I. OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
ROLE AND DUTIES
The Office of the Mayor provides direction, leadership
and operational supervision for all Executive Branch departments
and agencies and works in conjunction with the County Council
to develop and implement policies and programs. The powers, duties
and functions are authorized and described under Articles IV and
V of the County Charter.
The Mayor must ensure the enforcement of all provisions
of the County Charter, the ordinances of the county and all applicable
laws.
A major responsibility is the development and submittal
of an operating budget, operating programs, capital improvement
budget, capital improvement programs and pay plans to the County
Council in a timely manner as mandated by the County Charter.
It is also the responsibility of the Office of the
Mayor to establish and supervise boards, commissions and advisory
committees.
The Mayor reviews and ensures the execution of county
contracts and other signed instruments.
As the Chief Executive Officer, the Mayor is the
primary representative of the county and/or its Executive Branch.
The Mayor's Office communicates county programs and policy to
the public and various levels and branches of government.
STAFF
The Office of the Mayor currently has 17 full time
employees including the Mayor and four Civil Service employees.
Appointed employees (co terminous with the Mayor)
are:
William G. Davis, Managing Director
Henry Cho, Deputy Managing Director
Rudy Legaspi, Executive Assistant
Robert H. Makuakane, Executive Assistant
Russell Kokubun, Executive Assistant
Lohe Kaaloa, Executive Assistant
Marcia Reynolds, Public Information Officer
Myrle Kaloi, Private Secretary to the Mayor
Margie Lee, Private Secretary to the Managing Director
Marilyn Billena, Senior Clerk Typist
Jeannette Vidgen, Senior Clerk (Kona Office)
Dr. Ernest L. Bade, County Physician
Dr. Alan C. DeSilva, County Physician
Dr. Curtis W. Lee, County Physician
Dr. James E. Mitchell, County Physician
Santiago Gose, Immigration Information Specialist
Office of the Safety Coordinator
See "Division of Industrial Safety"
County Physicians
County Physicians advise on medical matters, render
medical opinions and conduct physical examinations as requested
by the Mayor's Office and other agencies of the county.
Immigration Information Specialist
The Immigration Information Specialist contacts and
assists immigrants in the County of Hawaii, and serves as liaison
on immigration matters of broad community concern, as well as
individual problems of immigrants. The IIS provides assistance
to any assigned clients through the Multi Purpose Center and the
Hawaii County Services Center in Kailua Kona.
Commissions
The Mayor's Office provides direct administrative
and clerical support to three committees:
Committee on Children and Youth:
This committee advises the Mayor on issues affecting
the welfare and development of Hawaii County's young citizens.
Eight committee meetings were held during FY 1995
96.
The committee sponsored a very successful conference
in April. The focus of the "Mayor's Conference on Children
and Youth" was to begin a process of responsibility, commitment,
and change that will benefit our children, families and communities.
The conference was attended by over 200 participants.
For the third year, the committee approved financial
support towards Hawaii County's representation at the National
Association for the Education of Young Children Conference in
Washington, D.C. Also in the area of very young children, a grant
of $65,000 to fund a child care coordinator position has been
awarded to the County of Hawaii. The position will link the County
to the Good Beginnings Alliance and the State's Master Plan for
Early Childhood Education.
Hawaii County through members of the Committee on
Children and Youth has had representation on the following committees:
The Governor's Advisory Council on Children and Youth
The Early Childhood Education and Care Coordinating Committee
Good Beginnings Alliance Board of Directors
Committee on People with Disabilities:
This group advises the Mayor on disability related
matters. These include legal compliance, accessibility, transportation,
awareness, opportunities and advocacy.
The committee held seven meetings during Fiscal Year
1995 96. The committee continued to sponsor "Kids on the
Block" performances in schools in East and West Hawaii, and
advised and monitored the 504/ADA Self Evaluation. The request
for aquatic pool lifts for all county pools continued with monthly
updates from the Parks and Recreation department head, George
Yoshida. At the last report, Kona was having one installed and
other county pools will follow suit as soon as funds are available.
The committee continued to acknowledge local businesses for compliance
with accessibility and ADA regulations. The efforts continued
to advise and recommend the county towards compliance by means
of prioritization of the facilities for their transition plan
for barrier removal.
Improving public transportation in both East and
West Hawaii continues to be another priority. The transportation
forums held in West Hawaii resulted in a co sponsorship of businesses
and the County Mass Transit Agency in a scheduled three month
bus route to test ridership to begin in the Fall of 1996.
The committee also made recommendations to the Mayor
to adopt the 1994 Uniform Building Code without amendments to
ADA requirements.
Subcommittees active during this period were: public
forums for transportation, transition and self evaluation, business
recognition for accessibility, and 504/ADA self evaluation. A
trial telecommunication meeting between the East and West Hawaii
members of the committee was initiated to try to curb costs of
travel from Hilo to Kona. This continues to be a possibility.
The committee also assisted and cooperated with various organizations
on a wide variety of issues, legislative efforts, and programs
which were in the interests of both the disabled and abled community
in general.
Committee on the Status of Women:
Mandated by the Hawaii Revised Statutes, this committee
advises the Mayor and the Hawaii State Commission on the Status
of Women on a wide range of women's issues. The committee held
seven meetings during Fiscal Year 1995 96.
The committee continues to distribute the listing
of services for battered women, their children and partners.
The committee sponsored the annual "Real Women"
Creative Writing Competition and additional programs in conjunction
with Women's History Month.
For the second year, the committee participated in
the Community A Fair in Kona during Women's Health Month in September.
As an activity for Women's Health Month, the committee sponsored,
hosted and moderated a panel in Kona and in Hilo on the U.N. Fourth
World Conference on Women and the NGO Forum in Beijing, China
which was held at the University of Hawaii Campus Center in Hilo.
The women from the Hawaii delegation who represented the USA shared
their stories, perspectives, photos on international issues of
women. The content of this conference was powerful because this
validated the major significance in continuing the work of our
Hawaii County Committee on the Status of Women in the global arena.
As a result of the 1994 initiative for co sponsorships,
this committee co sponsored the following activities:
The Women's Financial Information Program
The Mayor's Conference on Children and Youth
"Take Our Daughters to Work Day"
Hawaii Conference on Domestic Violence
The committee also publishes and distributes a newsletter
and continues to research the "First Female" project.
The committee continued to work with the Hawaii State
Commission on the Status of Women by holding a one day retreat
with the Executive Director to redefine and validate CSW's mission,
role, responsibility, on a local, National and International level.
Clerical Services Center
The Clerical Services Center provides secretarial,
clerical and staff assistance to the Office of the Mayor and other
county agencies. The Center assists the public with information
about government and other community services, receives and refers
complaints, issues disabled parking placards.
Telephone Calls Received Complaints Received
TOTAL CALLS RECEIVED: 16,683 Received Resolved
County 12,597 Civil Defense 0
State 3,599 Civil Service 0
Federal 179 Corporation Counsel 3 3
Others 308 County Clerk/Council 1 1
Finance 4 3
Disabled Parking Permits Issued Fire 3 3
(Permanent) Housing 2 1
July 74 Liquor Control 0
August 85 Mass Transit 2 0
September 95 Mayor's Office 15 15
October 80 Miscellaneous 7 4
November 82 Parks and Recreation 20 16
December 61 Planning 19 3
January 66 Police 25 24
February 76 Prosecuting Attorney 4 2
March 68 Public Works 59 43
April 82 State 9 8
May 83 Water Supply 13 6
June 99 TOTAL 186 132
TOTAL 951
Disabled Parking Permits Issued
(Temporary)
Approximately 30 issued each
month.
TOTAL 360
Assignment/Work Data
No. of Assignments Received: 1,334
Volume of Assignments: 32,824
BUDGET
The Mayor's Office operating budget for Fiscal Year 1995 96 was $994,068.
This included funding for the Clerical Services Center,
Committee on People with Disabilities, Committee on Children and
Youth, Committee on the Status of Women and the four County Physicians.