Former Hawaii County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi is now working as a deputy prosecutor for the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney in Kona. Photo by Tiffany Edwards Hunt. All rights reserved. Use with permission only.
Whether you thought she was a victim, a martyr, or a savior, you have to agree that former Hawaii County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi qualifies as the most notable person in Hawaii County for 2012. Kawauchi put Hawaii County on the map with her management of the Primary Election and pointed to Elections Division staff, the deputy county clerk, and the state Office of Elections for the problems this county encountered. The state Office of Elections took over management of the General Election. Scott Nago, who heads the state Office of Elections, sent over his most competent staffer Lori Tomczyk to run this county’s General Election. But without Tomczyk, Oahu’s election was a mess. Tomczyk ultimately took the fall for a ballot shortage mess that occurred on Oahu during the General Election, even though she was here in Hawaii County running our election! Auwe! If anything, the downfall of Tomczyk in the General Election made Kawauchi’s claims against the state Office of Elections more viable. After Kawauchi’s term ended earlier this month, she went on to be among newly elected Prosecutor Mitch Roth’s first hires. Kawauchi is now reportedly working for the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney in Kona.
December 31st, 2012 at 9:27 am
She is full of bounce back. Imagine, a prosecutor instead of d defendant. The ruse goes on into 2013.
My nomination would be for the most unAmerican person of 2012 for so many would-be voters she screwed over by persistent ineptness and frequent lies.
That the newly elected prosecutor, who had us promised openness, hired her and then went into hiding makes justice highly suspect for the next four years as well.
December 31st, 2012 at 10:32 pm
Spot on Hugh Clark!! Roth said he wanted to give her a fresh start! Gee did she give anyone a fresh start? Roth’s campaign sign in someone’s front yard in Kau- sounds more like a campaign promise. Just saying!
January 1st, 2013 at 8:10 am
HC wrote:
“….would-be voters she screwed over by persistent ineptness and frequent lies.”
Besides her resume she had 15 staff pull the ‘blue flue” in protest to PN firing.
Come on HC look at the bigger picture.
January 1st, 2013 at 6:48 pm
Again, I ask, what was the point of all of this in the first place?
Did what the 4 election workers were accused of doing warrant all this insanity?
Still to this day that question has never been officially answered. Nor has any proof surfaced of illegal or questionable vote tampering.
So, again it comes back to why was all of this done in the first place?
And that really begs the question as to who was really behind all of this.
The Clerk?
The Chairman?
What was the end gain after all?
January 1st, 2013 at 6:49 pm
PS – We as the taxpayer paid for this. What did we get for our money?
And we still continue to pay for it.
January 1st, 2013 at 10:52 pm
She certainly has the legal credentials to qualify for the assistant prosecutor office. In fact, with her law credentials, it is a wonder why she was the county clerk, it seems like she was way over qualified and totally out of her experience, probably at least one of the reasons for the elections mess. She also made more of a mess with her avoidance behavior. No doubt, she admires and was influenced a lot by Yagong, who was acting like a director that had lost control of the production at the end.
January 2nd, 2013 at 11:13 pm
Leadership skills and legal skills are different skill sets. Very few deputy prosecutors start at the top unless of course daddy was Strom Thurmond. Failing at something is a life experience that everyone experiences.There are no exceptions. If Mitch Roth gave a bright person the opportunity to redeem herself by working 70 hour weeks as a deputy then he is the kind of a leader that I expected him to be. Good Luck new deputy prosecutor.
January 3rd, 2013 at 6:39 am
A lot will depend on work ethic and willingness to earn from other prosecutors. Jamie’s resume does not show criminal law or much litigation experience. It actually shows administrative experience which should have made her a good county clerk. The clerk is the head of a department and has civil service staff in three divisions to oversee. With the separation of the legislative auditor, the clerk should also be supervising and reviewing the work of the legislative research staff. The clerk is also supposed to review bills on the agendas and give a heads up if they are drafted incorrectly or should be vetted by corp. counsel.
Lawyers have often been the clerks in the past. John Wagner, Bill Smith, Kenny Goodenow and Al Konishi. The new clerk is the first non lawyer in a long time.
January 3rd, 2013 at 7:01 am
most new hires in prosecutors offices around the country, including this one, have zero litigation experience and one course in criminal law in law school.
January 3rd, 2013 at 8:35 am
Key words “work ethic and willingness to learn”!hmmmm
January 12th, 2013 at 5:27 am
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