Kamelamela confirmed as corporation counsel

HILO — A County Council 8-1 confirmation vote Wednesday made Joe Kamelamela the county’s top civil lawyer.

Kamelamela was the last member of Mayor Harry Kim’s Cabinet to be confirmed, following council concerns that he was contacting deputy attorneys before his confirmation and telling them they wouldn’t be retained once he took over the office. Like the corporation counsel, deputies serve terms coterminous with the mayor, although most are usually kept on after the change of leadership.

At a Jan. 5 confirmation hearing at the committee level — Kamelamela was the only Cabinet appointee to have confirmation hearings at both committee and council level — Kim shouldered all the blame for the perceived misstep, saying Kamelamela was working at his direction.

More than a dozen people, including former county employees and local attorneys, praised Kamelamela for his temperament, community service and legal smarts.

Kohala Councilman Tim Richards, the only “no” vote on Wednesday, acknowledged those attributes, but said he had concerns about Kamelamela’s managerial ability.

“Without question, I have to say your credentials speak for themselves, as far as your integrity,” Richards said. “My concern previously was your ability to manage attorneys. … The skill sets needed to do that are very, very different. … I still have those concerns.”

Council Chairwoman Valerie Poindexter of Hamakua, the other member voting against confirmation at the committee level, said she had a one-on-one meeting with Kamelamela since then and her concerns were satisfied.

“You would take this very seriously and represent us to the best of your ability,” Poindexter told Kamelamela.