2025-12-15 Liquor Commission Minutes Hilo (Special Meeting)

Home

Okabe: No. 12, can you give me an example of a specific occasion on which you conformed to a policy or a law which you did not agree? Frendo: I have a very high respect for law, and I fear two things, God above and the law, I'm not going to go against anything that's in place. I may question it, I want to know why it's there, but I'm not going to go against it. I'll work with the system whatever it is to maintain the policy and procedure requirements. At the same time, if there's improvement, while I advocate if there's an improvement, I can remain on that policy. Conforming to policies allows you to respect the legal existing framework. Okabe: No. 13, the Department strives to maintain positive work relationships with licensees and the business community. What will you do to perpetuate and enhance these relationships in the future? Frendo: I believe at this point I have high public relationships with the licensees, general public, and fellow employees. I would focus on building and holding forums with the licensees more, I don't want to say more frequently but frequently enough to say that okay, Liquor Department is involved and they're coming out and seeing us quarterly, or we're having these forums that you know, we can get involved in quarterly working with the Department rather than them just coming out and telling us things. I'd offer training programs, full guidance on compliance, whether it's overservice, service to underage, you know things like that, different training programs. We do have some resources available through, I'm not too sure as far as some of the national organizations, but we do have some resources available through NLLEA (National Liquor License Enforcement Agency) and things like that where we can implement programs on the local level and State level. And again you know, collaboratively make adjustments where needed, there's something that's needed because of the enforcement side feeling heavily handed you know, then we slide to the educational side. Because our goal is compliance, it's not going out and fining everybody you know for everything they do, and for making a wrong left turn or something, so we're trying to get the licensees in compliance. Okabe: Okay, that basically concludes all the questions, but do you have anything to add or anything else you want to say? Frendo: I just wanted to say that you know, thank you for allowing me to come in front the Commission for the selection process, I feel that if hired I would be a benefit to the Department. It's again, I'm bringing my experience, I do have a valid financial background with one of the largest wholesalers that I used to work for prior to my employment here, and then again 21 years with the Department, July makes 22 years. As far as my interactions with the licensees, I don't know if you got a chance to read the letters of recommendation, a lot of those I'd like to clarify something. You notice there were different addresses or different commissions on the top because of my prior application somewhere else that my letters of interest went to, a lot of those were not solicited. What I'm saying is, I didn't go up to people and say hey you know, can MINUTES - LIQUOR COMMISSION MEETING SPECIAL MEETING - MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2025 - HILO PAGE 28 OF 35