"Why are they working at the wee hours of the night to force these things through?" — Brenda Ford
In hopes of redemption, Kona Councilwoman Brenda Ford asked the Office of Information Practices (OIP) yesterday to look into what she believes to be a Sunshine Law violation amongst her colleagues on the Hawaii County Council. She joins Puna resident James Weatherford, Big Island Chronicle, and West Hawaii Today in making a complaint to OIP.
Brenda Ford first contacted OIP on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 and then again on Friday, June 12, 2009 for a separate matter she did not want to discuss with the Big Island Chronicle. After the call to OIP that Friday “on a totally different issue,” Brenda Ford called County Clerk Kenny Goodenow. ”I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news,” she said Kenny Goodenow told her upon revealing there were “reorganization resolutions” on the agenda. “J and I don’t support them,” she recalls the County Clerk telling her.
Brenda Ford got off the telephone and checked out her Council board containing the meeting agenda and accompanying legislation and correspondence, which a courier had brought over from the Hilo office that same day. It was then that she discovered the three resolutions introduced by freshman councilors Guy Enriques and Dennis “Fresh” Onishi. Upon reviewing the resolutions, she placed yet another call to the OIP to voice her concern for a Sunshine Law violation.
“I’m not complaining about the reorganization. Whether I like it or not, it’s legal,” Brenda Ford said. Specifically, her concern is that Chair J Yoshimoto, in a meeting with then-Vice Chair Pete Hoffmann in Waimea on Wednesday, June 10, 2009, said he already had five votes to support the reorganization and committee consolidation resolutions. ”You’re not supposed to talk to a quorum or solicit votes,” Brenda Ford said. ”Did they engage in a Sunshine Law violation with five, possibly six, involved in the reorganization and solicitation of votes? I think the solicitation of votes violates the Sunshine Law. I don’t care if it is one or two people.”
Brenda Ford offered that, upon discovering the reorganization and committee consolidation resolutions, she called then-Vice Chair Pete Hoffmann, Dominic Yagong, and Kelly Greenwell. Kelly Greenwell told her that Dennis “Fresh” Onishi had called him, but he did not discuss the resolution he ultimately introduced, he spoke of an entirely different one he was thinking about introducing that would reduce the number of committee members from nine to five.
Readily admitting that she herself is guilty of serial communications, Brenda Ford said is willing to take the heat in the course of OIP exposing what she sees as far greater and more concerning violations.
“The County Clerk is deeply involved,” Brenda Ford. “The Clerk went with the Council Chair to talk with Pete in Waimea to solicit his vote. I think Mr. Goodenow is involved in serial communications.”
The Clerk is supposed to be at arm’s length, but it’s obviously been a very political position in the past. Maybe I’m politically naive to think the County Clerk should be at arm’s length.”
Noting how all Council documents are to be time-stamped, Brenda Ford pointed out odd it was that the resolutions and County Council agenda that listed them were time-stamped so late at night. The resolutions were time stamped at 10:30 p.m., June 10, 2009 and the agenda was time stamped at 11:15 p.m. that same night.
“Why are they working at the wee hours of the night to force these things through?” Brenda Ford asked, pointing out that they barely made the deadline for a five-day public notice.
Asked why the resolutions and agenda were time-stamped so late at night, County Clerk Kenny Goodenow provided a lengthy explanation:
Council members’ deadline for items to be placed on the agenda was actually Monday, June 8, 2009. A draft agenda was prepared and sent via a courier to Vice Chair Pete Hoffmann for him to look over. Kenny Goodenow went to Honolulu all day Tuesday for an elections-related issue. When he returned on Wednesday, he found on his desk the reorganization and committee consolidation resolutions that Guy Enriques and Dennis “Fresh” Onishi introduced.
Kenny Goodenow called the Chair J Yoshimoto, and J, a lawyer, came into the County Clerk’s Office after a court appointment. He looked at the proposed resolutions, and said he need to tell the Vice Chair. But he didn’t think it was appropriate to tell Pete Hoffmann about the resolutions over the phone. Kenny Goodenow offered to drive J Yoshimoto to Waimea. Once there, both Pete Hoffmann and J Yoshimoto allowed Kenny Goodenow to sit in on the meeting. Kenny Goodenow said Pete Hoffmann recommended that J Yoshimoto delay the resolutions to the next meeting. ”The discussion merged into the pros and cons of that,” Kenny Goodenow said. He estimated that he and J Yoshimoto returned to Hilo from meeting with Pete Hoffmann in Waimea at 5 p.m.
J Yoshimoto headed home and have dinner with his family, and then met back up with Kenny Goodenow at the County Clerk’s Office that night around 9 p.m. There, Kenny Goodenow said J Yoshimoto called Guy Enriques on the phone to ask him if he was sure he wanted to go ahead with the reorganization and committee consolidation resolution he introduced.
Kenny Goodenow said he and J Yoshimoto worked so late because they knew they had to get the resolutions and the revised agenda time-stamped by midnight on Thursday, June 11, 2009, in order to comply with the legal requirements for a public meeting notice. One of the three resolutions Guy Enriques and Dennis “Fresh” Onishi even had “LRB problems” that they corrected before time-stamping it, Kenny Goodenow said. LRB is short for Legislative Research Bureau and all legislation prepared by County Council staff is cleared by LRB staff before being formally introduced and placed on committee or regular meeting agendas. The fact that one of the resolutions had problems means it either had logistical or typographical errors that Kenny Goodenow and J Yoshimoto took the time to correct in that late hour.
“We are fully and openly going to comply with any OIP investigation,” Kenny Goodenow said.
Brenda Ford, meanwhile, is not convinced that public disclosure doesn’t “cure” her and her colleagues of any wrongdoing as Corporation Counsel Lincoln Ashida suggested in their meeting on Tuesday.
“I don’t think public disclosure is a remedy. i think the Sunshine Law needs to be beefed up,” she said.
As difficult to track as it was with three different resolutions being introduced, then postponed, withdrawn and proposed to be withdrawn, Brenda Ford tried to clear up the confusion about the legislation that passed on Tuesday:
Both Dennis “Fresh” Onishi and Guy Enriques offered leadership reorganization and committee consolidation resolutions. Dennis “Fresh” Onishi ultimately withdrew his resolution for the committee consolidation allowing Guy Enriques’ resolution. Passed by the Council majority was Guy Enriques’ resolution calling for Emily Naeole to retain her Human Services and Economic Development Committee chairmanship; for Guy Enriques to replace Brenda Ford chairing the Public Works and Intergovernmental Relations Committee; for Brenda Ford to take over the Food and Energy Sustainability Committee; for Dennis “Fresh” Onishi to replace Dominic Yagong on the Finance Committee; and for Dominic Yagong to lead the Parks and Recreation and Public Safety Committee. Another resolution Dennis “Fresh” Onishi introduced and the Council majority approved is for Emily Naeole to replace Pete Hoffmann as the vice chair of the Council.
Brenda Ford spoke of how distressing it was the other day at the Hawaii County Council meeting to listen to scores of people testify in favor of her and Dominic Yagong retaining their committee chairmanships and Pete Hoffmann retaining his vice chair position, and then to witness the Council majority ignore the testimony.
She said nothing will stop her, Pete Hoffmann and Dominic Yagong from bringing legislation forward, but she does feel like the “retaliation” against them, for whatever reason, is not over.
June 19th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
[...] Kudos to Reed Flickinger for teaming up with bulldog Kona attorney Robert Kim to write a letter to the Office of Information Practices (OIP) protesting the Hawaii County Council’s apparent Sunshine Law violation. As you know by my constant coverage of the leadership reorganization and committee consolidation in the last week, I have been in contact with the OIP, along with Puna resident James Weatherford. I understand Kona Councilwoman Brenda Ford has also been in contact with OIP as well, but that is the subject of another blog entry. [...]
June 19th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
First, Reed, Robert and Brenda are making a big assumption. That OIP or Corp Counsel wants to help give the Sunshine (B#$% SH@#) Law some teeth. They Don’t!! Second it’s the first and probably the last time I’ll congratulate Reed .
June 20th, 2009 at 7:25 am
WHT is doing it for the publicity – to sell papers. The others think there may have been a violation.
June 20th, 2009 at 8:43 am
“it was that the resolutions and County Council agenda that listed them were time-stamped so late at night. The resolutions were time stamped at 10:30 p.m., June 10, 2009 and the agenda was time stamped at 11:15 p.m. that same night.”
Maybe that’s what time they all pile out of the Korean bar.
June 20th, 2009 at 8:44 am
I’m filing a complaint with the OIP just for the heck of it.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:00 am
While I applaud the citizens and news organization who reported the Sunshine Law violation, I share Brian Jordan’s skepticism about enforcement and consequences. My recollection of the responses to past violations is not encouraging. Having said that, the existing framework is all we have, and it DOES continue to focus attention on this chicanery. Let’s just hope the notoriously short collective memory of the voters gets extended this time.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Of course it is all in the parlance, a “rope-a-dope” action by the Council and OIP.
But if this story has legs, i.e. if enough people get irate enough, it will result in eventual action.
My question is: “How to keep up the investigative action?”
June 20th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Filing a complaint with any regulatory organization “just for the heck of it” is, in a word, irresponsible.
This is a very serious matter and nothing about it is “just for the heck of it.”
June 20th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
I’ll do it just for the heck of it, and you can call it whatever you want.
When I do things it’s because it seriously matters to me. Like going to work to pay for food and rent, and going to school to make sure I am not stuck in a go-nowhere job. This thing, is not a major priority of mine, but I pay attention to it anyway because it does matter to me. So please, give someone the benefit of the doubt as to why they choose the words and phrases they do before you start lecturing them.
June 20th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
There has been a lot of mention by commentators who hope that voters will remember all this in the next election. But let’s face facts: Except for providing campaign donations or similar support, west-side voters have no say in who gets elected to east-side council offices, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the residents of the east side (just as in West Hawaii) hope that their representatives do all they can for their own interests.
Of course, the latter would certainly be a provincial attitude, and usually not in the best interests of the island in general. But while I would hope that nearly everyone would support the Sunshine Law and other facets of open government, I wouldn’t be surprised if many people don’t see that as a major concern, which would mean those commenting on the council’s latest actions on these public forums represent a small minority of the voting public.
So instead of hoping that there are enough outraged voters with sufficiently long memories to oust incumbents, those looking for change should be seeking strong alternative candidates.
June 20th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Dave, absolutely we need better candidates (that are willing to fight) but this issue needs to be kept on a Hot Plate too.
June 20th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
The possibility of breaking Hawaii County into two counties has reared its ugly head once again. I’m starting to see letters to editor advocating this. However I feel this is not in the best interest of the residents of this island.
For starters, the legislature has the sole power in creating any new counties in this state.The majority of both the Senate and House come from Oahu. Thus they don’t want to create a precedent that would cause Kailua or Kapolei to break away from the City & County of Honolulu.
On top of that, the current population of Hawaii County cannot support two counties at this time. The cost of duplicating services would probably be astronomical. Thus do we really want another layer of bureaucracy added on this island ? I personally don’t !
The latest political games orchestrated by the East Hawaii county council members shows that we need to work together as an island to get better candidates elected to the council and not attempt to break Hawaii County into two counties.
June 20th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
“I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the residents of the east side (just as in West Hawaii) hope that their representatives do all they can for their own interests.”
No Dave, not many, a few. Having lived on Kona side for 20 years and being politically active, I hear the talk. Most in Kona just want FAIR. We realize all of the other districts outside of Hilo have been screwed for many years along with Kona – we actually have much in common.
June 20th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Auntie Em couldn’t get within 3K on her Campaign Spending Balance last Campaign.. She cried and they let her off. Now she cries and she’s a Vice Chair I hope they examine her present CSC and office budget. James and a lot of us helped her initially. She is not worthy of our trust or confidence. If this stuff keeps up the DOJ will be in the Counties business. Billy is just getting started,he doesn’t need this grief.
June 20th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
The problem is the extremists on both ends of the political spectrum are confused by the ‘kind actions’ of individual members of Council. It is not East vs. West per se.
There are innocent members and then then there are the manipulative members. There is no coherent pattern, only prima facie evidence. That should be enough to take it to the next step.
If I were a lawyer, I’d follow that backward in time with all that has been set up prior in the public domain, especially the print media.
That should meet the burden of proof – in an honest court.
Brian you are right, Billy doesn’t need this. Who knows, perhaps Others are sandbagging his ‘legacy’, (which on top of his old leader Harry Kim), goes a long way to usurp the Others. To show who runs things on the BI?
Perhaps The Others feel they are still are firmly in power, working quietly behind the scenes, as they always have.
It will take time to defeat them on all levels of interaction. My guess it is going to take another couple more of ‘Harry Kim’ type Mayors to do this on the BI.
Hope I’m not being too obscure, but I AM trying to ’stoke the fires.’ This is a battle worth fighting for, in the long run. Which direction are we to go, towards the ‘tired & true’ or towards ‘a richer life’ for all?
We all have a chance.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
The majority of the Voters in Hawaii don’t even know what a “Blog” is… less yet know that our council is filled with a few folks that don’t have a clue to what is going on in the real world.
Look for the implications of what happened at this meeting to have a long term effect on Social Media on this island and the way our elected officials begin to start communicating with the people.
Times are changing… get with the program… Or find out last minute that things are changed.
Dr. Weatherford, if you happen to read this… I think you know as well as I do… that Obama got elected because of social media.
Let me know if you would like to communicate directly with the public via a blog site as you take the initiative of doing something about this and actually running for office.
It seems a few people are bitching about not being able to communicate directly w/ officials. A Blog/Website is much more effective then phone calls/emails/faxes and Mailings.
If some of our officials would start taking things into their own hands… things would be much better I believe.
Slush fund? How bout using it to open up county government via web streaming?
Look for a few candidates in 2010 on this island to start embracing social media and the internet to meet with the demands of their constituents.
June 20th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
I don’t care WHY WHToday has filed a lawsuit or that those who have contacted the OIP are doing so — they are!! Bravo to WHToday — hope Attorney Kim will do a really good job. And bravo to Brenda, James, and anyone else who have conacted the OIP. This mess must always be remembered. Write it on your calendars!
And big mahalo to Tiffany for her continuing in-depth research into this.
I’ve always agreed w/Aaron, that we are one island and it shouldn’t be split. However, I’m changing my mind . . . it might be tough to get it through the State Legislature, but seems like it’s time to do it.
June 20th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
I’ve advocated splitting Hawaii County into two counties in the past.Nonetheless after thoroughly thinking about it splitting the Big Island into two counties is not good idea for reasons previously mentioned. On top of that, we are living on island in the middle of the Pacific. Thus we should be working with each other, not against each other.
I know my change of heart will probably get me branded a hypocrite. After all, I’ve written endlessly about how East Hawaii has shafted West Hawaii on my blog.These tirades help vent short term frustrations. However they don’t help in solving this island’s pressing issues.
Thus I feel that all the residents of this island need to work together to clean up county government once and for all. This means finding and electing competent people who will work for all the residents of the island, not just for special interests.
June 20th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Aaron -
I’ve knocked heads with both you and tiff over things. We all have our blogs to voice OUR opinions.
Often times OUR blogs get clouded with others opinions.
I too think us BLOGGERS should come together at some point for a common cause.
I ALSO FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT ANYONE THAT CAN SUBMIT AN EMAIL CAN CREATE A BLOG OF THEIR OWN.
Social media is a powerful tool.
The more of us that use it… the more “Citizen Power” we will have.
June 21st, 2009 at 6:02 am
No “lecturing” here, just opinions, and sometimes facts.
And, for some, a bit of baiting
June 21st, 2009 at 6:19 am
Damon,
Many of us folks who “CAN SUBMIT AN EMAIL” are not inclined to sit at a computer and do our own blog as well as read more blogs. We have other interests in our lives. This blog goves us a chance to communicate back and forth. I”m pretty sure that’s one of Tiff’s purposes in writing. Tiff provides us the opprotunity to debate the issues.
I can see James (or other ‘candidates’) with a webpage and blog for campaign purposes. But, as James pointed out, you have to worry about all the campaign rules and regs.
I have my views, but I’m not a writer, reporter, or anything of the kind. So, I’ll stick with reading and responding. Some of us just aren’t intrested in starting another Blog site. Especially since this site is here for us.
Not a complaint, just an explaination why we all don’t have the want to do a blogsite of our own.
June 21st, 2009 at 6:22 am
That last blog entry was from Kim Jordan, not Brian.
Note to James and the “bait” remark. Exactly! It opens up the debate!
Kim
June 21st, 2009 at 6:47 am
Still reeling from how Emily Naeole treated me yesterday at the Pohoiki Boat Ramp Improvement Project blessing.
People, we need candidates who accept dissension and are open to hearing constructive criticism about their actions on the County Council or in the State Legislature and just generally about district issues. Those positions are not to be self-serving positions.
Also, I’m proud of you, Aaron, for coming to see that the island should remain united. There are enough of us islandwide who are just fed up enough to do something about the plantation politics our Council majority can’t seem to stop playing… Aside from finding and supporting quality candidates, there is something else. I’ll elaborate in another blog entry or two after I make husband his father’s day breakfast.
June 21st, 2009 at 8:30 am
With Emily, if you don’t bow and scrape to her every whim and idea ….. watch out! I just avoid her completely. It makes life alot better. Sorry that’s not really an option for you. But remember, we are always here for you!
Kim
June 21st, 2009 at 8:31 am
@Dr. Weatherford: All jokes aside, I think you may be “just what the doctor ordered” for District 5. Baiting? Touche…
June 21st, 2009 at 10:12 am
James, don’t know you personally but love you dearly – reading your posts over the last few years I’ve come to believe you are savvy, intelligent, and level headed. I want you to become a council member because you are one of Puna’s best and brightest – a reasonable human being with common sense who really cares about all of the people of this beautiful island and won’t sell out to the highest bidder.
However, just have to say, ya gotta lose some of the hair otherwise it ain’t gonna happen; the average Joe is going to confuse you with Cosmo.
Can’t thank you enough for even considering to run. Mahalo.
June 21st, 2009 at 10:48 am
Can we get back to the story so far.. Brenda Ford says Kenneth Goodenow told her that he didn’t support the reshuffle. Is anyone paying attention? That was clearly a LIE.. and coming from a paid County employee to an elected representative.
Further, it appears from his conduct that he actually considers himself the ‘tenth’ council member. He DROVE all the way to Pete Hoffman’s office in Waimea with J. Yoshimoto and even more surprising yet.. AFTER the way the meeting went with Pete (Mr Hoffman definitely wasn’t telling them he was happy with the decision) he drove back to town and stayed up ’til midnight working on the correct legal terminology so that it could be passed in for the meeting.
What Kenny??? It couldn’t have waited? I’d like to see where it says in your job description that you have to stay up until midnight helping two junior ‘freshmen’ council members and the chair of county council draft divisive legislation ‘re-shuffling’ power and responsibility in the hands of only 5 council members?
Is this not a little out of line folks???
I think at the very least his conduct is grounds for dismissal.
Let’s not FORGET though that Mr Ken Goodenow was also the president of The County Bar Association who organized a mayoral candidates forum that only included 4 of the 8 candidates running. He was very smug about what he did and didn’t even seem to consider it a conflict of interest that he had just effectively interfered with the ‘fair and democratic election’ process we’re ’supposed’ to be enjoying. My question is just what is it with lawyers who want to fix things to go a certain way? It seems Yoshimoto and Kenny Goodenow have an agenda that they’ve been working together for that end and not in service to the community (certainly not West Hawaii Community who put them on notice how upset they were). Mr Goodenow shows so very little respect for our democratic principles. I’d like to think he would resign or be asked to leave because of his inappropriate meddling in Council affairs and democratic processes.
And hey! I’m surprised how distracted y’all just got. I’m wondering if this a chat room or is this a blog community with an intention to be in action or at least be paying attention to the real stuff? That got super petty and off track back there. Tiffany, can you moderate so this stays more on track? And come on people! Can we stay on RIGHT NOW?.. whoever is wanting to talk about ‘next election’ right now is helping us all get used to the idea that we have to let these guys keep getting away with stuff until ‘next time’. That’s exactly what they would love us to do.. wait.Come on people? Where is your outrage and your commitment to call them out? It’s going to get even stupider from now on. We don’t want to wait. I mean hello.. they are breaking the law. Are we just going to let them get away with it?
June 21st, 2009 at 11:18 am
The fact of the matter is: the legislature took the teeth out of the law and didn’t properly fund the office; a hand slap is about all they’ll get – and they know it. That’s why us old timers are looking to 2010.
June 21st, 2009 at 11:18 am
Good on you, She Who Remembers. Love your pseudonym, by the way. Thank you for getting us back on track. I agree that Kenny Goodenow is looking like the tenth council member and I think he is going to take a big hit for that in the upcoming Office of Information Practices (OIP) opinion.
Also, along the lines of Kenny Goodenow, I think it is very interesting that after Pete Hoffmann was ousted as chairman of the County Council in the place of J Yoshimoto, J Yoshimoto decided to replace Casey Jarman with Kenny Goodenow as County Clerk. He said then that it was for his good working relationship with Kenny. I thought that was very significant. I really like and appreciate Casey Jarman and I respect her a lot. I thought it was a really bad move on J’s part, because it told me he didn’t like what she had been doing — when I thought she was doing great. Casey Jarman was known to be at arm’s length from council members, careful about not influencing them. She would render her opinion and then let the Council or council members make their decision. This to me is the proper conduct of a County Clerk, which, personally, I do not think should be appointed by the Council Chairman. I think that is where the mistake lies, the County Clerk is beholden to the Council Chairman.
If we can learn from any of this, it is 1. we need to get our elected officials to respect and abide by the Sunshine Law, and the Sunshine Law needs to be amended to include state representatives and harsher penalties 2. we need to make the County Clerk an elected position.
Arguably, I think our Corporation Counsel should also be elected, and not at the mercy of both the mayor and the County Council… but that is me getting way big picture on changing the structure of local government…
For now I must say that I’ve seen the County Clerk position being way too political,way too influential with council members and way too concerned about pleasing the Council Chairman, who decides if the County Clerk has a job or not.
One more thing about Casey. J probably thought that he had to replace her with then-Deputy County Clerk Kenny Goodenow because she appeared to be beholden to Pete Hoffmann. I submit the only reason why she appeared to be so is because Pete Hoffmann, as council chairman, was her boss, just like J Yoshimoto is to Kenny Goodenow…
Do you see how this is all icky and we need to get away from it? THE APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY. Kenny Goodenow comes out looking like he is wedged up J Yoshimoto’s butt, when all he is doing is ensuring that he will have a paycheck as the County Clerk. Casey Jarman looked to J Yoshimoto like she was being a kiss-ass to Pete Hoffmann and he didn’t think he could have as a good of a working relationship with her as with Kenny Goodenow.
Bottom line, the County Clerk should not be arm-and-arm with the Council Chairman. As long as the Council Chairman is appointing the County Clerk, however, you can’t avoid that, or even the appearance of that. We have to change things — is it the County Charter that we have to change, those wiser than me? Is that what we have to do to make it so the County Clerk — and possibly even Corporation Counsel — is beholden to the voters and not to the Council Chairman or the mayor?
If this is taking us off the track, I apologize.
June 21st, 2009 at 11:49 am
Aloha Being Frank,
Thanks for the straight talk — mind kinda discourse.
Lose the hair ya reckon?
Not really a problem. It grows back or at least what doesn’t fall out! as my forehead grows
Once I offered to cut it all off for some kind of donation or another.
Maybe do it next year for a campaign fundraiser after we become official?
Ten years ago + (in Australia) when we (wife, 3 children, and I) went to the beach camping for summer holiday, I’d get a number 2 buzz cut on the head and number 4 on the whiskers. waddya think?
I just realized, do ya reckon some folks would see me as ’selling out’ if I changed my appearance just to get elected? Oh, dear, this could get complicated
June 21st, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Tiff,
Your comments re County Clerk are spot on — just hope they do not get lost in this long discussion.
http://www.co.hawaii.hi.us/council/charter/2008%20County%20Charter.pdf
Section 3-6(2) explains appointment of clerk.
Maybe a new article/discussion on some changes to charter? (an example: a Cabinet-level department, with head co-terminus with Mayor, so there is some accountability for transportation in general and mass transit in particular)
Note, the Charter Commission has been meeting this year.
http://co.hawaii.hi.us/council/2010_charter_commission/charter_commission.htm
June 21st, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Tiffany first, anyone who knows how screwed up Emily is gets the axe. Barbara Hale was first now you. When I went to report on her inability to handle CSC finds here lawyer attacked me in the court. I wasn’t even a witness I was just a Press Reporter. So here is Emilies Modus Operandi. Everyone is out to get me. God annointed me and everyone else is wrong. Second, I find it amazing the only guy who undesrtstood finance Dominic isn’t going to handle the $$$$. Brenda was the most fiscally responsible and you see how she’s been treated. What we have here is Unions influence and business consolidating their power base. The only person not represented is the taxpayer.
June 21st, 2009 at 2:02 pm
[...] said in a comment in a previous thread that I think the County Clerk should be an elected position, rather than an appointed one, in order [...]
June 21st, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Brian–
Do you think union members and business owners are not taxpayers?
June 21st, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Individual union member and individual business owners are indeed taxpayers and, more importantly, citizens.
The operative term is: equal. Individual citizens, no matter how much taxes they do or do not pay, deserve equal representation. The Union-Chamber duo on this island appears to seek unequal and preferential representation.
June 21st, 2009 at 9:33 pm
James–
How so?
June 21st, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Wonder how much Mr. Goodenow got paid in Mileage if he used his own car for all this running around?
I know that when I was doing census canvassing… I loved going on road trips on Federal time and getting compensated well for my mileage… heck…
Time worked, mileage… and if you go far enough out of the way… some per diem as well I believe… all sounds good for a coup.
Wouldn’t mind looking at the expense reports Mr. Goodenow put in for that day of travel so that he could personalize his communication.
Why not use the internet to converse in person using a video stream? Why waste so much of our tax money driving around for a simple meeting?
Anyone wanna make a wager that Mr. Goodenow falls soon because of the actions of this?
June 22nd, 2009 at 6:20 am
Mike I come from and AFL CIO family. I just returned from the George Meaney National Labor College (UNION)
When was the last time all unions went on strike together?. ASK the Teachers how they got screwed by the HGEA . Teachers are taxpayers! ASK the ILWU what happened to their American flagged ships? ILWU are taxpayers ASK the TEAMSTERS why they hired non union labor to build their National HQ in Houston. (Poor Qualityu & High Price). because as taxpayers they wanted quality and value. I was ask to rejoin the Unions and RE Organize on behalf of worker professionalism. Which Council Person is related to the HGEA? ASK ANY ONE who builds 90% of buildings for the County. Does the Taxpayer really know how theses choices are made? Do Maedoff and Mozilla really represent the average American Taxpayer? I think not. Call me in the Phone book we’ll do luch. Guess what we’ll agree 90% of the time. The first step in solving a problem ADMITTING IT EXISTS! Mike my bitch is not with the union worker (except the UAW who killed GM personally). My bitch is people buying power. Not having it voted on.
I dug ditches. Why did the GOP have 12 yrs. of uninteruptted power? The ditch digger got screwed by his boss and his union. I hope Obama and the GOP sit down like Clinton and the GOP did.
June 22nd, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Lets all get back on track: The issue here is the take over by an alleged violation of the Sunshine Law by the East Side Councilors.
I believe this “drifting thread” exposes the hidden problems with blogs: lack of focus on the main issue.
Perhaps Tiff could make a Griping Section, call it The Soapbox?
June 22nd, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Mike-
With $$ and lots of it.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:59 am
According to County of Hawaii the ONLY job description available was this one.. As it is ‘legislative branch’, I’m told that there isn’t another more detailed job description (that’s what I was told by Classification division) Here it is:
The council shall appoint the county clerk which position shall be exempt from civil
service laws and classifications. The county clerk shall:
(1) Be the clerk of the council.
(2) Be custodian of the county seal.
(3) Conduct all elections held within the county.
(4) Appoint the deputy county clerk, with the approval of the council, and such position shall be exempt from civil service laws and classifications.
(5) Perform such other functions as the council may prescribe.
(6) Appoint necessary staff for which appropriations have been made by the council, subject to civil service laws and classifications, and exercise the same power with respect to the personnel of the clerk’s office as the department heads in the
executive branch, with the exception of the office of the legislative auditor.
According to the job description, the Clerk is supposed to be working to support the Council as a whole. So how is it that Goodenow was driving with Yoshimoto to help oust Hoffman, staying back ‘late at the office’ to execute the coup and then lying bare facedly to a Council member about exactly the role he played in this fiasco? Given that Goodenow is qualified to translate the wishes of Council members into correct legal language, how is it that he could be working so far out of the bounds of his own job description.
Tiffany, I know you felt you had a point to make about the fact that he was appointed by Yoshimoto, and therefore owes him politically, but this is more or less irrelevant. The issue at hand is how far has he strayed from the purpose he has been given by our County (as cited in the Charter) and for which he draws a salary.
We need more clarification on what 4) and 5) actually mean. Anyone got any clarification on this?
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Aloha ‘SWR’,
It is always heartening to read someone else who takes the people’s business seriously.
Thanks.
4) is simply about appointing a person to be deputy and the Council approving that appointment. Rodney Oshiro — long-time employee of the Clerk/Council Office — is now Deputy Clerk.
5) I’d like to think that “functions as the council may prescribe” means at least a majority of Council in formal session. Some may say the Chair requires the latitude to instruct the Clerk on matters that cannot wait for reasons of practicality and/or urgency.
Was it practical or urgent for the Chair and/or the Clerk to spend the County dime to drive to Waimea for purposes of dicussing this “reorganization” with the Vice Chair?
Was it practical or urgent for the Clerk to do a late night secret Resolution?
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Are there any cameras to check security as to who comes and goes from the council offices/building? I thought I heard about these, might have been a year ago. If so, it would be interesting to see who all was in the building for the late night SNAFU.
Kim
June 24th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
[...] stated in his column, and I’ve seen myself with comments on this blog, that there are people who think that the mayor had something to do with this. One [...]
July 6th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
[...] Stene in Hawaii Politics. trackback I received a copy of Hawaii County’s response to the three sunshine law complaints filed with the OIP regarding the recent Hawaii County Council coup today.It seems our esteemed corporation counsel is trying to cover up a obvious deliberate sunshine [...]
July 12th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
[...] Hat tip to WHT for filing a lawsuit which will attempt to reverse the recent Hawaii County Council coup . [...]