NAWILIWILI — The newly elected members of the Kaua‘i County Council met for the first time Monday in Council Chambers for an organizational meeting to discuss committee assignments and other key appointments. Officials said the meeting was unprecedented in that
NAWILIWILI — The newly elected members of the Kaua‘i County Council met for the first time Monday in Council Chambers for an organizational meeting to discuss committee assignments and other key appointments.
Officials said the meeting was unprecedented in that it was the first time a Kaua‘i County Council held such a caucus open to the public.
The decisions were nonbinding, as the 2010-2012 council has to vote on them to make it official. That action is expected after the seven members are sworn in Dec. 1.
Unanimous support
The first item on their agenda was the selection of council chair. Members unanimously chose Jay Furfaro, who accepted the nomination and became chair pro tem.
Councilman Tim Bynum said he is proud to support Furfaro because of his history with the council, because he knows he shares his concerns about council’s level of openness, and is confident about his ability to lead the council because of his background in hotel management.
Bynum said he expects access to public records to improve, and that they will be looking at the way Kaua‘i is resourced compared to other counties. He also told Furfaro that he expects a higher level of decorum in the future.
Furfaro said once his office is fully staffed, he will be committed to improving openness.
Furfaro served briefly as council chair when Mayor Bryan Baptiste unexpectedly died in June 2008 and current Council Chair Kaipo Asing temporarily left the council to be interim mayor. Asing was unsuccessful in his bid this year for re-election to the council.
For the position of vice chair, Furfaro nominated Derek Kawakami. But he was then informed that as interim officer of the meeting, he could not put forward a nomination. Dickie Chang stepped in and nominated Kawakami.
However, JoAnn Yukimura said she would be interested in the position and in giving members a choice and offered to nominate herself.
Bynum then came forward and nominated Yukimura.
At the motion, Kawakami declined his nomination as vice chair. He said he was only willing to serve with unanimous support and “respectfully” withdrew his name because he didn’t it to become a polarizing issue.
“I want to remove myself from the equation and do what’s best for the body,” he said.
Yukimura requested that Kawakami reconsider, but Kawakami once again declined the nomination.
Committees
Members then discussed the organizational structure, appointments and composition of the council’s seven committees.
After several hours of deliberation, including a decision to limit most committees to five members rather than seven, the following was decided:
1) Planning Committee
Chair: Nadine Nakamura
Vice Chair: JoAnn Yukimura
Member: Dickie Chang
Member: Derek Kawakami
Member: Mel Rapozo
2) Housing, Transportation, Energy Conservation and Efficiency Committee
Chair: JoAnn Yukimura
Vice Chair: Tim Bynum
Member: Dickie Chang
Member: Nadine Nakamura
Member: Mel Rapozo
3) Economic Development and Renewable Energy Strategies Committee
Chair: Dickie Chang
Vice Chair: Nadine Nakamura
Member: Tim Bynum
Member: Derek Kawakami
Member: JoAnn Yukimura
4) Public Safety and Environmental Services (solid waste and wastewater) Committee
Chair: Mel Rapozo
Vice Chair: Dickie Chang
Member: Tim Bynum
Member: Derek Kawakami
Member: JoAnn Yukimura
5) Intergovernmental Relations
Chair: Derek Kawakami
Vice Chair: Mel Rapozo
Member: Tim Bynum
Member: Dickie Chang
Member: Nadine Nakamura
6) Finance, Parks and Recreation and Public Works Programs Committee (includes all Public Works divisions except solid waste and wastewater)
Chair: Tim Bynum
Vice Chair: Mel Rapozo
Member: Derek Kawakami
Member: Nadine Nakamura
Member: JoAnn Yukimura
7) Committee of the Whole (annual budget) Committee (includes auditor’s office, elderly affairs and council rules)
Chair: Jay Furfaro
Vice Chair: Derek Kawakami
Member: Mel Rapozo
Member: Tim Bynum
Member: Nadine Nakamura
Member: Dickie Chang
Member: JoAnn Yukimura
Rules
Council also discussed changes to its rules.
Mel Rapozo urged that the new rules limit council members’ and the public’s time to comment to five minutes and that such rules be enforced.
Kawakami recommended that the organizational structure of meetings be amended to allow adequate time for members of the public to speak, especially for heated issues known to draw a large crowd.
Under the consensus reached Monday, council meetings will continue to be held at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays.
Furfaro proposed and it was accepted that the current rules stand as they are for now and will be adopted on Dec. 1. Thereafter, a rules committee will be formed for a “very thorough and thoughtful examination” of the existing rules, he said.
Regarding the position of county clerk, Nadine Nakamura recused herself from participating in decisions related to the appointment because her brother-in-law, Peter Nakamura, is currently serving as county clerk.
Kawakami said he has nothing to say but good things about the current clerk and has heard good things and does not support Yukimura’s proposal to use an executive search firm to find a new county clerk.
Rapozo was in agreement with Kawakami, while Bynum thought Yukimura’s proposal to use an executive search service was outstanding.
To further discuss the personnel matter, the council went into an executive session.
The decision on that position, as well as the others made during the Monday caucus, is expected to be voted on in open session at the council’s first official meeting on Dec. 1.
The 2008-10 Kaua‘i County Council will hold its final meeting on Wednesday, starting at 9 a.m. at Council Chambers in Nawiliwili.
Visit www.kauai.gov for meeting agendas and more information.
