Taxation without representation
If our elected mayor cannot change the salaries put forth by some commission, then chaos ensues. I have not seen presentation of how the commission determined appropriate salaries, but if they compared them to non-governmental salaries (us working folks) the determination is flawed.
Government workers have way greater security and benefits than the rest of us. The county is not going to go away. A commercial company faced with high salary increases could close shop, or lay off workers. If Mayor Harry Kim is not allowed to reduce salaries, then he ought to lay off the highest-paid employees.
The concept of unlimited money for government service seems unfortunately true. We need government, but our elected representatives should be allowed to manage costs.
Syd Kraul
Kailua-Kona
Paradise’s cost mind-boggling
Living on an island increases cost but there seems to be another subtly forced upon us.
Those with fiduciary responsibility seem not to have a mutual admiration society with co-workers but rather a mutual financial enrichment society with outrageous salary raises.
WHT on Nov. 28 showed a total $435, 206 just in raises for 20 people with a high of $42,982 — 39 percent. Making $12 an hour for 40 hours of work during a week at a box store takes 90 weeks to earn that amount. Have services improved?
Our mayor got about a $31,000 raise and said “he was embarrassed.” Does that means he’ll wear a disguise when depositing his check? He mentioned a donation but we’ll have to wait and see.
When Billy (I’ll spend county money any way I want) Kenoi was leaving office he hired six special assistants, which can only assume came in about $70,000 each. Is the county better off?
A prior state school superintendent received a $50,000 a year raise then left. Her replacement got $40,000 on top of that. Did $90,000 to one person improve our schools?
Finally, the coup de grace. Raises of 8 percent went to Department of Water Supply Director Keith Okamoto ($9,600) and the department’s chief engineer ($8,800) “for a difficult year and doing a great job.”
You gotta be kidding me! They caused the problem which started Dec 2016 and hasn’t been solved yet with three pumps still down. They shouldn’t even have received an 8 percent reduction, instead terminated for lack of accomplishment and common engineering and business practices along with the department’s board chair.
I have just outlined $994,606 for 30 people. What more did they did they accomplish? Nothing, except take more of our money to their bank.
Don Zero
Kailua-Kona