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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0446.001 2010-2012Mark McNett's Hilo City Blog Yt ci Mc [\ie'C1' 4e IA Yi:�� RC-tI Page 1 of3 Mark McNett's Hilo Cit, Moo March 6, 2010 Platform I lanks Filed under: markmcnett @ 4:57 am • Promote community gardens, with security — centrally located in each neighborhood • Payment in lieu of taxes (pilot), underground economy contribution to tax base for consideration Police stops without chase or collision will guarantee release from custody trial >.• Mandatory unannounced drug- testing of all elected officials • Curbing undue influence by illegal, outlaw, unregistered lobbyists Mark .McNett Filed under: ; ne Honolulu Advertiser i markmcnett @ 3:52 am December 21, 2002 Candidate in Jan. 4 congressional election PkRc CO -< Comm. No. 4144 • / Ref. To: pi Cr gC. Ref. Date NOV 1 ZOIT Fol http : / /markmcnett.wordpress.com / 10/26/2011 a 13 T rsday, October PORTS Waiakea is hoping third time's the charm Page D1 NATION Lions, tigers, bear freed, then killed Page A3 Wall Street protest ,I,Mem, becomes tourist spot D a Page B1 Council may face drug tests GI Officials should receive same scrutiny other county workers get, Yagong says By NANCY COOK LAUER Stephens Media Hawaii County Council Chair- man Dominic Yagong is proposing a Charter amendment requiring that council members, the mayor and the prosecuting attorney pass annual drug tests or face removal from office. The amendment must he approved by at least six County Council members at three sepa- rate votes before it goes on the 2012 ballot. If passed by voters, it would go into effect immediately for officials elected that year. Yagong said tie's not aware of drug use by the current County Council, mayor or prosecuting attorney. But he said it's only fair elected officials he subject to drug YAGONG testing because the county has a drug - free policy and many employees in the county and in the private sec- tor are subject to testing. "I don't think elected officials should be above the people," Yagong said. "So many people are subject to testing in order to get o r keep their jobs. Why should the elected official be any different ?" Yagong said it Would be "hyp- ocritical" for county officials to accept federal and state grants for fighting drugs if they're drug users themselves. Hawaii County has had an alco- hol-free workplace policy since 1995 and a drug -free workplace policy since 1993, said Sharon See DRUG TESTS Page A6 STAR - STRUCK it >to ial ( e O 5 n- ee 's ill id Police In probe _ z. p.-D) 9 `)D I-1- PO$Ti I c.'%: ti) DRUG TESTS From front page Toriano, deputy director of the Department of Human Resources. Violations are treated as issues of miscon- duct, subject to penalties up to and including termi- nation. In addition. drug screening is conducted for certain classes of work and classes of employees, based on federal law and collec- tive bargaining agreements, she said. Mayor Billy Kenoi told Stephens Media on Wednes- day that he hadn't seen the bill, but he isn't opposed to the concept. Because the bill requires six votes to pass, it's likely any poten- tial veto would be overrid- den anyway. "I wish the councilman luck," Kenoi said. "He won't get any objection from me to put it on the ballot and leave it up to the voters: The county Char- ter already provides for impeachment or removal from office for "malfea- sance, misfeasance, nonfea- sance or maladministration." The Circuit Court has the power to remove officials for cause upon a petition by CODEFrom front page stringent than the state's code.. That issue surfaced at earlier council meetings, with Deputy Corporation Counsel Kyle Chang advis- ing council members that they may not have less stringent code. "(Ohara's) answer was yes;' Yagong said. "The way she interprets the code, if the state were to build a project in the County of Hawaii, the state will tiotally ignore any code less strin- gent than its code. ft does not apply to residential. It applies to state projects and state buildings." Yagong's comments at the West Hawaii Civic Cen- ter came after about two and a half hours of testi- mony Wednesday moaning, much of which focused on the building code. Archi- tects. including the Hawaii Island chapter aaf the Ameri- can Institute of Architects, testified in favor of the code adoption and penalties for 2 percent of the voters in the county or in the County Council district, depending on the office. The amendment would i require the HR drector to administer a drug test annually at random times of year. with the cost borne by the elected official. If the test is positive, an elected official is allowed to request a second, split urine test at a different lab to verify the first. If that one is also positive, the elected official will be suspended without pay for two consec- compliance failures. More than a dozen residents, pri- marily from Hilo and Puna. said the code was too strict and would make building a home cost - prohibitive. Chang said he also spoke with Ohara, but did not change his recommendation to the council. "If challenged in court, the ordinance may be declared void and pre -empt- ed by state law," he said. Hilo Councilman Den- nis Onishi suggested the council request a written opinion from Ohara. Other council members agreed and approved a postpone- ment until the council's next meeting, Nov. 2, to get that opinion. A bill, named Aliyah's Law after 17- month -old Ali - yah Braden, who was killed in a motor vehicle collision caused by a drunken driver, passed its final reading. It will allow police offi- cers to impound a vehicle driven by someone arrested for drunken driving. Police officers may also seize the vehicle of someone driving without a license, with a suspended license or while fraudulently using license plates, safety check stickers or vehicle registra- tion. South Kohala Council- woman Brenda Ford. who introduced the bill, said officers have discretion to take the action and would not impound the vehicle of someone pulled over for a traffic violation who also failed to have their license with them. The council adopted the two resolutions allowing the Corporation Counsel's office to proceed with the emi- nent domain process for two parcels along the planned Laaloa Avenue extension. Council members approved skipping the standard five - day waiting period between when the measure is passed and when the measure is forwarded to the mayor's office. .. t-f- r. =root page utive pay periods, assessed by a drug treatment coun- selor and enrolled in drug education classes. If a follow -up test taken 90 days later is also posi- tive, the official would be removed from office. Yagong said he had attempted to pass a bill cov- ering much the same terri- tory in 2002, but he with- drew it after being advised it could be contrary to the county Charter. Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook - later@ westliawaiitoday. Coln. Deputy Corporation Counsel Katherine Carson said the eminent domain process could take about 90 days. if a judge grants an immediate order of pos- session. Council members adopted. with a 6 -2 vote, a resolution asking the state Legislature to establish a vote -by -mail pilot program. Onishi and Hilo Council- man J Yoshimoto opposed the resolution. Onishi was the sole dis- senter during the tinal read- ing of a proposed Charter amendment to set the amount of property tax revenues put aside for public access and open space purchases at 2 percent. "The voters have con- sistently said this is what they want," said Ford, who introduced the measure. "It is necessary to put this in the charter (so) it cannot be defunded by the administra- tion"