|
ROBERT: Mahalo.
<br />The Chair called up Tim Rees, who had also signed up to testify.
<br />REFS: Good morning, sir, and Ethics Board. I would like to speak first on
<br />Communication No. 4 Communications 2010-0 73 from Council Member Dennis Onishi.
<br />I hope that this Board doesn't feel like a dog that keeps getting thrown a stick and people
<br />saying go fetch for political purposes, because I feel had this Board been given an
<br />opportunity to really digest the requirements of this job, the goals and the designs of why
<br />we even have a Board of Ethics, I think that the Board here probably would have come
<br />up with a better bill, given the proper timing and the proper length of review, than either
<br />what the mayor has sent you and what the council has now sent you. That's just my
<br />personal opinion. I think that's why this community setup a Board of Ethics. I do see
<br />some conflict when the mayor I understand the mayor's vision, and again, I think
<br />stated this. I feel this is mostly being done for political purposes, and I'll back that up
<br />with a few facts. I went and spoke with the mayor's executive assistant over here. There
<br />has never been one complaint about an employee stealing a job from the private sector in
<br />this county. Never. Now, the council has had lengthy testimony on this issue, and what it
<br />really boils down to, if you watch their testimony - -it's the appearance. It's all the
<br />appearance. And I'm going to say this right now. This particular county council,
<br />without getting personal, they have created the largest appearance of a problem in
<br />government operations than any single employee or employee's family has. I am in favor
<br />of the change of people shepherding projects through certain departments. For instance,
<br />if the average time is, oh, let's say, two months to get a building permit, and then you
<br />happen to be good friends with a county employee who can get that done in three
<br />weeks that's disparity. That's unfair treatment, and that is somewhat --a bit of, you
<br />know, hey, I can take care of it for you. You know, even if money doesn't change hands,
<br />it's just not fair. It's not legitimate. There are big problems with the Ethics Code itself,
<br />because there are a lot of things that are so subjective. Was someone treated fairly,
<br />courteously, or respectfully? I'm not sure if that's the three criteria in one portion of the
<br />Code. But for instance, let's give an example there. If a council member politics is not
<br />always fair. So now if the council member goes to an administrator, let's say Park and
<br />Rec, and says, look, I got these constituents from this part of my district complaining like
<br />heck. They want a new park, and I got these guys. I tell you what. I can only do so much
<br />in two years, and we only got so much money. I'll ditch out on these constituents, but if
<br />you give me this one, and I'll quiet down about this, I won't say anything publicly. Well,
<br />is that that's the nature of politics, sorry to say. Is that fair to these constituents over
<br />here? Not really. So I don't want to get too far spun out on this thing, but I just feel that
<br />you folks could come up with something more rational that will really get at the serious
<br />problems that we may have in ethics. And I don't like this thing about the appearances. I
<br />mean, ever since Plato wrote The Allegory of the Cave, you know, things aren't always
<br />what they appear to be. And I think it has been overblown. And even Council Member
<br />Ford, I like her personally, but she's made statements at the county council, saying, oh, I
<br />can assure you, there 's all kinds of problems we 've had with this - -after I made a
<br />statement publicly saying that there's not been one complaint filed, ever, in this County
<br />on that subject. And then she says, but I'm not going to name names and I'm not going to
<br />say what it was. Well, that's not really fair. Is that fair, using the bully pulpit of the
<br />microphone and the public television it's broadcast on Na Leoto, again, to incite this
<br />2
<br />
|