HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0302.000 2000-2002 ~~~'...;:`.:.r: 'l`ed ~.5. bong
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August 9 2001
The Honorable James Y. Arakaki
1 Chairperson, Hawaii County Council
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25 Aupuni Street
' 1 ' ~ Hilo Hawaii 96720
a RE: Councilmember Pisicchio's comments and letter.
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• ~ Dear Chairperson Arakaki:
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~~'i~ ~ I respectfully request this letter be placed on the Council's agenda and made part of the
~ record.
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~'~*',i::»<>:~<:::,~>~«:~:>~:> County Councilmember Pisicchio in an interview on 8/1/01 and in a Letter to the Editor
of 8/8/01, suggests that she voted to settle a lawsuit because she feels that the County, had not
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j~~'!' 1 ~ , been well represented by the Corporation Counsel's Office as evidenced by the number of cases
>0~ the county has lost" during the prior administration. I was surprised and disappointed by her
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' ~~1JJ thoughtless remarks.
.~Rl~,~~«~~ I am proud of the work we accomplished at the Office of the Corporation Counsel and
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~~~~ra.•,~~ have great respect for the people who continue to work there. While I served as the Assistant
Co oration Counsel Ms. Pisicchio never uestioned or criticized the olicies or direction of
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- it our office, at least, not to our face. Ms. Pisicchio never researched, inquired or checked the
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win/loss record of the office under our leadership. Out of the numbers of cases that went to trial
~~~~1 i~~ /ji'%3~~•~~•~ ~~t durin a eriod of ei ht 8 ears from 1992 when I 'oined the office, until I left in December
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of 2000, the three attorneys assigned to the Trial Division may have lost only one trial apiece.
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~ ~ 1••: ~ Attorneys Michael Dabney and Joseph Kamelamela, were the primary trial attorneys and served
~~<~~~<:::<~>:~.~.~:>:~' the County and its taxpayers professionally and aggressively. Because of their hard work, the
y ~ ~ County saved millions of dollars instead of capitulating.
e`~.;'1~<:<::::`~>~~~~°'~~~ Citizens should also be aware that the Corporation Counsel s Office represents the
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County before a host of federal, state and County administrative agencie,~, boars, commissions
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~1~ t~~Y Ref. To:
*~',i~ AUG 1 3 2001
~ill~~ii ftef. Date
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$=;~j,}~~?r%:::>.~~. Hilo Lagoon Center 101 Aupuni Street Suite 108 Hilo, [iawai i 96720 Phone: (808) 960-3156 Fax: (808) 935-1844 E-mail: s o ,
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~ ~ ~~wq and in labor arbitrations. The attorneys assigned to the Counseling Division have seen the
number of their cases increase exponentially. Despite their heavy caseload, the attorneys have
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represented the County efficiently, competently and successfully.
L::~ The County is also fortunate to have the attorneys currently assigned to its Family
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~~>/iil~~.,`~::: Support Division. They perform a vital task in securing desperately needed child support
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~ payments. Under our administration, the Division's supervisor became a recognized authority,
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:;~/'=~..;..<~<~. sought out by the State Administration, the Legislature and nationally, for her leadership,
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foresi ht and ex ertise in the area of Child Su ort Enforcement.
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' Throughout my tenure, the Corporation Counsel's office was understaffed because of
~ our struggling economy and lean budgets. The staff of legal clerks, para-legals, accountant and
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f,..;~~r•. their supervisors were on par with any private sector law firm in terms of productivity, work
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'~f product and willingness to get the job done right. They have consistently done more with less
!3r~_o~:;': `~1 and performed admirably.
~ ~ Ms. Pisicchio states that all cases which arose during our tenure should be settled. The
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question she avoids is, "Why did the County give $75,000 to two individuals who months
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~.1 °~ii earlier, lost their federal court case involving the same facts, the same witnesses, the same
,r'~:~:..;, evidence and substantially similar claims? Her attempt to shift blame to our administration
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•ri3 lacks credibility, lacks intelligence and simply doesn't make sense. The public deserves a more
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substantive and intelligent answer.
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t A~~ Respectfully,
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Ted H. S. Hong'
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Attorney at Law
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c~~'>~pt~' ~ cc: Ms. Nancy Pisicchio
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