Mayor’s final three director nominees clear council panel
Nakagawa, Dagdag-Andaya, Lutey heading for final votes
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Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino's last three director appointments to his Cabinet were all recommended for confirmation Thursday by the Maui County Council's Governance, Ethics and Transparency Committee.
Given a thumbs-up were Eric Nakagawa as director of the Environmental Management Department, Moana Lutey as Corporation Counsel and Rowena Dagdag-Andaya as director of the Public Works Department.
All votes were unanimous with Nakagawa receiving a 9-0 tally; Lutey's was 8-0 with Council Member Riki Hokama excused; and Dagdag-Andaya's was 7-0 with Hokama and Tamara Paltin excused.
The resolutions for approval head to the full council for a final vote in the next couple of weeks, said committee Chairman Mike Molina.
All three nominees are Victorino's second picks for the posts.
Former Corporation Counsel Patrick Wong was confirmed by the council but resigned last month. There was no reason given for his resignation, but it likely stemmed from Wong's arrest on charges of abuse of a household member in March. The state attorney general's office, which was handling the case, later declined to prosecute.
Lutey is a veteran deputy corporation counsel and has been in the litigation section for about 12 years.
Dagdag-Andaya's appointment came after her former boss David Goode, whom she served under as his deputy, was not confirmed by the full council. They both served in previous Mayor Alan Arakawa's administration.
Nakagawa's appointment followed the resignation of Mike Miyamoto for health reasons last month. Miyamoto had been confirmed by the council as director the Environmental Management Department.
Nakagawa was formerly the Environmental Management Department's division chief for the Wastewater Reclamation Division.
The three appointees faced less scrutinizing questions from the committee than Victorino's first slate. But members did query the nominees on their job experience and their opinions on top county issues.
Council Member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez noted Dagdag-Andaya's college degree in education and asked the nominee about her other experiences that would help her run the department.
Dagdag-Andaya, who was a planner with a Maui firm as well as a teacher, said she will rely on her experience as deputy director for the last eight years. She said she did not have any education specifically for the public works job but noted that attorneys and planners have held the director's post in the past.
"I do have a wonderful staff that I trust and rely on. They have years of experience in their jobs," she added.
In answer to a question from council Chairwoman Kelly King, Dagdag-Andaya said that she would want a licensed civil engineer to remain in the deputy position if she is confirmed as director.
Steve Welling, an engineer who worked on the Honolulu rail project, was appointed last month by Victorino as the deputy. His position does not need confirmation.
Council Member Shane Sinenci asked Dagdag-Andaya about her commitment to cultural and archaeological protection. She replied that she is looking to "find balance and move forward" and is revisiting policies, including on the timing of the issuance of permits, and the county's working relationship with the State Historic Preservation Division.
In Lutey's questioning, she was asked by Rawlins-Fernandez about the Lahaina wastewater treatment plant injection well case that has reached the Supreme Court. Involving the Clean Water Act, some council members are looking to settle the lawsuit before it is heard.
"When a case like this comes up, or situations like this come up, do you see yourself as staying the course, regardless of your professional opinion on it? Or do you advise otherwise?" Rawlins-Fernandez asked.
Lutey replied: "My only goal is to give you the best legal advice and educate you on what you may have missed in the last few years." Council members will then make the decision, she said.
In response to a question from Council Member Alice Lee on what Lutey brings to the office that is different from Wong, Lutey said that Wong would be subdued no matter what the situation. She is more excitable.
"What I bring that is different is . . . I'm just a lot more openly friendly, maybe it's a little too much," she said. "I seek people out. I want to talk a lot."
Nakagawa was asked about sea-level rise and its impact on the Kahului wastewater treatment plant along the shoreline in Kanaha. He said he was meeting with Alexander & Baldwin officials Thursday afternoon regarding land that could be used to relocate the plant.
He said the county was looking to transition the plant to the Waikapu area, which would be inland and away from the ocean. Plans would be to "slowly start taking away load from the central plant" to the new plant.
Committee members also quizzed Nakagawa on the county's planned waste-to-energy fuel project with Anaergia at the Central Maui Landfill. The facility was proposed in 2014 to receive and convert waste and landfill gas into fuel, renewable energy or other marketable commodities that would divert a significant portion of waste from the landfill.
Little work has been done on the facility and the county is looking to expand the landfill to handle more trash.
Nakagawa said he treats the Anaergia contract like any other contract. "Either they deliver those deliverables or not."
"It's not our responsibility as a county (to) . . . help them along," he said. "If they can perform, its great, it's a benefit for us. If not, we cut loose and move on to the next one and figure out what's next."
Nakagawa said he was "open to all solutions," not only Anaergia's when it came to waste-to-energy solutions.
In response to a question from Molina, Nakagawa acknowledged that it would take "hundreds of millions of dollars" to handle and reuse treated wastewater now being put into injection wells.
But the county is studying the possibility, he said. Reusing the treated wastewater would involve building infrastructure, such as pipelines and storage tanks, and finding users and uses for the water.
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.