to paycheck and credits winning an affordable housing lottery in Lahaina as life-changing, preventing her from leaving Maui. She pledges to expand such opportunities for others. On the environmental front, Shayna stresses the unique ecosystems of Hawaii, including endemic species and marine life, and wants to devote more time to conservation efforts if elected. - [12:52 → 14:06] Additional Focus Areas and Community Needs
When asked about other issues, Shayna emphasizes the complexity of local challenges, acknowledging there are no simple answers. She highlights traffic congestion as a pressing problem, mentioning discussions about extending the Lahaina bypass to alleviate traffic in central Lahaina but recognizes potential trade-offs. She stresses the importance of research and informed decision-making, which elected officials are in a position to undertake fully. - [14:06 → 15:48] Political Philosophy and Inclusiveness
Shayna shares her commitment to democratic principles, respect for diverse opinions, and open dialogue. She acknowledges having family members with differing political views and values a collaborative approach. She aims to bring this mindset to the legislature, fostering inclusiveness and constructive debate rather than division. - [15:48 → 17:46] Role of the Legislative Office and Vision for Maui
Jason and Shayna discuss the challenges of legislative work, highlighting the difficulty of building consensus among many representatives. Shayna envisions Maui as a potential global showcase for balancing tourism with environmental stewardship. She believes the tourism industry and environmental protection can coexist harmoniously and wants to explore innovative solutions that benefit both sectors. - [17:46 → 19:01] Closing Thoughts and Future Aspirations
Shayna expresses gratitude for the platform to share her ideas and encourages community members to engage with her campaign through her website (shanaforsythformaui.com). She hopes to inspire more residents to participate in governance and help Maui evolve sustainably. Jason wishes her luck in the upcoming primary on August 13th, and they conclude with mutual appreciation and aloha.
Key Insights
- Shayna Forsyth blends a strong scientific background in environmental science with practical experience in hospitality and community management, providing a unique perspective on Maui’s challenges.
- Her campaign is driven by a desire to address pressing local issues: affordable housing crises, environmental sustainability, and traffic congestion, all affecting quality of life on Maui.
- Shayna emphasizes the importance of early voter education and engagement, highlighting her frustration with the lack of candidate visibility prior to primaries.
- She advocates for respectful, inclusive politics that bridge divides rather than deepen them, reflecting her personal experience with diverse viewpoints in her family and community.
- The interview stresses the complexity of governance, where solutions require careful research, collaboration, and balancing competing interests, especially in a tourism-dependent economy facing ecological pressures.
Summary of Core Concepts
- Community-rooted Leadership: Shayna’s lifelong connection to Maui underpins her commitment to serve and improve her community.
- Environmental Stewardship: Protecting Maui’s unique ecosystems is central to her platform, combining scientific knowledge with practical conservation efforts.
- Affordable Housing: Personal experience informs her passion to expand housing opportunities to retain local residents and workforce.
- Collaborative Governance: Open-mindedness and respect for differing opinions are key to effective legislative work.
- Tourism-Environment Balance: A vision to integrate tourism success with environmental health to create a sustainable future for Maui..
FAQ
Q: What motivated Shayna Forsyth to run for state senate?
A: She was inspired by the need for new leadership to address community issues like affordable housing, environmental protection, and political divisiveness.
Q: What are Shayna’s main campaign issues?
A: Affordable housing, environmental sustainability, traffic congestion, and promoting inclusive, collaborative governance.
Q: How does Shayna balance her scientific background with her hospitality career?
A: Although her initial career path was in environmental science, economic factors led her to hospitality, where she gained valuable experience in community management and leadership.
Q: How does Shayna plan to engage with voters?
A: Through direct community interaction, leveraging her network at Montage Kapalua Bay, door-to-door canvassing, and maintaining an informative campaign website.
Q: What is Shayna’s view on tourism in Maui?
A: She believes tourism and environmental protection are not in conflict and can be harmonized to benefit Maui’s economy and ecology.
Full Transcript
00:00
[Music] hello hi everyone this is jason schwartz your host here at the mutual zone maui neutralzone.com you can see all our shows there you can also see all on youtube you can watch akaku maui community tv you can see it on radio you can’t see it on right here at uh 88.5 the voice of maui and uh now we’ve done the show for five years and it it doesn’t seem to matter i’ve tried all kinds of names i have a guest here who is living in lahaina and yes you’re right she’s a beautiful young lady you
00:51
wonder what is she doing sitting in front of the montage kapalua and why is she here on this show because she’s running for state senate wow shayna forsyth welcome to our show thank you so much for having me um i’ve now been here in maui 22 1988 a long time and i’ve been doing tv shows and you surprised me and i think everyone would appreciate it i’m running for council you can see on the screen i’ve been doing interviews of mayoral candidates council candidates state candidates
01:30
why well you know i’ve been doing it for all these elections and nobody has picked up the ball to run and have the candidates before the second before the primary so when we all really need to see who these candidates are right we don’t see them so i’ve been doing it all these years and i’m doing it now again for the same reason shayna um how long have you been here on maui i was actually born and raised here on the west side so i’ve been here most of my life i did leave for college and
02:07
graduate school so i was living in california i went to ucla for my undergraduate degree i studied engineering geology there and then i worked for a little while after graduating in los angeles county doing that type of work environmental soil sampling and foundation inspections and geology type of work and then i went to graduate school at uc santa barbara and did a master’s in environmental science and management with an emphasis on conservation planning and then i moved back to maui so spencer
02:44
are you what are you doing here on maui are you doing all that good stuff i volunteer in a lot of areas with conservation which is my passion and environmental science i when i first moved back to the island i was trying to find work in my field for um geotechnical engineering and it was right in that last economic downturn in 2010 and i i just could not find that work no one was hiring for that jobs were being cut from different engineering firms and government agencies so i ended up in hospitality
03:18
i waited tables for three years at chemos in lahaina and fun fact that’s where my parents met each other back when they were very young working in lahaina so that’s a very young i bet you may ask what year that was i’m curious when my parents met gosh i was born in 85 so they must have met in 81 or 82. isn’t that amazing those are the days when maui was really a small island maybe you weren’t here to see it but you were a small and uh you could actually have faces and you knew almost everybody you saw
03:56
everybody right then it kept growing and growing and growing and then it started growing hospitality i’m sure is a very interesting thing to get to meet people from all over the world yes yes i ended up after working at chemos i became a concierge at what was then the residences at kapalua bay it was sort of in between some management uh it had a it had opened as ritz carlton residences but due to the timing of the economy wasn’t panning out as planned and so ritz carlton left so i was i started there as a concierge kind of
04:33
in the in between years and then montage came in and took over management i’ve been there the whole time and i’ve worked through a different different management roles so i’m now the director of residences at montage coppola bay i oversee two homeowners associations there we have a whole ownership association and a fractional ownership association so i’ve learned a lot over the years about working with people you know it’s almost like a mini government a homeowners association
05:02
you’ve got a lot of different opinions different voices and you try to work for the common good of um the general population up there um but for someone like yourself i’m thinking as i’m sitting here sounds like you’re sitting on top of the world in a great place why would someone do that and take a flying swan dive into politics state senate district six what area is that so that’s uh west maui and south maui basically runs from kapalua through lahaina matalaya kihei wailea and it
05:40
includes a little bit of waikapu after the recent redistricting why why would you want to run why do you want to run great question i’ve been thinking about it for several years you know i i wasn’t interested in politics in my 20s at all i was a science nerd and just you know liked my little world and going hiking on the weekends but as i’ve gotten older i’ve realized that we are all impacted by the communities we live in and the governments that we elect and so i’ve become more and more
06:12
interested as the years go by in how everything fits together and especially in the last you know five six years we’ve had so much division in our country and tribalism and politics so it’s caught my attention as i know it has for many people and i don’t like seeing that and i want i wanted to get involved and i wanted more people of my generation to get involved and so i look around and go well maybe i should so here i am here you are here you are here we are in the primary in maui
06:45
[Music] have you seen hundreds of people do you do it door-to-door canvassing it’s overwhelming to try to think how to promote when you have so little media available the social media you know i think i say uh maybe you do something very spectacular on instagram and you’re an instagram star there’s a gal running against me who’s using instagram a lot and so it’s like oh that’s really good but i always love it she’s running county-wide we have to get all these votes so you’ve got to go fight you’ve
07:19
got all these people running you’ve got an incumbent so this is your prime period this is when who are you able to show your vision i’m so sorry can i step aside for one minute my dog is getting into oh yeah i need to get it thank you i have a one one uh one year old german shepherd puppy he’s uh oh anyway what were you asking i’m just talking that i i’m running too so i say to myself why am i doing these interviews and i told you already how do we get our message out you decided to run a state senate that’s
07:58
like jumping off a diving board into the deep end yes right first time so you obviously you have a background in environmental stuff okay so do i for 30 years but i’m now so here you are you’ve been in the hotel with industry and so there’s obviously things that when you’re sitting in that seat some people would say oh she’s working for a hotel oh she’s an environmentalist who what is you but you’re saying come on people i’m running against angus mckelvey i’m going to be seen for this blink so i
08:33
want to get my message out and i’m going to get this out to many people have you been able to get your message out so that someone with all this energy that you’re spending i’ve been doing it for 30 years and i’m like i told you earlier i’m sad that after 30 years people still have never seen me living on maui their whole life so here you are you’ve got this window and right i really want to kind of find how can this be valuable to you because thank you i hope you win but i
09:03
know that in a race like i’m in against six others it’s like okay god what do we got going on here right here and you have a primary so you know we have this little time right so how do we get our message shown what have you found great question you know i’ve just been trying to be out and about as much as i can be talking to people in the community i work with a lot of people at montage papua bay there are almost 400 employees there so that’s been i’ve gotten such great support from my
09:33
colleagues everyone i work with is really excited people i’ve known for a long time in lahaina on the west side are really excited you know the feedback i’m getting is that people are ready for change you know and this is nothing against my opponent angus mckelvey or anyone else that’s running but sure it’s been the same people in office for a long time of course he’s been in the house seat going for a different seat but people are looking for different leaders to get into office when you when
10:05
you get into this role like i said you’re you’re going off a diving board so your role as a state whatever official obviously you have to kind of ramp up to right in the middle of it all and i appreciate that and any new one all of us right yeah and i’m always the things that you run for the ones that make you passionate this is the chance i’m hoping that when you ask me who sees this anyone that likes you that you send this to that shares it they’ll see you they’ll see me that’s why i’m
11:12
part of that generation that’s coming up in you know it’s harder with just how the cost of living has grown at a disproportionate rate to incomes and wages and i’ve experienced just those hardships of living paycheck to paycheck and so that’s part of what’s inspired me to get into office i was lucky enough to get into an affordable housing lottery here in lahaina about five years ago it’s been the biggest blessing in my life to own a home and you know work on maintaining it and
11:45
paying that mortgage every month and i’d love to work on bringing more opportunities like that to my fellow community members because it’s really changed my life i might have left the island if i hadn’t gotten into that lottery and so i know housing is so important it’s a big passion of mine then of course sustainability and environmental science you know we’re so lucky to live out here in hawaii that has so many unique endemic plants and animals in the most remote place in the world
12:17
and it’s very important to me to continue to protect our oceans our marine life our rainforests all of the different ecosystems that we have here in the islands so that is a true passion of mine and it’s part of the reason i’m running is to be able to devote more time and energy to that passion um i just want to help our community and our islands you know and from here this place is very special to me and so i’m stepping forward to see how i can be of service so what’s your passion about
12:52
it what issues are your passion what could you talk about affordable housing and that you’re able to strive you have a great job and you’re working hard and affordable means different things to different people i will say it’s not affordable but maybe within reach by a stretch no i get it i had another candidate on a guy named johnson not gay but dan johnson mm-hmm and he grew up on maui also and he did find he’s now a construction supervisor with projects so absolutely that’s the kind of can that i
13:30
want who has the attitude and aptitude to sit in the seat like you are and have grown through the ranks even in an industry that wasn’t your initial passion right and you come back to where you live you’re here on maui so those are the kind of things we’ll see what issues are important to you in your area that oh yeah you can hear what i’m saying any other those two are you know my passions housing as well as sustainability and our environment finding ways to be more energy efficient what does west maui
14:06
need that you can realize would really be helpful well every issue is very complex you know and you give a little here and it takes a little there and so i recognize that so i’m wary of giving you know any type of off-the-cuff answers i think part of why we have elected officials is so that they can spend the time delving into these doing the research and that’s what i’d like to do you know i work a full-time job right now if i’m elected i’d be able to devote my time and energy 100
14:40
to these issues and so you know we certainly need more ways to control our traffic i know there’s talk of extending the lahaina bypass farther north to konapali i think that would help alleviate a lot of the congestion we get in central lahaina but of course you’re going to have cons associated with that too so i’d love to be able to delve deeper on all of these do you have a website that shares your ideas and people i do it’s shana forsythe for maui.com so we will put that there at the at the
15:15
bottom of the screen so people can find thank you you know i have family that are on the opposite side of the political spectrum of me and so i have a lot of respect for different opinions and i think that’s important and that’s what democracy is all about is it allows us to speak freely and openly express our ideas continue to evolve as a society and you know when you start getting suppression of that it’s scary territory so i have a lot of respect for different opinions other parties other ideas and i
15:48
want to bring that to our legislature bring your open attitude yes and collaborative mindset takes a lot to step out and run for an office win or lose right i commend you for your incredible effort thank you the reason we keep evolving as a society and a community is because people share ideas and work together and keep improving our technology so i hope that your contemporaries and compadres and tourism hear this interview and look into what i’ve been talking about because it is a solution for the tourism
16:31
industry so i watch as the people here are so busy you say oh i’ll get into the office and i’ll have time to really focus the people are so busy dealing with the alligators in the swamp they forget their original intention was the dreams right but it might be that it’s a platform for you to carry these ideas an environmental scientist and someone who’s interested in working with other groups here on mountain we have the potential to be a global showcase and the way that can happen is
17:06
the tourism industry your current industry to look at this with me right again this is an idea that’s been baking for 30 years right god i feel like i’ve completely taken over i i don’t mean to no no i i’m so passionate about what i’ve been talking about for so long and now i’m i’m running instead of just talking joe suki head of the house of uh the state house for years said to me well um you know how hard it is to get people to agree to a three or five try to do it
17:46
with 80 people and you’re giving your tuck and you’re this and you’re that you tug right can you imagine what we could showcase from maui hawaii the most popular place gazillion people and money and ideas so that’s why i’m hoping that this show is a doorway yes for you thank you so much i very much appreciate i didn’t know who i was going to meet but to meet someone who is in the tourism industry you can appreciate there is no war between tourism and greenness right people have these
18:22
perceptions that we have we can grow up we can make those you know those interests work together i think there’s a lot of potential for maui and particularly the district i’m running for which is lahaina malaya kihei wailea and waikapu you know those are the tourism areas of maui and i have a lot of good ideas and i’d love to talk to anyone in the community that’s why i’m running and i appreciate the opportunity to be on your show well i i need to go to work now but i really appreciate the time that you’ve
19:01
given me it’s been great to meet you and nice to meet you and um i hope to see you again yes good luck here on august 13th thank you so much aloha aloha [Music] you
