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a. BIG ISLAND CHAPTER HAWAII SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS P.O.BOX 942 HILO,HAWAII 96720 May 17, 1979 Mr. Kimiaki Sakata, Chairman Hawaii County Charter Commission County of Hawaii Hilo, HI 96720 . Dear Mr. Sakata: The Hawaii Society of 'Professional Engineers, Big Island Chapter, wishes to comment on statements made at the Sixteenth Session and Public Hearing of the Hawaii County Charter Commission held in Hilo on May 1, 1979. Specifically, we disagree with the opinions expressed by- Mr. Robert Santos, Mr. Donald Yamada, and Mr. Robert Yamada regarding the Chief:Engineer of the Department of Public Works and the Manager of the Department of Water Supply. They stated that the two positions need not be filled by registered professional engineers. Mr. Akira Fujimoto has been misquoted. He did not say that he had not made a single decision which required the abilities of an engineer. He did say that being both structural as well as a civil engineer made the • job easier because he understood the technical parts of his job and his department. We interviewed both Mr. Edward Harada of the Department of Public Works and Mr. Akira Fujimoto of the Department of Water Supply to determine their duties and responsibilities. As department heads, a large part of their work is administration. They review and approve technical work done by their subordinates, many of whom are registered professional engineers. They are called upon to make testimonies and statements to public and private sectors about County matters which concern their respective departments. They also work with their peers in government and private industry. In order to work effectively with theirsubordinates, the public and private sectors, they must have credibility and respect as having the necessary qualifications to understand and communicate the technical nature of their jobs. A registered professional engineer does indicate that a person is qualified technically in his branch of engineering. As a professional engineer, Mr. Edward Harada is a member of the Statewide Transportation Council, Resource Conservation Recovery Act, Public Works Committee, and various engineering groups. His position as head of the Department of Public Works is enhanced by these associations, most of which would not be open to a lay person.