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knows his stuff, who has been working with the Charter for the last couple of years already, and
<br />all of that; and we save money.
<br />It's been in the media about how the County is facing a shortfall. So I think that is something
<br />that really needs to be recognized, because already, from the first day, this Charter Commission
<br />is getting off to a real good start. You're starting off saving the taxpayers money, staffed by
<br />experienced and dedicated people who have already proven their commitment to the County. So
<br />I really wanted to recognize Chair Yoshimoto. J, thank you for you and your staff, fantastic
<br />people. Just make sure I get soda when I come here. I gave you that plug.
<br />On the agenda, they had allocated some time for me to talk a little bit about three things:
<br />Sunshine Law, Ethics, and Financial Disclosure Law. Today, this is your first meeting, there's
<br />all sorts of things flying around. There's so much to do on this first day, it's going to be very
<br />difficult, I think, to focus on all three, or really any one of these in any meaningful detail. Our
<br />office offers training, at least with respect to the Sunshine Law and Ethics, on an ongoing basis.
<br />We offer it in Hilo and Kona, so we will offer it to you at a later time, when you can come with
<br />some other new Commissioners from other Boards and Commissions county wide. We dedicate
<br />about one and a half or two hours to that. I think that might be a more efficient way and
<br />productive way for you to get acquainted with the Sunshine Law and Ethics. Because, really, I
<br />don't think we can do it justice herein this short period of time. Again, under the circumstances,
<br />a lot of us just all met each other today for the first time. A lot of balls are in the air, so we'll
<br />extend that invitation to you later.
<br />That being said, I just wanted to take just a few minutes to talk just about some highlights about
<br />theses three areas, just some little sound bites that you can take with you when you leave here
<br />today, that I think might be helpful. First of all, what is the Sunshine Law? The Sunshine Law
<br />is a state law which requires all boards and commissions, and you are a board or commission that
<br />has been created by statute or law. It exists within the Hawaii County Charter. The Charter,
<br />like Mayor Kenoi pointed out, is the organic document, or the living document for the County of
<br />Hawaii. Because you, the Charter Commission, were created as a result of that law, you must
<br />comply or follow this Sunshine Law. What is the Sunshine Law? It's a law that says all of your
<br />discussions, all of your deliberations, must occur at an open meeting like this. Which is open to
<br />the public, where the public has an opportunity to come in, testify, hear, see first hand what
<br />you're doing, what you're saying. That's basically what the Sunshine Law is. There's a lot of
<br />separate detail about different aspects of the Sunshine Law, but the main thing you take away
<br />from here today is this: Now that Mayor Kenoi has sworn all of you in, and that's the last
<br />official act in the Charter that makes you now "official." You were first appointed by the Mayor,
<br />or nominated by the Mayor; you all appeared before the Council to be confirmed. The third step
<br />is what you did today, taking the Oath. The Charter says you cannot begin your duties until
<br />you're sworn in or you give an oath or affirmation, which you've done today.
<br />From this moment forward, the Sunshine Law applies to all of you. What that means is, like I
<br />said, primarily, the Sunshine Law says all discussions you have about Charter Commission
<br />business must occur at an open meeting, open to the public, where the public can participate.
<br />Which means, when you leave here this afternoon, say that Jamae emails Paki and Todd and
<br />says, "Hey guys, it was nice seeing you today, by the way, one of the things I was thinking
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