How much protection should a whistleblower or complainant have from retribution once they vent their negative opinion about a county employee? That’s an underlying issue as the Kaua’i County administration attempts to formalize a complaint procedure. Wally Rezentes Sr., assistant
How much protection should a whistleblower or complainant have from retribution
once they vent their negative opinion about a county employee?
That’s an
underlying issue as the Kaua’i County administration attempts to formalize a
complaint procedure.
Wally Rezentes Sr., assistant to Mayor Maryanne
Kusaka, talked about the subject to the council a couple weeks ago. Rezentes
discussed allowing the county to call employees accused of violations and
telling those accused where the complaints originated.
Councilman Gary
Hooser objected, saying that last year when he forwarded an anonymous citizen
complaint about the Pflueger berm in Kilauea to the administration, the
involved property owner, Jimmy Pflueger, almost immediately called Hooser to
object.
Hooser said not just complainants should be granted anonymity. He
characterized council members being fingered simply for passing on complaints
as unfair.
Rezentes told Hooser he had called Pflueger last year, but said
Monday the matter of handling complaints was a procedural one that was still
unresolved.
“Officially, that has not been received by the council yet.
Right now I see a problem and I’m trying to prevent more problems from
happening — relationship problems with council,” Rezentes said.
He said
the administration is trying to set up a standard procedure to handle
complaints presented for citizens by council members.
Rezentes said he is
collecting information from other state counties before presenting the council
with a formal request.
“The Big Island is very loose. And Maui is operating
the same way we are. But I’m waiting for information from the city of Honolulu.
They have a formalized process,” Rezentes said.
Currently, Kaua`i County
does not guarantee complainants anonymity, but Rezentes said that might
change.
“We haven’t formalized it yet. We’re trying (to develop) a
procedure where a citizen could get anonymity as long as we know who they are,”
Rezentes said.
Rezentes stressed the matter has not been officially
presented and isn’t on this Wednesday’s council committees agenda.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and
dwilken@pulitzer.net
