2025-01-30 Merit Appeals Board Minutes

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Merit Appeals Board January 30, 2025 At the Merit Appeals Board meeting held on January 16, 2025, the Board heard this matter at 9:52 a.m., and it was postponed at 11:51 a.m. due to lack of quorum, and continued to today. At that hearing, testimony was completed by Mr. Johah Kaye, the Appellant's witness; and by Ms. Sommer Tokihiro, the Appellee's witness. I believe the Appellee, the County of Hawaii, will be calling forward their next witness, Assistant Fire Chief Darwin Okinaka. MS. TAVARES: That is correct. CHR. CABANAS: Thank you, Ms. Tavares. I need to read the following —strict rules of evidence will not apply in this hearing. However, the Board requests that all parties confine themselves to the matters connected with today's hearing and the issue before the Board. If witnesses are used, the opposite parties will be allowed to cross-examine the witness. Members of the Board may also question the witness after the witnesses' testimony. Are there any questions at this time? Before we begin, I need to have presented full disclosure on my part as the Chair. In terms of the work that I've conducted with the Department of Human Resources while I was working as the HR Manager, I conducted training for which the Fire Chief, Kazuo Todd; and the Assistant Fire Chief, Darwin Okinaka, attended the training that I presented. Also, I have worked with Mr. Ted Hong when he was the Assistant Corporation Counsel for the County back in the `90's—and Ted and I worked together to present cases before the Merit Appeals Board in which I represented the Department of Human Resources at appeal hearings. The last thing I need to disclose is that my son is a Fire Equipment Operator with the Hawaii Fire Department. He has been employed with the department for the last 10 years and he works on the fire operation side not the ocean safety side. And the last thing the very last thing I need to disclose is that the Assistant Fire Chief, Darwin Okinaka, and I are blood related —so his grandmother and my mother are first cousinswhich, kind of, makes Darwin and I, like, second cousins once removed. Having stated all of that, however, as I stated at the January hearing —were —are there any concerns or questions —and no one at that time had any objections to me continuing on. And I do believe that I can be and will be objective in the hearing. So, thank you. MR. HONG: Still, no objections. CHR. CABANAS: Thank you, Mr. Hong. Ms. Tavares? Page 4