It hasn’t taken long for the new County Council to consider a personnel decision many on Kauai might find surprising.
The council is considering hiring Mel Rapozo, former chair of the council, as the county’s new auditor — a position that could entail internal investigation of government agencies.
Rapozo, a former Kauai Police Department officer, was first elected to the council in 2002 and served until 2008. He was reelected two years later and served until term limits made him ineligible to continue. He was chair for his final two years in office.
His resume, as presented on his campaign website last year when he ran unsuccessfully for mayor against Derek S.K. Kawakami, says he is a graduate of Everest University in Florida, an institution that lacks regional accreditation and, when Rapozo attended, was part of Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit national chain that went out of business in 2015 in the wake of scandal. It is now operated by another holding company, Zenith Education Group.
Rapozo is a Kauai High School graduate and owns and operates M&P Investigation Services, a private investigation company. He is also night auditor at a resort hotel — typically a job in which the auditor posts charges against guest bills and serves in a non-supervisory bookkeeping capacity.
The Kauai County Charter, on the other hand, sets strict requirements for the county auditor, a position that has been vacant for several years after it devolved into controversy surrounding the position’s last incumbent, Ernesto “Ernie” Pasion. It was Pasion who conducted an audit of county fuel use that raised allegations of misspent money.
Pasion was ousted in 2014 in the wake of the fuel audit controversy. He filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the county and reached a settlement of $300,000 in 2015, the same year he died from a brain tumor.
Pasion had a master’s in business administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago.
Under the charter, the county auditor must have several specific qualifications. He must, for example, be a certified public accountant or certified internal auditor or have an advanced degree in a relevant field “with at least five years experience in the field of government auditing, evaluation or analysis.”
CPA or certified internal auditor background, the charter says pointedly, “shall be preferred.”
The auditor must also have a degree in business administration or accounting, business administration or public administration or related field. And if the county auditor proposes to audit financial statements, the charter says, the individual “shall be a certified public accountant.”
Rapozo has no advanced degree and is not a CPA. Although his employment job title — for part-time work he did while on the County Council and since — contains the word “auditor,” Rapozo is not an auditor the way the County Charter is written or within its meaning. Without some “certification” in a relevant field, the charter says a person cannot be county auditor.
Yet I’m told reliably that Rapozo, who has made no secret of the fact that he wants the job of county auditor, is possibly the favored candidate and may have the votes of four of the seven County Council members who will make the hiring decision. Opposing Rapozo’s application — at least as recently as late last week — were Councilmembers Mason Chock and Luke Evslin and Council Chair Arryl Kaneshiro.
For the record, council members have declined to talk about the situation because it represents a hiring decision not yet made, but it is difficult to understand how someone whose background is so deficient in terms of meeting the basic requirements outlined in the charter could even be considered, much less appear to be a finalist.
At least one council executive session has been devoted to debate on hiring Rapozo, though the process is said to remain ongoing with no final decision. My understanding is this discussion has been under way for several weeks, though how close to a final decision deliberations have reached is not known.
Rapozo did not respond to several attempts to reach him via email and through Facebook. He did confirm he is in the running to The Garden Island. Councilmember Felicia Cowden, said to be among Rapozo’s supporters for the auditor job, told the newspaper she could not comment because of the executive session rules. Evslin said the same thing to me.
I am told that when applications were initially reviewed by county human resources personnel, Rapozo’s was rejected because he did not meet the minimum qualifications set forth in the charter.
The murky situation raises nothing but questions. Why would Councilmembers Cowden, Arthur Brun, Kipukai Kuali‘i and Ross Kagawa support Rapozo’s publicly announced candidacy for a post for which he is apparently unqualified? Does the situation reflect any kind of understanding of future county employment in the wake of Rapozo’s loss to Kawakami? Rapozo had termed off the council and could not have run again.
We are, apparently, not to know the answers to these too obvious questions.
It would be argued — and may yet be argued — that Rapozo, by virtue of his county experience, expects further county employment, as auditor. He served well and conscientiously during his several terms on the council. It would not be the first time that a politician has been rewarded for past service with a plum job after leaving office.
However, Rapozo does not appear qualified to be county auditor and this process should not go any further. For the situation to turn out otherwise would stand the County Charter on its head. If, as it does, the charter describes specific background details for a position, it should be followed to the letter, just as it is for other top management positions in county government.
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Longtime news reporter and communications executive Allan Parachini lives and makes furniture in Kilauea.
Not qualified so his application should be thrown out. This is a quid pro quo and slap on the public’s face if they hire this KPD blue character. This would also be an illegal hire and the person who applied for the position and qualified for the position can now SUR the county of Kauai for discrimination now knowing that the county of Kauai and former Mayor lied about having a better qualified candidate for county auditor.
This would serve as a great embarrassment and let everyone know that the good ol boys and girls club from the plantations rule Kauai with an iron fist.
These 4 council members should be voted out of office and the public should hold a open hearing on how legitimate are their qualifications being that they would select a candidate for county auditor that has no graduate degree, no work experience, is not a CPA, and his integrity is in question for not only kpd blue but for the Aurero Moore murder.
This is a conflict of interest where the old guard dogs are trying to protect their claim. This is a shameful act and “May” be reviewed but “Shall” be scrutinized.
I am flabbergasted on how HR deemed his application unqualified but the council overwrote that decision and considers Melvin a leading candidate. There’s something more behind this.
How can this guy be qualified for a position that he’s not qualified for that’s the question council that has to made clear to the public by county council.
Yesterday they wanted an audit and today we hear they are willing to circumvent the county hiring process to hire an unqualified individual. How can you trust these politicians when they tell you one thing and do the opposite or even worst?
This by far is one of the reasons to why county government is inefficient and lack integrity.
This author has a negative perspective on Mel. He no like ’em. Mel is perfect for the Auditor position. He knows numbers, he knows the nooks and crannies of every department. The author is a new comer and don’t got no grip on Kauai
Thank you Mr. Parachini for your time spent on this well researched and well written piece. You have provided a true service to our community. I wonder are there potential legal repercussions for council members who vote to blatantly violate the charter? They take oaths to uphold the charter when they take office.
Ernie left some very large shoes to fill. It is doubtful that a more honest and trustworthy person will ever be Auditor for The County of Kauai.
That being said, I commend you Alan for sticking your next out and reporting the obvious. Kudos to the garden island newspaper for publishing the questions we are all asking….
I hope you brave Reporters are hiring bodyguards because the old boys club refuses to CEASE and desist…..
Corruption, collusion and favoritism in politics is (smelly) business as usual in the illegally occupied state of…..
HAWAIIANKINGDOM.ORG
Bravo Allan! We’ve had enough of the the “good ‘ole boy” network. We need an auditor who is actually qualified to do the job, i.e. has a degree in accounting, preferably a CPA with experience in municipal and governmental accounting. And most importantly, someone who is not connected with or beholding to the county administration. Someone like the former auditor, Mr. Pasion, who was qualified. Unfortunately he stepped on some big toes in his pursuit of the truth and was fired for his integrity. Prima facie evidence that we need someone with the equivalent of Mr. Pasion’s honesty and experience to do the job properly.
Aloha Kakou,
It is amazing that a newcomer to the island, who is a furniture maker in Kilauea, has the audacity to adamantly speak against one of our proven outstanding and government knowledgeable public servants, whose experience since 2002 (getting close to 20 years experience), knowledgeable right down to the income and spending of our entire county government, and who has a successful business in investigation, as in auditing, whatever is put in front of him, as he and the council do every year for the county budget, Mel looks into and scrutinizes waste of our tax dollars.
Holding up a mere placard title as a requirement to be a CPA, is to negate the fact that just because someone is a CPA does not mean they know how to be a competent CPA, or are familiar with the nuances and characters of Kauai. In all professions there are too many that graduated at the bottom of their class and there are lay people in the general public who are more competent than licensed professionals in almost all categories. There are incompetent surgeons but there are no competent unlicensed surgeons, as access to hospitals makes that, or should make that impossible. But in CPA work there are too many scoundrels.
But here we are looking for an experienced “Auditor” who has been in the county government for almost 2 decades, and who can work with dollars and “sense”, and by that we do mean forget the literal pennies and get on with enough sense to save and protecting our money, our tax dollars which Mel Rapozo has done well for us for almost 20 years.
Mel Rapozo was the only county council member to Vote AGAINST raising the excise tax.That tax lowered all of our abilities to buy food for our families, and even people living on the financial edge to be forced into welfare and cause more money out of our wages to support those on welfare.
Mel Rapozo is more than qualified, and certainly more qualified than any other applicant seeking this job as our County Auditor, even if any of them are CPA’s.
We all know of people whose CPA’s nearly destroyed their clients’ businesses, assets, and retirement by incorrectly doing their taxes. Remember having a CPA do your taxes is actually your being audited every year and if they are not competent, especially a newcomer, they may be having you triple over pay your taxes. Lose Money…!
In Mel, we have an experienced person in virtually auditing our county for many years, a person who has shown his loyalty to our collective finances and taxes and we’d be foolish to not choose him.
And to denigrate a person for the schools they were able to attend coming all the way from Kauai is ignorant considering it’s not the school In the graduate but the graduates tackling the schooling and grabbing the ball and running with it and still running a hard end run both in his current hotel auditing work but his desire to still help us and the county when he could be taking the easy road.
With Mel Rapozo we have a highly experienced former County elected official and one who is an expert on our costs and knowing how they should be spent and not used frivolously or dishonestly…that is the job of the Auditor. Mel is the best person for this job for us.
This furniture builder, is he a manufacturer of furniture with 20 employees or does he just make one of these and one of that and his overhead is only himself.
This furniture maker newcomer to Kauai, his opinion of our needs is inappropriate. Where he came from they sell university enrollment to the highest bidder so what school you went to don’t matter. Whoever heard of cheating to get into college. Well they do where this writer and his opinion are from. Mel must have tried harder to travel all the way to the other side of the mainland to get an education. Congratulations Mel, we need you to protect us and our county and our collective money and County assets.
We need you, Mel.
Charles
…one other thing…the County Charter is written by men and women, none of whom are perfect.
The Charter is not written in stone, and it should be overwritten when it comes to what is best for the people and the County when we have the reason for that. Now is the time to consider experience over some college degree.
Who you want to build your house, a contractor college grad who hasn’t built a shed yet or a tried and tested carpenter who has been building houses for almost the last 20 years.
Again Mel has proven he will serve us with no fooling around.
Apparently poor Mr. Pasion, the former Auditor, got walked over, but that won’t be the case with Mel Rapozo as Auditor.
Mel Can Do This.
Charles
Agreed on all points Allan.
Also, let’s talk about the obvious bias that could result in Rapozo being hired…?! I’m sure he’s got more than a few friends working for the county… In the KPD no less, one group that is in serious need of auditing!!!
We all know what his salary would be if he did get the job, conveniently approved for an increase just recently… If you don’t know, let me remind you: $128,460 a year. Are we just going to hand that over, gift wrapped and neat?!! The good ‘ol boys club just never dies does it…
The county auditors position is such a critical role, there is NO way Rapozo is the right person for the job. Unqualified, biased… I don’t understand how he is even still being considered. Council members, especially those newly elected, do the right thing, you ALL know this is not ok.
Melvin was in county council when 4 audits produced fraud, waste, and abuse by county employees and county departments and what did he do? NOTHING. He has done nothing and doesn’t know how to do anything but…
Mr. Parachini watch out for the so called Podagee Mafia wanna be gangsters. They’ve have had several people murdered, suicided, and gone missing and they are related none other than…
These clowns are Bozos and act like they own Kauai. Melvin is not qualified and did nothing when the numbers from 4 audits proved there was malfeasance. He was on council for 4 audits including the GAS theft ring by the Kauai Fire Dept. Did anyone go to jail? What about Kauai Foodbank theft of federal funds that they used the public’s donation to pay back the fed gov. Kauai food bank hand hired family and friends and were laying them over $20hr to stock shelves and $40 for bogus positions. No one went to jail for that fraudulent theft of federal funds. So much trouble on Kauai.
First of all, Allan Parachini is a tabloid writer who was fired from a previous job as the spokesman for the LA County Superior Court in 2010. So after he’s fired, he comes to our Kaua’i and takes up residency here and subsequently gets a job with the media as a writer and reporter, similar to the type of work for which he was fired for. He is controversial, is opinionated, and causes trouble, which the Hawaiians and local folks don’t like at all. He pushes his own agenda and mainland mentality.
In your article you stated, “The murky situation raises nothing but questions. Why would Councilmembers Cowden, Arthur Brun, Kipukai Kuali‘i and Ross Kagawa support Rapozo’s publicly announced candidacy for a post for which he is apparently unqualified?” Did it ever dawn on you that these council members believe that Mel is the best candidate for the job, that they’ve worked alongside him for years, that they have great respect for his knowledge, experience, and understanding of the job and of the county? The many Hawaiians and residents see the contributions and the impact that Mel has had on the county council for many years. Maybe he doesn’t have every single certificate the job might call for. And likewise for many other professionals in their field. There are carpenters and mechanics who still have problems with written exams but are hard to beat when it comes to their work. There are many men and women who have failed in written police and fire exams but they would make the best policemen and firemen.
So Mr. Parachini, may I suggest that you think before you talk, humble yourself, and be pono. Adapt to our Hawaiian and local lifestyle, not try to push your own agenda.
What a bunch of jokers!!! Why not put your name on the ballot if you think you can all do a better job. Degrees means Sh…!!! With all the jobs requesting a college education and degree, why ain’t this world a better place. We have a guy here that has done more than a lot of you and yet you degrade and talk S…!! Mel has always looked out for the people of Kauai. He was the only one was against raising your taxes. He lots the mayor race just because of name recognition. What has the present mayor done so far!!! Stop bashing someone when their trying to do good for Kauai. We need an audit and no raises should be approved until it’s completed.
All though the hiring expectations / requirements you mention may be true. I am a bit suspicious of the FACT that right before MEL ran for Mayor his accuser’s family came forward and made an official public announcement that it was ALL FALSE and he was NOT there. TGI NEVER printed any of this? But the first chance someone can throw him under the bus … here it is front and center …. I am seeing a bit of biased news reporting. Just saying…
There’s an ‘olelo noeau which says, “Ahu ka pala naio”, translated as “A heap of excretal residue where pinworms are found.” This pertains to one who makes rude and troubling remarks unworthy of attention.
Another states, “Hauna ke kai o ka palani,” translated “the palani makes a strong smelling soup.” This pertains to a person of unsavory reputation who imparts it to all he does.
Take heed, Mr. Parachini.
Thank you Garden Island for printing a informative opinion on the important position if county auditor. Unfortunately, some choose to degrade the writer because he isn’t considered “local enough”. There is a reason for qualifications for auditor and they should be followed per the county charter. We need someone who is not a fox in the hen house!
Charlie Chimknee, I have agreed with many of your positions in the past but I must take exception in this case. Hiring a carpenter to perform heart surgery is not a good idea. As a former state auditor I can say that examining government records is not an easy job. The ability to spot errors and misconduct concealed by intelligent people is a difficult task and requires expertise and proper training. That is the reasoning behind stipulating certain requirements for the job. Charles NoMas brings a good argument in that, as a council member during previous audits, Mr. Rapozo took no action to punish the wrongdoers. Is this what we can expect from him as County Auditor? And for those of you who malign degrees, the CPA certificate is one of the most difficult to obtain in the world. On average only 10% of college graduates with degrees in accounting pass the exam on the first try. We need someone with that level of intelligence to examine the county’s records. I think Mr. Rapozo would have made a good Mayor, but, in my opinion, he is not qualified to be the County Auditor.
Do you actually like or believe what you write? To be true.
HanapepeKid, the raises were already approved. And it’s not by “ballot” that he’s getting hired. But you are correct, we are in desperate need of more than a few audits, which is why we need someone with experience and the right credentials. You know, kinda like surgeons… They study for years so they earn the ability to perform brain surgery and the six-figure salary that comes with it…
Next time you visit your Dr., tell him (or her!) that you think degrees mean sh!t…
LMat, the raise didn’t need to be approved. The council didn’t have enough votes to overturn the recommended pay raise. Yes, I’ve been to the doctor’s and not all doctors are worth the six figure salary you mentioned. That is why there are such things as malpractice lawsuits. I’ve been in the workforce long enough to see that not all positions requires a degree. You can be the smartest but if lack common sense it worth S…
As auditor, Mel Rapozo would clearly be conflicted due to his past involvement with the very areas to be audited…
Couldn’t get past the first 2 paragraphs, it’s a little late for an April Fools joke huh?
This is not personal one way or the other. Bottom line, Mel is not qualified to be the county auditor just as he’s not qualified to fly a plane. That doesn’t make him a good or bad person. Very simply, he doesn’t possess the education, experience or credentials to be a qualified auditor of government operations. He would likely be a strong candidate for a staff position under a qualified auditor to assist in getting that person up to speed on local government operations.
Jerek Young…..again our analogy is flawed. Baggage handlers handle baggage brah. They know nothing about flying. As a council member and council chair for many years, Mel has reviewed and scrutinized budget after budget, from all departments within the county. He knows how departments move monies from one line item to another. He knows how budgets are manipulated so departments can acquire what they want. He has both supported and opposed bills, proposals, requests for funding. He has become very familiar with each department in the county which puts him in a very unique position that gives him a great advantage, having had first hand experience scrutinizing county budgets and being a night auditor. He’s got the tools, the knowledge, and the experience. Handling baggage for many years gives you zero experience with flying a plane. Handling and scrutinizing the county budgets and night auditing for hotels is relevant experience for a county auditor.