Kelly King, a former three-term member of the Maui County Council, trailed incumbent Tom Cook in her effort to reclaim the South Maui seat, according to early results from Saturday’s primary election.

Political newcomer Johnny Prones finished a distant third in the nonpartisan race to represent the district, which includes Kihei, Wailea and Maalaea. The top two candidates will qualify for the general election on Nov. 5.

Cook received 40.7% of the vote, King 39.8% and Prones 5.3%. The first round of results included all ballots received by Friday.

This year, all nine seats on the council are up for election, but the primary election only includes the South Maui and Upcountry races because there are no opposing candidates for two of the seats and there are only two candidates for each of the other five, who automatically advance to the general election.

In the Upcountry race, Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura fared well ahead of Jocelyn Cruz and Ed Codelia. Sugimura received 59.3% of the vote, followed by Cruz with 17.1% and Codelia with 7.5%.

This election is critical for the balance of power on the council, which sets the county’s spending priorities and has great policy-making power. If the other incumbents keep their seats in the fall, the winner of the South Maui race could restore the council to a more progressive majority if King returns, or keep it more conservative if Cook wins.

Although Maui County, which includes the islands of Maui, Lanai and Molokai, is divided into geographic districts, every voter in the county can vote in all local elections.

Among the biggest questions facing council in the near future is what to do with Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposal to convert about 7,000 short-term vacation rentals into long-term housing by 2026.

Maui was already facing a massive housing crisis before the fires left around 13,000 people homeless last August. While several major housing projects are in the pipeline on the island, the mayor said he has taken the “bold step” of phasing out several thousand vacation rentals in apartment districts to address the housing shortage.

The Maui Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the council pass the controversial measure with some relatively minor changes after spending hours listening to testimony from hundreds of people.

Some fear that closing about half of the island’s vacation rentals could ruin the tourism-dependent economy. Others say such a move is long overdue if the county is serious about lowering housing costs to make it easier for families to stay and make room for much-needed workers.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.