2000-03-18 Charter Commission Minutes

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minutes 03-18-00Page 12 of 27 We understand there is concern over the difficulty in the county of recruiting and retaining qualified, licensed engineers within the County government so we think that the County should continue to encourage their engineers to obtain their license and establish programs that reward the engineers who, not only become licensed, but who also continue to enhance their professional competency after licensure, and that the County should continue to provide opportunities for engineers to develop leadership skills that will qualify them for the department-level positions in County government, particularly the ones that are in policy-making positions. So, therefore, I urge you to shelve Amendment 11, not place it on the public ballot this November. Thank you. RAY: Okay. Questions? John. SANTANGELO: I have one comment. I guess it’s a question. I find it interesting here, just because you are representing these people, it said that they will apply a disciplined scientific approach to problem-solving in the real world. Do you have Society members working on that Waimea Road? BECK: I don’t have specific knowledge. I wouldn’t be surprised though. RAY: Okay. Any more questions? IRVINE: None. RAY: Okay. Well, thanks, Curtis. And we’ve talked about this. The genesis of this discussion came out of the retirement of our Public Works Chief Engineer, and the Deputy not being able to fulfill that position although it seemed like it was pretty much universally recognized that he would be qualified to do that. So that’s what brought this up, but I appreciate your comments. BECK: Yes, I don’t think we’re here really to criticize non-licensed engineers. We know some very, very qualified engineers who are in positions of responsibility that do their jobs really well. We’re here to uphold the standard, I think, in principle. I think this is a good thing for the County to retain. Thank you. RAY: Peter Boucher. Good morning, Peter. BOUCHER: Good morning, gentlemen and lady. RAY: You know you’re to blame for this. BOUCHER: Of course. RAY: This all got started with the proposal to place the Wastewater Department in the Department of Water Supply and so that’s what started generating this mix and match scenario, and this is what we came up with. BOUCHER: Well generally I find out, if you look deep enough, I end up being the cause of most of the problems. SANTANGELO: Might be the area you work in. BOUCHER: Anyways, I come here both as a private citizen and as a representative of the County Department of Public Works. And maybe, quickly, just so you get a feel for, maybe, what the general public at-large might - you’ll see what one vote would have to think about some of your proposals, I’ll just run through quickly some of my thoughts about some of your proposed amendments. Number 1 and 2, non-partisan elections and the at-large seats, I completely agree with. I think they’re very good ideas for helping our government become more representative and efficient. Contrary to that, I think item number 3, strengthening the authority of the County Managing Director, I think would be counterproductive. I think it’s important to have a strong Mayor to set the tone for where the County is headed, and what we want to do. file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 03-18-00.html7/1/2011