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ROOTED IN WEST MAUI

For the past 39 years, I have proudly called West Maui home. My wife and I have been married for 45 years, and this is where we chose to build our life and raise our five children. All five kids graduated from the West Maui public school system. Today, four still live here on Maui, while our eldest lives in Los Angeles.

West Maui isn’t simply where we live. It’s where our family grew up, where we built our businesses, where we made lifelong friendships, and where we learned what it truly means to be part of a community.

My wife dedicated 20 years to King Kamehameha III Elementary School before the 2023 Lahaina fire. Together, we’ve experienced the joys and hardships that have shaped West Maui, and through it all, our commitment to this community and the people who call it home has only grown stronger.

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BUILT THROUGH EXPERIENCE

In 1987, I opened the first TCBY Yogurt store at the Wharf Cinema Center in Lahaina. Over the years, we expanded to two additional locations and operated wholesale distribution while participating in events throughout Maui. Like many small-business owners, we experienced both good years and difficult ones. When the economy changed in the 1990s, we adapted, made hard decisions, and eventually closed our final location in 2006.

That experience taught me lessons I have carried with me ever since: how to manage a budget, navigate difficult decisions, adapt when circumstances change, and understand the challenges faced by the small businesses that are so important to West Maui.

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A RECORD OF SERVICE

But some of the work I’m most proud of has never been about business.

For decades, giving back to this community has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I coached the sports my children played, served on PTAs, participated in my local church, and have spent the past 24 years serving the Lahainaluna High School Foundation, including the past 14 years as its president.

During that time, we expanded scholarship opportunities for Lahainaluna graduates and supported programs that directly benefit our students. One of our greatest accomplishments was helping bring the Lahainaluna Stadium to life—a state-of-the-art, 3,000-seat facility made possible largely through private donations and completed well below the original projected cost.

I have also served the Kahana Ridge Homeowners Association as treasurer, vice president, and most recently president.

Those experiences have reinforced something I have believed for a long time: leadership begins with listening. It requires bringing people together, being responsible with the resources entrusted to you, making tough decisions when necessary, and always remembering who you are there to serve.

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WHY I’M STEPPING FORWARD

After decades of raising a family, building businesses, and serving this community, I’m ready to devote the next chapter of my life to West Maui in a new way—as its representative on the Maui County Council.

I’m not running because I want to become a politician. I’m running because I believe West Maui needs leadership from someone who knows this community, has lived its challenges, and understands what is at stake for its future.

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PROTECTING WHAT COMES NEXT

There are many important issues facing West Maui, but protecting our communities from another devastating wildfire must be among our highest priorities.

We need to be better prepared. We need stronger infrastructure, responsible land management, reliable evacuation planning, and clear accountability. We need to ask the difficult questions now, before another emergency—not afterward.

The people of West Maui have already endured unimaginable loss. We know the consequences of being unprepared, and we cannot afford to wait again.

Protecting West Maui also means protecting the quality of life that allows local families to remain here. It means supporting our schools and small businesses, addressing infrastructure and housing, preserving what makes our communities special, and making sure West Maui has a strong voice in the decisions that determine our future.

For 39 years, West Maui has given my family a place to call home.

Now I’m asking for the opportunity to give back in a new way.

I would be honored to earn your trust, your support, and your vote.

PROTECT THE WEST SIDE.

NEVER AGAIN.

IMUA LAHAINA.

Mark E. Tillman