A major development today confirms exactly why our petition for an independent and accountable Maui County ethics system is urgently needed. SIGN NEW PETITION HERE:
A formal Ethics Complaint has now been filed against the new Ethics Director, Lauren Akitake, alleging violations of the Maui County Charter and the Hawaiʻi Rules of Professional Conduct. The filing details multiple failures to act on documented conflicts involving Corporation Counsel, the County Auditor, private attorneys, and the Lahaina Fire litigation, including a law firm switching sides in related cases, a conflict that was never investigated or reported as required by law.
This complaint reinforces what our community has been raising alarm about for months: the Charter-mandated independence of the Board of Ethics is not being honored, conflicts are being shielded instead of investigated, and public trust continues to erode.
In just three days, more than 74 Maui residents have already signed the petition demanding an independent, accountable ethics system. The momentum is real and growing because people understand how much is at stake.
Please sign and share our petition widely. Every voice counts.
PRESS RELEASE 12/11/2025
LAHAINA, MAUI: A formal Ethics Complaint has been filed against Lauren M. Akitake, Executive Director and Legal Counsel of the Maui County Board of Ethics, alleging violations of Maui County Charter Article 10 and the Hawaiʻi Rules of Professional Conduct. The complaint asserts that Director Akitake has failed to uphold the independence required by a voter-approved Charter Amendment and has instead acted to preserve and protect the influence and agendas of the conflicted attorneys within the Department of the Corporation Counsel. As a licensed professional attorney, Director Akitake's bar of responsibility and ethics has been violated.
The complaint was filed by Lahaina resident and government accountability advocate Christopher Salem, who alleges that Director Akitake’s decisions and omissions have undermined the purpose of the Charter Amendment establishing an independent Board of Ethics legal counsel, staff, and Director. The amendment, approved by local residents and Maui County voters, was intended to eliminate the longstanding influence of Corporation Counsel over ethics matters and restore public trust in County government.
According to the complaint, Director Akitake refused to process or investigate a series of serious ethics complaints involving documented attorney conflicts, including those involving private attorney David Nakamura, County Auditor Lance Taguchi, and Corporation Counsel. The complaint further alleges that Director Akitake failed to fulfill her professional duties as a licensed attorney by failing to report documented evidence of attorney misconduct to the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Office of Disciplinary Counsel. (ODC)
The filing also exposes a serious conflict involving the Lahaina Fire litigation. Corporation Counsel Deputy Thomas Kolbe is now defending the County alongside the law firm McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon (MMMM). This is the same firm that previously represented West Maui property owners and plaintiffs in claims alleging that the County and private developers failed to comply with required SMA fire-mitigation conditions prior to the 2023 wildfire.
“A firm cannot ethically switch sides in a matter involving the same parties, the same facts, and the same underlying public-safety failures.” Salem said, “This isn’t just inappropriate, it’s an obvious, serious conflict that should have been forwarded to the Board of Ethics immediately. The Ethics Director’s refusal to even process the complaint is indefensible.”
The complaint also states that Director Akitake’s refusal to act on conflicts involving the October 7, 2025, Maui County Council executive session, now under active investigation by the State Office of Information Practices (OIP), further demonstrates her failure to uphold her legal and ethical obligations. The complaint alleges violations of Maui County Charter §§10-4(b), 10-4(c), 10-4(d), and 10-4(g), including misuse of position, impairment of independent judgment, engagement in incompatible acts, and securing unwarranted privileges for conflicted County attorneys.
“The Charter Amendment and the Maui County Council directives were clear. The people of Maui voted for an independent Board of Ethics, not a continuation of the same misdealings that shield conflicts, silence whistleblowers, and protect political allies. Director Akitake has failed the public, failed the Council, failed the Charter, and failed her professional duties as an attorney.”