HILO — With the unanimous confirmation Thursday of seven department heads, the County Council gave its stamp of approval to the majority of Mayor Harry Kim’s new Cabinet.
“The highest priority was put, ‘We need to have the council trust you and the public trust you,’” Kim said he told his nominees.
With so many new department heads, each with his or her own opinion, Kim is pushing compromise. He said the public’s voice will also be taken into account, a sentiment echoed one by one as each nominee addressed the council.
“We’ll work it out,” Kim said. “Nobody’s going to get all their way.”
Council members praised the blend of the new and the old, and the practice of pairing government newcomers with deputies who are professionals seasoned with institutional knowledge.
“I think we had a great opportunity to voice some of the concerns of the community and our appreciation for the level of experience and knowledge of the appointees,” said Council Chairwoman Valerie Poindexter. “I think overall the council felt very excited and very hopeful looking forward to positive outcomes.”
Testifier Bob Williams also praised the slate.
“Clearly it’s a break from the past; clearly it’s a fresh face,” Williams said.
Cabinet members confirmed Thursday:
• Planning Director Michael Yee, formerly senior director of Housing Operations for the Seattle YWCA, stressed that his experience gave him a good understanding of cultural differences in planning. Yee’s grandparents and father moved to Oahu in the 1930s, and his wife is a “Hilo girl,” but Yee is new to the Big Island.
• Finance Director Collins Tomei, formerly branch manager of the Hilo branch of Territorial Savings Bank, is also new to government, but he selected a popular deputy — former Finance Director Deanna Sako. Tomei has been working as a private-sector banker since 1984. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
• Research and Development Director Diane Ley, formerly the Hawaii state executive director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency in Hawaii and the Pacific Basin, previously served as the deputy director of the county department. Prior to that, she was the deputy to the chairperson of the Hawaii State Board of Agriculture. She also operated a vegetable farm in Volcano and was an administrative assistant with the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation.
• Information and Technology Director Jules Ung is a former IT and events manager at Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii. Ung has been working as an independent contractor since February, including on projects such as the EnVision Maunakea website, which seeks to nurture civil conversations in the community on the future of the mountain.
• Public Works Director Frank DeMarco, a licensed professional engineer, served a short stint as former Mayor Billy Kenoi’s Environmental Management director in 2010 and 2011. He had been with the county since 2007, working primarily with the DPW’s floodplain management program since February 2008. He returned to DPW and retired in 2014. Before that, he was employed 26 years by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board.
• Charmaine Kamaka, who served as Parks and Recreation director under former Mayor Lorraine Inouye, has returned to that position. Kamaka most recently served as Health and Safety Division personnel program specialist in the county Department of Human Resources before retiring after 20 years in county government.
• Environmental Management Director Bill Kucharski holds master’s degrees in civil and chemical engineering from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and has more than 40 years public service experience, including secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality for the state of Louisiana and program director for the Environmental Claims process for Kuwait against Iraq for damages from the 1989 invasion.
Wil Okabe was confirmed as managing director last month. Still pending is the confirmation of Corporation Counsel appointee Joe Kamelamela, scheduled for Jan. 25.