Two proposed charter amendments aimed at altering the qualifications for key Hawaii County department heads failed to pass the full County Council on Oct. 8 — shelving changes that some officials argued might have helped with recruitment for hard-to-fill leadership roles.
Bill 64 sought to ease the qualifications for the director of Public Works by requiring a bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, business, public administration or a related field, along with at least two years of experience in public works or a related discipline.
Currently, the Public Works director is required to be a licensed professional engineer.
The bill also proposed that the deputy director be a licensed professional engineer overseeing engineering responsibilities. The measure fell short with only four votes in favor, two shy of the six required to pass.
Neil Azevedo is currently the acting director of Public Works, filling the vacancy left by Hugh Ono, who retired from the position in March. A permanent replacement has yet to be found.
During the Oct. 8 meeting, Councilman Dennis Onishi questioned the practicality of the proposal.
“We’re having a hard time finding a director with a license … how are we going to find a deputy at a lower pay with a license?” he said.
Councilwoman Heather Kimball criticized the county’s recruitment efforts for the deputy position.
“If the entire intent of this is to respond to the challenges of finding a person to fulfill this position … I do not think substantial efforts have been made to actually find this person,” she said. “I have done some digging and this has not nearly been advertised to the extent that you would expect.”
Kimball also raised concerns that the council may have exceeded the timeframe set by the County Charter for appointing a new director.
“We are in … the equivalent of a constitutional crisis, a charter crisis, if you will, because we are actively in violation of the charter as it stands,” Kimball said. “That becomes a legal issue, and we certainly wouldn’t want it to come to that, because that doesn’t present a desirable outcome for anyone.”
Councilman Matt Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder pointed to engineering oversights under former Public Works Director Ikaika Rodenhurst, a licensed engineer who was sworn in early 2021 and left in 2022.
“One piece of very compelling testimony I found very concerning … was from our failed director of Public Works, Mr. Rodenhurst, who also spoke on behalf of the engineering society and spoke to the effect that Bill 64, if passed, would be a public safety concern,” Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder said. “I found this paradoxical.”
Mayor Kimo Alameda on Monday issued a statement about Bill 64.
“Currently, the County Charter requires the Public Works director to be a registered professional engineer, which unfortunately restricts the pool of applicants. In addition to education, there are other qualifications that should be considered when choosing someone to run a department, such as an individual’s practical experience and leadership abilities,” Alameda said. “I believe the public deserves a say on whether the existing requirement is truly necessary, and it is disappointing that a majority of the council members chose not to place this decision before them.
“Still, I hope that this conversation continues and that we can find opportunities to apply a more common-sense approach to our hiring practices.”
Bill 72, which proposed new qualifications for the director of Environmental Management — including five years of experience in relevant fields — also failed on second reading with only five votes, falling short of the two-thirds majority required.
Email Daniel Farr at dfarr@hawaiitribune-herald.com