Did you see West Hawaii Today editor Reed Flickinger’s column today, “Council rift and political chasm, which path will Kenoi follow?” Remember a couple of days ago, when I anticipated the next day’s WHT “news” coverage suggesting at least one Big Island senator, Josh Green, will champion the cause to split the island into East Hawaii and West Hawaii counties?
Having worked under Reed for five and a half years, it was no surprise to see Reed’s column this morning. It could have been published the same day as the news story, but Reed has to have Publisher Rick Asbach sign off on his columns.
Neeedless to say, I found Reed’s lead paragraph to be quite catchy, as inflammatory as it was: “Splitting this island into two counties is a Phoenix of ideas, rising from the ashes of political machinations, grasping the attention of residents and the ire of politicans, only to be consumed and again be reduced to ashes.”
Sounds so dramatic, coming from an Aries. If the idea of splitting the island into two counties came from anybody, it was Reed and his columns over the years. It is so predictable to see the idea resurfacing, first on the front page of WHT posed as news and then in a column on the opinion page where it belongs.
While Reed’s regurgitation of the two counties issue left a bad taste, his column today did offer some worthwhile points I could resonate with, and I find to be an accurate assessment of the political culture here. Let’s hone in on those points:
“True to Hawaii’s political play book, those who seek to make a career of elected office play it safe, ultimately explaining the Legislature’s long record of accomplishments that is in essence a litany of lackluster sessions, year after year,” Reed wrote. This statement, to me, is right on target and appears to be the motive for those status quo council members aligning themselves in blocks of five — the ones we perceive to be the “Eastern bloc,” the “Hilo boys,” or what-have-you.
Having had a view from the inside, I can see that there are elected officials who initially run for public office because they want to do public good, but then they get in government and they completely lose sight of the constituents they represent. They become protective of their turf, so to speak — that being government, their own salaries and benefits and the salaries and benefits of the staff that work for them and in the office that serves them. Not long after their election into public office, these council members or state legislators grow resentful of the constituents that challenge them and the status quo they are protecting. They forget that were commoners before the people elected them to serve, and they will be back to being an ordinary citizen again someday.
“We realize, as do most, that the move to reorganize the council was not something freshman council members Dennis Onishi and Guy Enriques dreamed up themselves, coincidentally with the same timing,” Reed Flickinger wrote. Yes, I share that realization. “Strings were pulled, though as yet by whom we know not, though most likely it was by those East Hawaii back-room deal makers who relish in their ability to steer politics with such ease and efficiency.” I don’t imagine hot tubs and Korean bars for this one. Maybe cigars at the picnic table outside the Ben Franklin building or maybe over food made by their staff in a County Clerk’s Office break room, but I don’t think this latest Council reorganization was plotted in some smokey den or in a back room somewhere.
Trying to steer politics might bring pleasure to the culprit of this latest political maneuver, but a good steersman this person is not. The culprit definitely didn’t pull this latest Council reorganization off with “ease and efficiency.”
Reed 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 of the many questions I attempted to get answered on the Honolulu Advertiser’s “Hot Seat” today was, “did the mayor or any member of his administration have anything to do with the Council reorganization?”
But I submitted so many questions that I got an email from Honolulu Advertiser Editorial and Opinions Editor Jeanne Mariani-Belding telling me I needed to be more concise and prioritize my questions. I ended up lumping several questions into one by asking, “What does Billy think about the Council reorganization?”
The mayor responded to a related question from a woman named Kathleen, saying, “It is important that the public understand it is the prerogative of the council to reorganize itself without interference from my administration. The concept of separation of powers empowers the county council to reorganize itself as it see fit. For me to become involved would be akin to the governor trying to intervene to select the leadership of the Legislature.”
I honed in his claim that for him to be involved would be akin to the governor trying to intervene in the selection of the Legislature’s leadership. ”As the leader of this island, shouldn’t you say something about this overwhelming public perception that the Hawaii County Council has pretty well shut the door and put down the shades on open government?” I asked the mayor. “I think to create harmony islandwide, you should say something about this Sunshine Law violation that happened in the last couple of weeks. We must hear what you have to say on this… It is your duty, sir, and with all due respect.”
The mayor responded, “Our administration is committed to open and transparent government as evidenced by myself and my entire cabinet visiting every community on this island and answering every question posed by community members in an open forum. We are also committed to working with all of our county council members to ensure open and transparent government.”
Clearly, Mayor Billy skirted both Kathleen’s and my questions and I called him out for not answering me directly. ”Skirting the question,” I wrote, “but that’s okay, I can plainly see you do not want to step into the hornet’s nest of the Hawaii County Council reorganization and Sunshine Law violation… just keep being open and transparent yourself and stand apart from council members because they are headed down a dark road that is only going to lead to a lot of headaches, lawsuits and public ire for them — and they (won’t be) re-elected because of all the public animosity they’ve created…”
Both Guy Enriques and Emily Naeole made statements to me that indicated they didn’t like that Dominic Yagong, Brenda Ford and Pete Hoffmann have been oppositional to Mayor Billy Kenoi. Who knows, maybe the mayor had something to do with this Council reorganization, other than the fact that the Council majority seems to want to be in lockstep with him.
I have a very strong suspicion as to who helped Dennis “Fresh” Onishi and/or Guy Enriques with their legislation. I’m not going to elaborate until I try to be as fair to this person as possible, and give him a reasonable chance to respond to my phone and email messages.
If the person behind this latest Council machination is who I think he is, he didn’t catch on very well how to be smooth and sneaky from those plotters and schemers of East Hawaii’s political past. Those he roped in to his idea of a reorganization can thank him for being caught with their pants down.
Our freshman council members, our politically naive council members, and our passive Council chairman can thank him for inciting the public and giving Reed fuel for the smoldering fire in West Hawaii to split the island into two counties.
Seems to me, the person behind this latest scheme to cause conflict amongst the Council and to distract them from our island’s true needs is a fire-starter, an arsonist, and should be treated like the criminal that he is. First, though, before I go naming names, I need to ask this person myself if is his signature I’m reading on this very bad move.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Thank God he Reed has returned to normal. When I had to agree with him it felt unnatural. If Reed has his work checked, then Stephens Media has problems. These problems are way farther up the food chain. Stephens is definitely into the if it BLEEDS it LEADS school of supposed journalism.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Even if encouragement and provocation from outside, assuredly it is Chair Yoshimoto who has the control of the Council, as he put it to HOffmann “I have 5 votes already”. He did not say “They” or “He” “has 5 votes already.” He said “I” — that it is his scheme, or at least he is the quarterback calling the plays. No he is not alone in this “conspiracy”, but clearly he had an ownership interest in this scheme. Anyone who has been watching his agenda since becoming Chair of the Council can see his cool calm “boss” approach. It was his call to have Pete Hoffmann as his Vice Chair; it was his call to remove Hoffmann. Yoshimoto is a crafty attorney; he is not simply a passive critter taking orders from Enriques, Onishi, Higa, Arakaki, or any other off-the-field “player”.
Regarding Kenoi, he had nothing to gain by such a blatant power grab: he had the votes to pass most any legislation, without any manipulation of the leadership. Yes, Kenoi and Yagong were at odds, but this clear imbalance on the Council certainly was not in his best interest.
June 24th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Reed tied a few facts with a lot of conjecture, but thank goodness, Tiff, the dead tree & cyber-press are on hot on this.
Billy was accurate in his statements, playing it safe, by refusing to get involved. patience, the flower unfolds at its own pace. Let me explain.
If he meant ‘not my job’ i.e. the professed separation of powers, that is great. Here is my long term supposition:
Billy has a chance to begin, by vetoes, to disassemble the interconnected, incompetent, bureaucratic way Hawai`ian politics alone has operated among, the Executive, Judicial, Legislative branches of government. When you add the Party, Federal, State & County Unions and Monopolies it gets much worse and harder to root out.
Interconnected government is stagnant government fed by entrenched thinking and every so slowly rots (excepting our most excellent driver’s license bureaus).
For our stark example I cite anyone who travels 130 and risks their life traveling the well named “Kamikaze Highway.” How long have residents suffered? 30-40 years? How long do they have to wait, at least 10 years more. I say or more as nothing done could still be the result. Did anyone here read the entire list of proposal alternates? Did anyone note the State’s First 2 options are to do NOTHING? Unless the funding is present it just goes on the planning list.
We have fine folk using context sensitive solutions – at this level. AT THIS LEVEL, understand just how easy it is to brush our needs aside pleading “poverty” while the State gets their highly expensive mass transit (click on the “Meeting Handouts” tab next to the March Meeting, go to the top of page 13/41)
http://www.keaau-pahoa.com/projectinfo.htm
The State Legislature and Civil Service’s non-appointed leadership may be playing Alli’s famous “rope-a-dope” or they may not, that chess game is yet to be played.
Billy’s comments were very well targeted IF the new Council votes 5-4 on items the 4 strongly oppose. Then Mayor Billy will show if he is involved with the stink or if his going to truly lead us away from Politics as been practiced.
I feel sorry for those that are used to go to their ‘local Don Corleone’ for a solution. But I’d rather go to an effective government official or business for a solution rather than a Don.
Over time too much power in behind the scenes hands is always corrosive. It is simple human nature.
Billy could be independent from Politics as Usual and could fulfill his Populist campaign rhetoric of “Together We Can” by throwing off the yoke of Politics as Usual and practicing competitive independence. Backed by the locals, born and raised Hawai`ians, and transplanted people.
Ya get my drift of what this is about – long term?
June 24th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Drunk much?
It would seem so upon first glance at my commentary… Sorry about that, folks. This is a one-woman show here. Sometimes being my own editor can be challenging. I tried to clean up the copy this morning. — tceh
June 25th, 2009 at 6:48 am
Kona, Kohala, Ka’u and Puna consistantly whine about the restraints that Hilo uses against them. The simple fact is that it’s our ineffective legislators that allow Hilo to dominate. Hilo has no majority without help from the fields.
What makes anyone think that two counties won’t just be double the ineffectiveness?
Sorry, my cynical rant is pau.
June 25th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Greg, I don’t see your post as a rant, just a pretty factual description of the dysfuntional power structure of the Council. Cynicism in reference to this structure is just the natural state that an intelligent observer reaches.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Anon. says: “Billy has a chance to begin, by vetoes, to disassemble the interconnected, incompetent, bureaucratic way Hawai`ian politics alone has operated among, the Executive, Judicial, Legislative branches of government. When you add the Party, Federal, State & County Unions and Monopolies it gets much worse and harder to root out.”
Maybe Billy could give Pilago a call to help him with this – if he is too busy handing out the stimulus money and yucking it up with gang of five.
June 26th, 2009 at 11:16 am
“Transparency” is a meme that is trotted out when they are busy hiding stuff.
Try to find out how much the county is wasting on buying Round-up, if you want to see how “transparent” our government is.
June 28th, 2009 at 11:17 am
This was Kenoi’s doing. Don’t kid yourself because he had everything to gain by this coup.
First, it would get Yagong off his back.
Second, a council that is in lock-step (to his budget, elimination of land fund contribution, ignore internet abuse, not investigating waste, fraud, and alleged corruption, and lack of open and transparent governnment, etc) and with no oversight and opposition from West Side gives Kenoi the green light to shove his agendas in the communities face while allowing his supporters to continue their practices.
Third, his promise to his coup council members is stimulus money for their districts which will fund the developers/financial contributors of their campaigns. Remember most of the contributors are real estate and construction intrest that are drooling over possible stimulus dollars going in to public workds projects that they want to bid on. In fact, with the right contributions and massaging, these developers won’t even have to bid on a project but instead will get the non bid or a rigged bid procurement. For example, Kaimana Pumping Service and Ishii’s dozer gate.
Forth, it allow councilmembers to tell their district voters. “look what I did. I got the stimulus money for us” (capital improvement projects, social programs). This is what’s called SELF PRESERVATION for the elected official. And the most important thing of all is reelection.
June 28th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Ivantatum: truly interesting and quite plausible theory…
June 28th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
It’s all about elected officials (Kenoi, Yoshimoto, Ikeda) appointing county officials (Ashida, Takase, Takaba, Goodenow, Boobi Jean) that are supportive and above all loyal to their elected officials agenda. These appointed officials make decisions which are in the best interests of mayor, department heads,division heads, and protecting county employees but at the same time allegedly allowing union interests and “old boy” business people (like Tajiri, Howard and James Ishii contractors, Takase Families real estate interests, Hilo Hongpa Church/UHH dorm project) to gain an unfair and uneven business advantage over others in the supposed competitive free market capitalist environment.
And than you have possible criminal issues because these rules that are being established by the local Asian practicioners are illegal (but culturally this has been done for so long the AJA perpetrators don’t realize it) and prosecuted in the majority of the states in the country ( we’re a little behind the times here being that we are in the middle of the Pacific and on a neighbor island) when you have bid rigging or non bid RFP’s for PUC’s.
If you were to goggle Honlulu Airport bid rigging and Kona Airport bid rigging, naive voters would see that these practices have been going on for some time. The similarities and diffences between the two are very striking. In the Honolulu case, half of the defendants were prosecuted in Federal Court and the other half were prosecuted by the State of Hawaii Attorney General’s Office. In the Federal Court System under Magistrate David Ezra, these defendants were sentenced, and the sentences were just upheld by San Francisco Court of Appeals, to between 4 years to 10 years in federal prison. Two weeks ago. In the state court, the defendants all got probation. In the Kona Airport bid rigging, the same issues were alleged and exposed by a fellow worker. In that case, Eugene Narimatsu, Big Island Airport Head, was forced to resign and James Ishii was paid for work done on project, under cloud of suspicion, but is still allowed to continue work bidded and non bidded county and state contracts while his brother Ben Ishii is employed by the County of Hawaii Public Works as the #2 engineer for the county. No prosecutions. This is all very questionable and suspicous.
But the similarites are these are all AJA’s involved.
This is not the type of county or state government and private businesspractices that should be condoned and it is the tax payer that ends up holding the bill in the end.
June 28th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
[...] onto the front page, but that’s another story I’ve told you before (here and here and here). Suffice it to say, I’m one of those HTH readers that enjoys the opinion page, and I [...]
June 29th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Ivantatum, if indeed that is your real name, there are many holes in your theory. Here’s a few:
First, how is Yagong now “off his back”? To the contrary, this has given Yagong and the others much more media exposure and opportunities than they have ever had, now and in the future. Last I heard, Yagong is not planning on retiring from the council.
Second, Kenoi didn’t need the coup. His budget passed 8-1, which means the council was already “in lock-step,” as you say.
Third, do you have any proof for your claims about stimulus fund promises? And let’s not cherry-pick and leave out any for non-coup members. And how about some examples that aren’t from past administrations like Kaimana and the dozer gate, which Kenoi is now addressing?
Forth [sic], see No. 3.
As for your next comment, if you’re going to accuse someone of “possible” criminal behavior, why not say what it is? That shouldn’t be difficult since you seem to have such a handle on it that you can attribute the actions to ignorance (the rather lame “but culturally this has been done for so long the AJA perpetrators don’t realize it” comment.) And again, the example problem: The ones you cite here involve the state government, which has not had an AJA leading it for more than 20 years.
It’s also disappointing to see yet more criticisms of government descend into racist comments. And don’t kid yourself, it also deflates your arguments, as Kenoi is not Japanese. Worse yet, it makes you sound an awful lot like those ranting nonstop on the on-line newspaper comments sections.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:29 am
It is going to come down to vetoes!
Will Billy or won’t Billy veto the East Side Cabal self-serving legislation?
My guess is it will not be 100% one way or another.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Resolutions, including those establishing the council leadership, are used to express the council’s wishes on policy and are not subject to mayoral vetoes. Only ordinances, which actually create laws, can be vetoed.
Another difference is it takes two separate votes by the council to approve an ordinance (three for a change to the County Charter) but only one for a resolution.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Gee Dave,
I know you are trying to keep your options open in getting a job with the Kenoi administration, like your buddy Hunter did, but fair is fair.
Dozer gate and Kaimana were indeed origninated from K im administration but I have yet to see Kenoi do anything but say, “it will be investigated”. By who? Corporation Counsel. They aren’t even being honest and cooperative with the new independent legistlative auditor. Nakasone, who is right in the middle of this, has been reprimanded on HMP procurement issue, was alleged to have taken Roundup home with him from Highways, and got his son,Chad, with Kona Water Department. And this here with Kaimana, is worse than the bid rigging committed at Honolulu Ariport which defendants got federal prison terms for. Kaimana’s issue is way worse. Don’t be in denial.
Kenoi has yet to address dozer issue and Kaimana properly. Again it is not only a lack of county government transparency but a pattern of sweeping it under the carpet like the reorganization exposure and sunshine laws.
As far as AJA’s involved in these procurement issues, if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, what is it?
June 29th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
‘ivan’,
You clearly have given this mess some thought and have informed yourself considerably in terms of names and court proceedings.
Perchance you are taking some genuine and real issues and, with a bit of raw emotional hyperbole, creating just enough uncertainty to allow Dave to cast a shadow of doubt on what could actually be very legitimate questions.
For example, one question:
Can anybody clarify the implications from an informed source that Mr Enriquez traveled together with Mr Takaba, the Mayor’s Managing Director, to visit Mr Onishi at Mr Onishi’s home, on Sunday afternoon, June 14, 2009, two days before the reorganization resolutions went to Council?
Now, as I understand, the Mayor nor any of his staff, need be concerned about violating the Sunshine Law by talking with multiple Council members. This is different from the Council members who are forbidden from communicating in numbers greater than two outside a publicly noticed meeting.
As the Mayor said, Council reorganization is none of his business. So, if he — indirectly through staff and/or directly — participated in this escapade, there is a question of appropriate behavior. Obeying the letter of the law while helping trample the spirit is just not good government and is not about serving the interest of the people of our island.
June 29th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Apparently a blanket condemnation, one that lumps together various ethnicities.
And thanks for questioning my motives. If I was going to work for the Kenoi administration it would already have happened. If you have followed my posts over the past year or so, you’d know that I’ve been trying to keep people honest, which has proved to be quite a chore. I’m looking forward to going back to the Trib where I’ll resume doing it on a professional basis.
While we’re at it, what’s your motivation? At least I put my name on my posts.
As for the “way worse” Kaimana matter, how about giving the administration a chance? How many investigations are you aware of that get done in six weeks? I guess only you can determine whether an investigation is being “addressed properly.”
We’re still waiting for proof on the other allegations. Might as well add the “dishonest and uncooperative” Corporation Counsel accusation to the list.
June 29th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
For one thing Dave, baby, knowing the retaliatory nature of those I wrote about, I prefer to remanin anonymous. I have family members (police cheating scandal, Chief Guy Paul’s promotion practices, another cousin was fired from police department and he along with 5 other officers got their jobs back with full pay. Arbitrator Sandra Schutte found “wrongful termination. Full back pay, benefits, retirement package and possibly a lawsuit for other damages!)who have been at one time or another a recipient of the vindictiveness of the county.
I have read the posts on this blog and want to share the information that I have with dear Tiffany’s followers who a lot, it sounds are malahini’s to the county environment.
Good luck in getting your job back with HTH with David Bock as the editor for the next 20 years. I sincerely feel for you but Stephens Media will spend a million rather than pay you and Hunter the 100k (or whatever in damages). This was told to me by a present HTH writer. With that said, you should, Dave, be more than others, sympathetic to my point and the opinions I write about. You yourself, who has sued the Trib, have been a victum of retaliatory and petty vindictiveness, and your attorney’s have proven it in court, of the editor and staff. But, “the man” will fight you to keep you from collecting your rightful damages and not allow you to write for our hometown paper.
As far as investigations of Kaimana, I do believe
that the investigation would be compromised if we allow it to be handled locally. The local police department has never, ever done an investigation of bid rigging and would not know where to start. Get real. They are having a hard enough time with robberies in Ocean View. Let’s not leave it to the hands of Public Works, even though Warren Lee did reprimand Nakasone, once already with the HMP procurement, the FBI should hanle this one because the state Honolulu Airport case was handled by the FBI and those perpetrators will go to prison. The FBI has a HAMMER and these guys would face mandatory sentencing guidelines instead of state judiciary sentencing flexibility. Plus they will more likely “roll over” on their cronies if caught.
As far as Kenoi addressing it, like he has addressed reorganization and Sunshine Violations.
How long are we supposed to give Kenoi. County just rewarded the contract to Riley and Nakasone again at another $1.3 million anually. The dozer contract was just renewed at 15K a month.
June 29th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Dave,
I have reread your comments and I don’t know if I want to spend all afternoon correcting all your naivete but when you post that the state workers involved in the Kona and Honlulu airport bid rigging was not ethnically driven by saying the governor was not Japaneese so I am not making a true statement is ridiculous.
EVERY ONE OF THOSE GUYS INVOLVED IN HONOLULU AND KONA AIRPORT BID RGGING WAS JAPANEESE. ALL OF THE STATE WORKERS AND ALL OF THE BUSINESSMAN/CONTRACTORS. EVERY ONE.
So Dave, my point is the governor or mayor doesn’t have to be an AJA for AJA’s to be involvled, on their own, in these acivities.
If it walks like one and quacks like one, it is one.
June 29th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
I’m not sure about the ‘dozer situation, but wasn’t the Kaimana contract temporarily extended while the situation is reviewed? It’s only for $1.3 million if it lasts that long.
And just to clarify my situation, it wasn’t me that sued the newspaper but the National Labor Relations Board which took the Tribune-Herald to court in 2007 over 13 unfair labor practices. The federal judge later ruled in our favor on 12 of them, saying that Hunter and I were fired illegally in 2005 and 2006, respectively, and he ordered the Trib to reinstate both of us with back pay and interest. The only reason that hasn’t happened yet is the Trib is appealing the decision to the NLRB and, presumably, then to federal appeals court.
It’s true that the Trib seems far more intent on enriching its union-busting attorney than maintaining a seasoned staff (between Hunter, me and another writer who left at the same time the paper lost 41 years of local experience). However, on a side and somewhat ironic note, I have had an article in the Tribune-Herald recently. Although the parent company prevented the Big Island Weekly’s editor from running my work several months ago, a week later the Trib ran an article I had written for the Associated Press about nesting hawksbill turtles. The article ran on the Trib’s front page with my name in an AP byline. Go figure.
June 29th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Dave,
I have empathy for you and your situation but realize this, the practices in our county government are worse than what you experienced at HTH. The hiring practices, promotion practices, the political appointees of elected officials, the appointees giving bidded and non-bidded contracts to businessmem whohappen to be contributors to those elected officials campaign are discrimnatory and corrupt.
In other words, I believe you were wronged by Stephens Media but county employees, formers employees and business people have been getting screwed in spades by these jokers and it’s time for it to end.
Dave, have empathy for the people here that have had to live thru this shit.
Did you go to Pahoa High School and graduate around ’78 and did you play basketball and pitch on baseball team.
June 29th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
“Ivan,” I agree that there is no place in government for practices such as you describe. In fact, I spent 18 years at the Trib trying to ferret out exactly that, with occasional success. What I object to is broad-brush accusations. Call it, if you want, an occupational hazard where you don’t make serious allegations without backing them up.
And no, I wasn’t at PHS. Although I’ve been on the Big Island since 1973, the only school I’ve attended here was UH-Hilo.
June 29th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
One other thing. Not to downplay any unjust actions suffered by others, but in my case the machinations of the Tribune-Herald have resulted in considerable financial hardship as well as damage to my reputation. But I firmly believe I will eventually be completely vindicated.
June 29th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Dave-these are not broad-brush accusations but actual facts that are being experienced by me and relayed by to me by county employees, former county employees and business people. I am just connecting the dots on how it all works.
A lot of county employees and business people are happy that the WHT has written articles exposing these long held practices. Before WHT and Nancy Cook stories, people were fustrated and afraid to come forward because of losing their jobs or hurting their businesses. Now, you have county employees running to Reed, Nancy and the new legistlative auditor and telling them what is going on in the inside (Wait until the Certified Fraud Expert (CFE) is hired by auditor, that’s when things are going to rock and roll). The stories written by the WHT are just touching the surface of what of is being alleged. The WHT is not even printing all of the allegations that are being relayed to them. Plus, with this new social media, thanks to Tiffany, you have readers that are posting information and sharing it with everyone.
Alot of people questioned the veracity of the dozer issue and Kaimana, than you had Takase’s building, and still people weren’t sure. But, when everyone saw that fiasco of a council meeting and heard and saw what the East Side did, it’s all coming together.
It takes everyone to write letters, protest, testify, and sign petitions to get things done. And even than, as was proven in council reorganization, it’s not enough when you have elected officials, and again I am turning to Kenoi, that lack the leadership to investigate, make tough decisions and follow the will of the majority he has been elected to represent.
June 29th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Dave-responding to your last posts, how do you think people that want jobs that are qualified but are not being hired by county because they don’t have connections feel, or can’t get promoted, or aren’t able to get the government contracts or permits/inspections that Mr. Ishii gets because he takes a box of Okazuya to his friends and cousin, Ben Ishii, at Public Works?
Think about their financial hardships and how their families, children and grandchildren, are denied food, clothes, a proper education in primary, secondary, high school and college. Just because they don’t know how to play the game or be invited to play the game.
It make my blood boil!
June 29th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
In case this horse isn’t dead yet, I wouldn’t lump the recent council action with the rest. If you’ve been following the council for long you know that these reorganizations are a periodic thing, and this one was fairly manini compared to some of the past as it didn’t even include a change in chairmanship, where the power truly lies (until the next change). And for those who say the West side is getting screwed, virtually all of the reorganizations fell along those lines, including one or two where the leeward folks have come out on top (until the next change).
June 29th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Ivan, responding to your last post, I know how it feels. I applied for a public information position with the county a while back and despite my qualifications and experience was ranked 17th on the list, not even high enough for an interview! The person who was hired had to be taught how to write a press release.
June 29th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
“The person who was hired had to be taught how to write a press release.”
OUCH!
I, also, have applied for jobs with the County (before and since working for Bob Jacobson on the Council) and have never felt like I was dealing with an honest process. Having worked in public service for a large part of the past three decades, I’ve had a chance to see various ‘standards’ (or not) for hiring public employees. The Hawaii County process probably is not the worst, probably… Where the Hawaii County process seems to fall down is in the ‘shortlisting’ stage and ‘interviews’ — I’m not at this time prepared to complain about treatment by the Civil Service Office.
An example: I applied for a ‘Mass Transit Assistant’ a few years ago. I received the highest score and was ranked first, even without my veterans preference. I knew the person who ranked number two — he also worked for a Council member. We were both interviewed, but nobody was hired because the position was cancelled.
A recent position in the R&D Dept was filled without even bothering to interview the number one ranked applicant.
June 29th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Dave,
As your friend and press colleague, I look forward to the day you are vindicated. In my mind, you did nothing wrong and Stephens Media unnecessarily put you through the wringer… I look forward to the day when you can get back to writing and reporting for the Trib or another newspaper to emerge… You are a top-quality reporter that needs to get back to work doing the people’s work…
Also, regarding James Weatherford’s comment and his question: “Can anybody clarify the implications from an informed source that Mr Enriquez traveled together with Mr Takaba, the Mayor’s Managing Director, to visit Mr Onishi at Mr Onishi’s home, on Sunday afternoon, June 14, 2009, two days before the reorganization resolutions went to Council?”
Let the record reflect that, on Wednesday, June 17, 2009, I send the following email to Managing Director Bill Takaba:
“Mr. Takaba,
I am deeply concerned that not just one, two readers now have told me that you were involved in the reorganization and consolidation resolutions that were introduced last week and passed yesterday. Please, tell me honestly, is it true that you met with Guy Enriques and Dennis “Fresh” Onishi to help them with their resolutions?”
This was Mr. Takaba’s response to my email:
“Untrue. In fact, I received a call from Nancy Cook-Lauer today asking the same question. Don’t know how this started, but apparently, someone said that I went to Fresh Onishi’s house and rode out with him to meet Guy. Absolutely no truth to the rumor. Thanks for checking.”
June 29th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Thanks for that Tiff.
Pau.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
I have never applied for a job with the county but I think I would be more qualified than most based on educational background and business expereience. But as a part Hawaiian lifetime resident, I would hate to have to sell my soul to these guys to get a job in county government. Neither of my parents, brothers and sisters, have ever worked for the county. I am proud that my siblings are all professionals, married professionals and live in Oahu. My grandfaher was the Director of the Department of Labor, headed the Labor Board and was the Chief Hearing Officer many years ago, and am proud of his work in standing up for the plantation workers, Big 5 employees, and others who had no protection from the labor laws of 60′s and 70′s. I was raised by my grandfather to believe government work was about serving our community and representing the people. My grandfather’s older brother was the Attorney General of the Territory and the Acting Governor when Pearl Harbor was bombed and my granduncle had to go to Iolani Palace to take out the decree from a safe to declare martial law in the territory on December of 41.
I truly believe county government is supposed to represent us. And this is quite the opposite.
I believe as a county employee, especially in a department director or divison head position, there will come a time where you will have to make “a political” choice/decision, “a fork in the road” that might compromise your inner compass and it is at that point where you true integrity will be tested.
My uncle was Richard “Dicky” Carter and he was a major in the police department (stating this will probably give up my identity) He told me a story about how when he was in the department Chief Carvalho and Deputy DeMorales wanted him to promote a “selected” patrolmen to sergeant. Unc was going to go along with it but as he sat on the promotions board, he didn’t like the patrolmen’s answering of certain questions. He thought about it and denied this promotion. The only one on the police promotion board that did. If anybody knew Uncle Dicky he was going to do things his own way and fuck every one else and what they think. Family trait. He was never asked to sit on another promotion board and this guy was promoted. Years later, during the police promotion test cheating scandal civil lawsuit, Dicky was initially named in the lawsuit as a conspirator in the illegal promotion process. When it was found out that he sat on one board and denied the promotion, he was dropped from the lawsuit.
This officer was Sergent Ken Mathison, who is currently serving a life sentence for conspiracy to committ and first degree murder for killing his wife. In fact, another cousin of Dicky and I, Donald Wong, Chief Of Investigations, for the States AG’s office investigated the case.
This is what I am talking about. We are seeing these new guys like Onishi, Enriquez, Kenoi and even Aunty selling their souls for political purposes and it is sickening. And their doing it so early in their career’s which shows the lack of backbone. What is going to happen when they become more entrenched. We will be in for trouble.
My intuition tells me Dave and Mr. Weatherford, you were discrimnated against because you are both haole and had no chance of getting these jobs because you were not connected enough. You were both more than qualified and Mr. Weatherford, you tested great. That is what I am talking about.
As a life long resident, only leaving when I went to college on the mainland, I am disgusted that there is no “level playing field” (there’s that phrase again) in hiring and promotion practices, procurement issues,etc. These are the things we need to speak out about, writing letters, testifying, signing petitions, and filing complaints and lawsuits if necessary.
Tiffany, thank you for giving me the oppurtunity to share my thoughts on this blog, I hope I didnt offend to many of your readers but this what I belive, based on my other comments on this thread, is happening to my hometown which my family and ancestors have lived in for 200 years.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
And Tiffany, I don’t believe Takaba. All of these procurement allegations happened when he was the Finance Director. I believe he is sticking around and purposely ignoring all the waste and fraud that happened on his watch.
Takaba is the very one who told the West Hawaii Today that Gerald Takase was not the Assistant Director of Public Works while on the same day PW employees were calling the WHT and telling the Nancy and myself, that Ben Ishii and Brian Kajikawa were walking Takase around the department and introdcng him as Asst Director of PW. I even saw a memo that went around to PW employees stating it.
The employees said he was “in the Asst. Directors office and sitting behind the desk.”
Takaba was not only part of the reorganization coup but also part of the group trying to take away the independent legistlatives auditors funding away but is no practioner of open and transparent government.
When Kenoi came in to office he stated none of Kim’s people were going to be retained, he said. Brightest and best, he said. And he kept pretty much all of them. So much for his word.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
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