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.

The Clerical Services Center provides secretarial, clerical and staff assistance to the Office of the Mayor and other County agencies, as well as the Mayor’s Advisory Boards and Commissions, The Center assists the public with information about government and other community services, receives and refers complaints, issues disabled parking placards.

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.

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.

STAFF

The Office of the Mayor currently has two part-time and 16 full-time employees including the Mayor and four Civil Service Employees of the Clerical Services Center.

Appointed Employees (co-terminous with the Mayor) are:

William G. Davis, Managing Director

Henry Cho, Deputy Managing Director

Rudy Legaspi, Administrative Aide

Lohe Kaaloa, Executive Assistant

Norman Olesen, Executive Assistant

Glenn Y. Taguchi, Executive Assistant

Janice P. Harvey, Executive Assistant

Marcia Reynolds, Public Relations Specialist

Myrleen Kaloi, Private Secretary to the Mayor

Margie Lee, Private Secretary to the Managing Director

Lisa Rengulbai, Clerk III

Jeannette Vidgen, Clerk III

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 Specialist

The Mayor’s Office operating budget for Fiscal Year 1998-99 was $1,094,969. This included funding for the Clerical Services Center, the four County Physicians, Committee on People with Disabilities, Committee on Children and Youth, Committee on the Status of Women and the Family Violence Advisory Commission.

Clerical Services Center

Telephone Calls Received                                        Complaints Received

BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

Committee on Children and Youth

This committee advises the Mayor on issues affecting the welfare and development of Hawaii County’s young citizens. The committee is comprised of appointed volunteers who work with youth of all ages, represent the public and private sectors and live in different communities on the Big Island.

Eight committee meetings were held during Fiscal Year 1998-99.

In the area of young children, the committee oversees the Hawaii County Child Care Coordinator position. This position is created through a grant from the state and links the County of Hawaii to the Good Beginnings Alliance and the State’s Master Plan for Early Childhood Education. The role of the coordinator includes the convening of a community council to implement a five-year County plan. The council includes early childhood professionals and stakeholders, and the plan was completed in May of 1997. The coordinator position will receive a fourth year of funding.

In terms of adolescents, the Teen Voices subcommittee meets to address the needs of our teen population including issues such as transportation, vocational training, after school activities, and other topics generated by the subcommittee members themselves. Members include youth and adults from Hilo, Waimea and Kona. The goal of this group is to create a five-year County plan for teens and to interface with other teen initiatives on the Big Island.

The third sub-committee is the Big Island America’s Promise program. The goals of America’s Promise dovetail with the MCCY’s goals of helping our youngsters become productive, healthy, contributing citizens with an emphasis on community service.

Hawaii County, through members of the Committee on Children and Youth, was represented during Fiscal Year 1998-99 on the following committees:

The Big Island Good Beginnings Alliance Community Council

The Good Beginnings Alliance Board of Directors

Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children – Big Island Chapter

Hawaii Kids Count

America’s Promise – Big Island

Hawaii County Private Industry Council

Old Airport Park Community Council

The Mayor’s Committee on People with Disabilities is a volunteer committee appointed by the Mayor to advise him on all matters related to people with disabilities. The committee’s primary function is to review and make recommendations and provide guidelines to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities in the County of Hawaii.

The committee held eleven meetings during Fiscal Year 1998 – 99 and the following are activities that occurred and accomplishments:

1. The committee continues to provide disability education to children in elementary schools by sponsoring "Kids on the Block" puppet performances both in East and West Hawaii.
2. The committee supports and has begun the groundwork to create the development of a "Volunteer Accessible Parking Violations Enforcement" Team throughout our County.
3. The committee continues to support and network with local disability advocacy groups in their efforts to provide accessibility to people with disabilities.
4. The committee is developing a Transportation Handbook for local residents and visitors to the community.
5. The committee continues to recognize citizens in the community for their outstanding work in the community involving people with disabilities. We also issue recognition certificates to businesses for their efforts in improving access at their facilities.
6. The committee is continuing to be involved in the County’s Transition Plan and Self-Evaluation for Curb Cuts and Ramps, as well as Parks and Recreation Programs.
7. Improving public transportation is an ongoing concern that affects the every day activities of people with disabilities.
8. The committee continues to work with County Parks & Recreation in an effort to create access to children with disabilities in the Summer Fun Program.

As mandated by the Hawaii Revised Statutes, the County of Hawaii Committee on the Status of Women advises the Mayor and the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women on a wide range of women’s issues.

The committee continues to be a primary organizing force for Women’s Health Month on the Big Island. It offers a wide variety of speakers and activities ranging from traditional Hawaiian healing to Zen meditation techniques to cutting edge information on cancer, HIV infection, etc. Activities were held in Hilo, Waimea, Kona, and Ka’u and programs offered information to the Big Island’s diverse populace.

In conjunction with National Women’s History Month in the month of March, the committee again sponsored its annual "Real Women" Creative Writing competition. This most recent effort resulted in a more varied range of backgrounds of women who have influenced the lives of the students, a refreshing change from the norm of mothers and grandmothers.

Members of the committee were very active in the legislative process. In addition to educating themselves on the numerous and diverse issues confronting women, committee members provided testimony by actually attending and speaking at various legislative hearings, and in writing through

e-mail and faxed testimonials. Members also participated in helping to develop the State Commission’s legislative strategy.

Partnering with valuable projects like the Women’s Financial Information Program and DVIAT’s "What’s Love Got to Do With It" allowed the Hawaii County Committee on the Status of Women to raise the awareness levels of problems in our County and provide positive solutions to cure them.

The Hawaii County Committee on the Status of Women is committed to continuing to fulfill its mission. Having stated this, members wish to acknowledge and extend sincere appreciation to the Mayor and his administration for the continued support, which is instrumental in the committee’s ability to successfully advocate for women at both the County and State levels.

The Family Violence Advisory Commission (FVAC) is an advisory commission created by Ordinance 97-111, and became effective on August 29. 1997.

This 11-member commission’s role is to advise the Mayor on issues and concerns, which may prevent or reduce family domestic violence. It intends to promote public awareness, encourage and facilitate inter-agency training and educate the community at large on issues related to all aspects of family domestic violence.

Being a fairly new entity, its current goals are: (1) to secure grant(s) to fund a coordinator’s position, and (2) publish and circulate an informational brochure to include a directory of agencies available to service victims and their families.

The Emergency Medical Service Advisory Commission (EMSAC) was established pursuant to Section 4-4 of the Hawaii County Charter for the purpose of advising the Mayor on all matters relating to the establishment and operation of the Emergency Medical Services Program.

This present 16-member commission is composed of consumers and providers and strives to have representatives from the five island hospitals, base station physicians, the military and the hotel industry.

Current successful efforts were: (1) increasing the personnel in the fire dispatch office, and (2) the securing of additional funding for the increase utilization of the air medical evacuation service.

The Hawaii Redevelopment Agency (HRA) was established by Chapter 53 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes and the County of Hawaii Resolution dated May 31, 1960.

The purpose of this five-member agency was to undertake redevelopment plans and redevelopment projects in accordance to the mandates of Chapter 53. It was to address the concerns arising from the April 1, 1960 tidal wave specifically around the Hilo Bay area. (Kaiko’o Project)

Until 1996, HRA was assumed to have been abolished, however, by virtue of a State Attorney General’s opinion, it had to be reactivated to continue to oversee the Kaiko’o Project.