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<br />Merit Appeals Board March 20, 2026
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<br />But, yeah, it’s something to really look at ‘cause I know there’s minimum qualifications in
<br />all that we do, but I think there was—there should be some sort of improvement—little
<br />bit—on wording because it opens up the door. And if you have general contractors or
<br />plumbing contractors, or electrical contractors as inspectors—now, to me, they weren’t
<br />hired to be contractors—like, say, engineers. You have an engineering degree—that’s
<br />all you got, is your engineering degree. And in qualifications in the State of Hawaiʻi,
<br />DCCA—in specialty licenses, like plumbing/electrical—you get your journeyman, you
<br />get your supervisor; besides that, you become a contractor—you’re out in the field as a
<br />workforce.
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<br />So, I think that’s something, I think, is being overlooked because all we need is
<br />someone to complain and, oh, my gosh—how we going get out of it now. It’s just
<br />looking at those little things because it’s—we want to promote our workforce, but we
<br />don’t want to promote something that, “Eh, you know what, I’m going to work there. I
<br />get my contractor—they allowing me—I getting the full benefits plus I double-dipping out
<br />there in the workforce, and inspected my own jobs”—who knows, you know?
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<br />I no like see that happen. And that’s something—Sommer, you doing a great job. I tell
<br />you, you doing a great job—and I hate to see something, especially, in that field. Why?
<br />Because that’s my world I live in, but I just keep my kuleana to myself because we have
<br />a thriving County and there’s so much work out there, that a lot of them just—who
<br />knows, right?
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<br />MS. TOKIHIRO: And it is. I appreciate the feedback and you sharing the concern. It is
<br />one of those issues where it involves other multiple—there’s multiple levels to that
<br />beyond just HR, right.
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<br />And so, yes, certainly, we’ll be taking a look at the class specs. as we do it all—
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<br />MR. AGUINALDO: Right.
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<br />MS. TOKIHIRO: —and I did follow-up with Public Works, and they followed that
<br />process to go through the Board of Ethics, and there may need to be additional review
<br />at other higher levels, if there’s concerns about that.
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<br />MR. AGUINALDO: Correct. I think that is important. That was the old Administration
<br />before Mayor Alameda. I looked at County vehicles and I know the inspector, like, “Ho,
<br />what are they doing at the supply house, they should be out in the field. This is not their
<br />district.”
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<br />And that raises eyebrows, like—but, for me, it’s like—I just going not look the other way,
<br />but it’s like, “Eh, c’mon, you got to look—you got to be better than that”—so, I think
<br />that’s just my biggest concern is like that—it’s just that kind of level is just being
<br />transparent and honest to your employer. But, yeah, I just wanted to share that. Yeah,
<br />thank you.
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