happy holidays!

Perhaps the biggest news to come from the 2024 annual meeting was the over $30M price tag for replacing the AC systems in both towers.  This was particularly shocking given this was a 50% increase from last year's estimate.  But is this work even necessary?  Before you agree to write a check for $50,000 to pay for a new AC system, learn about the  far less expensive alternatives which the Board is currently turning a blind eye to.

 The following officers and director were elected to one year terms.  IMHO, each of the officers is exceptionally qualified for their role and I look forward to seeing how the board operates in 2025 under this new leadership  

PRESIDENT: Stew Levine
VICE PRESIDENT: Tom English
SECRETARY: Mike Wilde
TREASURER: Susan Dewan 
LUANA DIRECTOR: Fred Bell

I regret to report that the 2024 HKCA Annual Meeting came and went and due to lack owner participation, we'll have the same self-serving Board of Directors continuing to run HKCA for its own benefit.  There are a couple of changes you may want to be aware of including a whopping 16% fee increase and a shocking $30M price tag for HOK and KON owners for AC replacement work which may not even be necessary.  Click here to read my meeting summary email.

In my 14 years at Honua Kai, I've seen a lot of shady stuff done by our board but I never thought I'd see the day that they would rig a director election.  Well, sadly I'm wrong and they've done precisely this.  The only question now is whether owners let them get away with it.  

I just sent this email out to owners via Mailchimp which provide the 5 resolutions which I'll be introducing at Friday's HKCA Annual Meeting.  If you did not receive the email, please click below to see it.  Your proxy is essential if you agree with these resolutions for making Honua Kai better for all owners! 

You may not  have noticed it but the board just fired our 4th General Manager in the past 9 years!  Read about why our board is so fond of hiring, overpaying, and then firing GMs and what owners must do to get off the costly GM carousel we've been stuck on for the past decade!

Less than 10% of owners are affected by alleged Luana AC defects yet all of us are being dragged into a lawsuit that HKCA has no responsiblity for.

Since 2010 I've worked to protect the rights of Honua Kai owners. Last year I stepped down to help over 1000 survivors of the Lahaina wildfires staying at Honua Kai.  My efforts led to a suspension of HOA stay limits stopping eviction efforts by the board and allowing owners to receive FEMA income.  Leadership is action, not words.

I value your investment in Honua Kai and the importance of saving money.  With inflation and high costs on Maui, we need directors who will say NO to wasteful spending and special interests. Without me as a watchdog, the board is freely engaging in wasteful actions like this entirely unnecessary Hokulani election and taking legal action against the developer of Luana for building defects that HKCA has absolutely no responsibility for. I will blow the whistle on wasteful spending and when the board violates its fiduciary duty to owners by using our maintenance fees as their personal piggy bank.  It's time for this abuse to stop! 

Since we're the ones paying the bills, I've always believed owners are entitled to the full truth and not a redacted version of it. Unfortunately, with my departure from the Board last year, owners have lost their only source of unbiased information of what is really going on in the boardroom.  If you value truth and transparency, then you need to hold our directors accountable and insist on transparency rather than legal excuses and claims of attorney client privilege. 

I believe the Honua Kai Resort can be so much more than it currently is by not being run as a glorified HOA but as a 5 star destination resort. Competing with the best resorts on Maui requires professional management and top tier talent. If you're frustrated too, then demand more by electing directors like me who will explore alternatives far better for owners than the board's DIY approach.