LIHU‘E — The new County Council, during its inaugural meeting held Wednesday at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihu‘e, gave County Clerk Peter Nakamura and County Attorney Al Castillo the green light to keep their jobs. The council
LIHU‘E — The new County Council, during its inaugural meeting held Wednesday at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihu‘e, gave County Clerk Peter Nakamura and County Attorney Al Castillo the green light to keep their jobs.
The council approved by a 4-2 majority a resolution appointing Peter Nakamura county clerk. The clerk is appointed and may be removed by the council.
Public testimony was in overwhelming support of Nakamura.
Councilmembers JoAnn Yukimura and Tim Bynum voted against Nakamura’s appointment. They would’ve rather conducted an executive search for the position.
“The council’s appointment of the county clerk is a critical fiduciary duty that affects public money, property, operations and customer-servicing,” said Yukimura, adding that the appointment deserved “due diligence and fair process.”
Yukimura noted that a past council set a precedent by appropriating $50,000 for the executive search that resulted in the appointment of Kaua‘i Police Department Chief Darryl Perry. The chief, she said, was bypassed in a prior selection which didn’t use an executive search.
The Police Commission is charged with hiring and firing the police chief.
Councilman Mel Rapozo said the executive search used in the chief selection was due to a lack of qualified candidates.
“We have a qualified individual here,” Rapozo said in support of Nakamura’s appointment.
A 4-2 vote gave Nakamura the right to keep his job. Freshman Councilwoman Nadine Nakamura, married to Peter Nakamura’s brother Galen Nakamura, recused herself from the vote.
Fifth Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano performed the swearing-in ceremony for Nakamura as county clerk and Eddie Topenio as deputy county clerk.
County attorney
County Attorney Al Castillo will also keep his job. Castillo got the job in March 2009, and since then the County Attorney’s Office has relied less on outside counsel, a practice that can easily drain hundreds of thousands of dollars from county coffers in a single litigation, he said.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. submitted a letter to the council seeking Castillo’s confirmation to the job.
The council decided, on a 6-1 vote, to upheld Carvalho’s appointment.
“I have a very high level of expectation from the county attorney’s office,” said Rapozo, adding that he could not support Castillo’s appointment.
Castillo, however, had the support of the remaining council members. He was sworn in by Valenciano shortly after the council roll-call vote.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@kauaipubco.com.
