HILO —Mayor-elect Harry Kim is bringing back some old hands and adding new blood to county government as he puts his Cabinet together.
With more than two months remaining until he takes office Dec. 5, Kim said he’s created job descriptions and goals for key positions and is now in the process of sifting through people he thinks will be most appropriate for each position.
“I’m trying to fill the Cabinet with people the community will feel are really qualified and trusted to do the job,” Kim said.
As of Wednesday, he’s chosen his corporation counsel — the county’s top civil attorney — as well as director of the Finance Department, deputy managing director for the West Hawaii office, executive assistant, director of the Department of Research and Development and his private secretary. Most positions face County Council confirmation.
Joe Kamelamela, who retired unexpectedly as deputy corporation counsel under current Corporation Counsel Molly Stebbins, was named to the top legal post. Kamelamela is a litigation attorney whose most significant cases arguably surrounded the Hokulia development and Mamalahoa bypass.
“It’s a different role for me,” Kamelamela said. “There are going to be differences. I have to look at the personnel and look at where the problems are.”
Collins Tomei, branch manager of the Hilo branch of Territorial Savings Bank, has agreed to lead the Department of Finance, Kim said. Tomei has been working as a private-sector banker since 1984.
“What I probably will bring, is a different kind of leadership style,” Tomei said Wednesday. “I know there’s lot of good people there. I’ll definitely be depending on the existing knowledge base, the financial DNA, that’s already there.”
Roy Takemoto, a former executive assistant for Kim, will return to that position. Since leaving the Kim administration, Takemoto worked as managing partner in Hilo for PBR Hawaii &Associates Inc., an environmental planning and landscape architectural firm. Takemoto also served as the county’s deputy planning director between 2001 and 2004.
Barbara Kossow is returning to her former position as deputy managing director in the West Hawaii office. She held the position during Kim’s last term, and was employed at the office during most of current Mayor Billy Kenoi’s term as well.
Kim has selected Irma Sumera as his private secretary. Sumera currently serves on the Pension Board.
Another former Kim appointee is returning to the fold, this one to head Research and Development. The nominee’s name isn’t being released until notification of current employer, Kim said.
Kim is still discussing positions with some of his former top staff, but not all of them want to come back, he said.
One of those is his former Managing Director Dixie Kaetsu, who worked for the county for 30 years.
“Harry did ask me, but I am very happy in retirement,” Kaetsu said in a text message.
While working toward a clean break with the current administration, Kim said he hasn’t ruled out current county employees, either.
“I’m reviewing everybody. I have not excluded anyone except Billy Kenoi and Wally Lau,” Kim said. “We’re just different in what we believe and how we operate.”
Kenoi was Kim’s executive assistant who successfully won election in 2008 after Kim was term-limited. Kim challenged Kenoi in 2012 and lost by 1,438 votes in a bruising runoff election. Kim made quicker work against Lau, Kenoi’s managing director, who he beat in August by 10,671 votes in a crowded primary field of 13.
Kim said one example of his differences with the current administration is his top-down directive that all county employees are free to talk with the media. Increasing transparency is one of his first priorities, he said.
Some current county employees haven’t ruled out remaining in the administration, if asked.
One of those, Environmental Management Director Bobby Jean Leithead Todd, worked in the Kim administration as director of the Planning Department.
“I enjoy working with the staff. I enjoy interacting with the other departments,” Leithead Todd said. “It’s entirely up to the new mayor. He seeks an administration in line with his vision.”
