NAWILIWILI — It had been a long and tense day. The County Council meeting at the temporary council chambers started at 9 a.m., and by the time the farm-worker-housing bill was brought up for action it was well past 7
NAWILIWILI — It had been a long and tense day.
The County Council meeting at the temporary council chambers started at 9 a.m., and by the time the farm-worker-housing bill was brought up for action it was well past 7 p.m.
“This is my final seven cents for it,” said farmer Louisa Wooton, right before handling seven Tongan coins to the council members.
On one side the coins had an image of a pig, and on the other they had a ear of corn. On both sides it read “fakalahi me‘akai,” which means “grow more food” in Tongan language.
“Their coins that they carry everyday pretty much says what their motto is, because the ship only comes once a month to Tonga,” Wooton said.
Councilwoman Lani Kawahara jokingly asked if the coins were a bribe. Wooton, also jokingly, said she wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to give them. Their comments brought laughter to everyone present in the chambers.
County Attorney Al Castillo, however, read the code of ethics from the County of Kaua‘i Charter, bringing even more laughter to the chambers:
“No officer or employee of the county shall: Solicit, accept or receive, directly or indirectly, any gift, whether in the form of money, service, loan, travel, entertainment, hospitality, thing or promise, or in any other form, under circumstances in which it can reasonably be inferred that the gift is intended to influence him in the performance of his official duties or is intended as a reward for any official action on his part.”
Some council members stood up and threatened to give the coins back. At that point, all the tension from earlier debates on land abuse was gone, and mostly everyone was laughing.
Councilman Derek Kawakami, also jokingly, told Castillo that he had to tell some of the audience members to stop bringing manapuas.
Even Chair Kaipo Asing lightened up.
“I want to thank the county attorney for getting us out of trouble,” he said.
From the audience, Wooton, still laughing, yelled at Castillo: “I’ve got one for you, Al.”
•Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@kauaipubco.com.
