1999-12-04 Charter Commission Minutes

Home

minutes 12-04-99Page 18 of 39 HIGASHI: Getting away from the subject. RAY: Let’s finish it though. HIGASHI: Not the subject, but, I just get bothered by when we say we need to have somebody from outside; we need a certain level of expertise. I think it should be written where people around here could qualify. RAY: I’m not saying you have to bring somebody from outside. HIGASHI: Well, it’s mentioned time and time again that we have this certain level of expectation, or education level. I’d go for it if it’s something reasonable that a lot of our local people who have done it in the past, returning. I think Bill Davis is doing a good job. RAY: But Bill Davis has no experience in solid waste, and wastewater, and so many of these areas, and anybody else that’s a qualified City Manager, just routinely deals with these things. And we don’t have anybody in County government that knows anything about solid waste. Nobody. HIGASHI: I’m not knocking that point. Fine. But I don’t think it’s that level where they’re in the operational standpoint. They’re overseeing, they’re professionals. In the Public Works Department, it’s a professional, and who we hire there is important. He should be versed in solid waste, and I don’t think the City Manager would be in the operational part. RAY: Oh, I disagree. HIGASHI: I think he’s a management position. So anyway, I don’t want to argue with that, but I don’t think we should be looking at people who are away. RAY: I’d just like to allow for that opportunity. Marni. HERKES: I agree with Roland, that there’s a lot of people around Hawaii with qualifications, and when somebody comes to work for our organization, one of the qualifications is that they know the area. They have to know the people. They have to know the geography, and they have to know the politics because they can’t answer questions unless they know where the resources are. So, I think that’s one of the things that you don’t say, you have to live here, but you say you have to know the area, and you have to know what’s going on, and you have to know who the people are and what happens. But I think in the Managing Director’s capability; we talked about this in the Department of Public Works, not necessarily not having a Chief Engineer but having an Administrator. I feel the same way about the Managing Director type. She needs to be able to manage contracts. She needs to be able to manage outsourcing. She needs to understand financing. We really need to have somebody that understands management, and I don’t think anybody in the world understands solid waste. Even people that are in it. But the contracting of the people is the important part. RAY: John. SANTANGELO: We covered it pretty well, but back to what you said, Steve. When the Mayor can select whom he wants, regardless of sexual preference, and the Council approves, it’s having those qualifications that the Council can then hold accountable, and have a reason for rejection, and not rejection of an individual, but of the qualifications. So checks and balances come in, and again, I think we start to level the playing field, so I like that idea. Removing residency does not mutually exclude people who are here. HIGASHI: No, I understand that. SANTANGELO: It just opens the gene pool. I kind of like that idea. Thank you. RAY: George. MARTIN: I happen to agree with Roland, in that the local population has the ability to do what needs to be done, and I’ll use personal experience. As a mechanic, and being in the field for about 25 years, if I need to know something on a newer system, I go see some of the younger people who just came out of college, and they have hands-on ability to do it. And the point I’m trying to bring up is we have people coming out of our universities right now, within the State, and within the file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 12-04-99.html7/1/2011