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Monday, April 25, 2005
Police
While still collecting property assessment and tax data, just for a change of scenery I've looked a bit into the mysterious things going on with the Council, the Police Commission, the Police Department and the Police Chief.While still collecting property assessment and tax data, just for a change of scenery I've looked a bit into the mysterious things going on with the Council, the Police Commission, the Police Department and the Police Chief.
In the matter of the Chief there seems to be no question that certain forces within the Police, the Police Commission and the Council want to oust the Chief. The Chief was slandered by Police Commissioner Leon Gonsalves some time around October 14, 2004, with a racial slur and other unkind words. Pertinent parts of the e-mail sent by the Commissioner are: ".Aloha and a good evening. Tomorrow is the swearing in for Hop-Sing and Little Joe, I wouldn't be there, thank Good (sic) I think I might throw up. Well you guys enjoy. "
Well, our officials seem to have a knack for getting national attention, such as the front page story about the Garbage Island when Mayor Kusaka allowed junk cars to litter our major highways; and more recently with national reports about racial slurs directed at the newly appointed Chief of Police. Just as Mayor Kusaka promptly towed away the junk cars, Mayor Baptiste decided, on November 17, 2004, a month after the celebrated Hop Sing and Little Joe publicity, to remove Police Commissioner Gonsalves with a letter to the Council asking for Council approval to remove Gonsalves, as required by the County Charter.
The communication to the Council contained the usual officialese: "
My decision to request Mr. Gonsalves' removal from the Commission has little to do with whether his remarks in the controversial email message (attached) were racially prejudiced or not, I believe that Leon Gonsalves is a good man who has remained a steadfast public servant, evident over the years through his numerous volunteer roles in our community.My decision to request Mr. Gonsalves' removal from the Commission has little to do with whether his remarks in the controversial email message (attached) were racially prejudiced or not, I believe that Leon Gonsalves is a good man who has remained a steadfast public servant, evident over the years through his numerous volunteer roles in our community.
I came to this decision after discussion with Mr.
Gonsalves, the Commissioners, the Chief and Deputy Chief, members of KPD, and numerous members of our community. I am motivated primarily by my strong belief that, as a result of these comments, Leon can no longer function effectively as a Police
Commissioner."
"..Therefore, I am requesting your concurrence with my decision so a successor may be nominated and we can move forward in the matters relating to the department. "
Five months later, nothing has happened. A majority of the Council reportedly would not go along with the Mayor's recommendation. At the same time, the move to remove Chief Lum seemed to intensify. There were all kinds of innuendos about some investigation of the Commission and the Department; and there have been moves further to disable the Commission by putting off indefinitely the approval of the Mayor's nomination of Commissioner Carol Furtado for a second term on the Commission. She was first grilled (polite term would be interviewed) in a secret session of the Council that was declared illegal under the Sunshine Law by the OIP. The Council seemed to have been more than happy to carry on the inquisition in a subsequent open session. I was sitting in the front row at that session, just a few feet from Council Member, and Ex Deputy Prosecutor, Shaylene Isera-Carvalho; and was amazed at her display of her prosecutorial best in the manner she "interviewed" Carol Furtado. What surprised me the most was the pure venom in her eyes as she proceeded, with help from Council Member Rapozo (an ex police officer with the KPD), in her inquisition. At the end of that the Council would not vote, but deferred the matter for weeks more. In the interim the Commission sometimes could only muster three members at its meetings.
The next act may be surfacing! Buried in Page 3 of the 7-page Council Meeting Agenda for Thursday, April 28, among thirteen communications, is this: C2005-174 Communication (11/17/2004) from the Mayor, requesting Council approval to remove Leon Gonsalves, Sr. as a member of the Kauai Police Commission. (See Resolution No. 2005-35)
Sure enough! On Page 5 of the Agenda there is: Resolution 2005-35, Resolution Repealing Resolution No. 2004-03 Relating to Mayoral Appointment to the Police Commission (Leon Gonsalves, Sr., First Term) Interestingly enough, there is also this:
Resolution No. 2005-06, Resolution Confirming Mayoral Re-appointment to the Police Commission (Carol Furtado, Second Term) (Deferred 3/31/05) But, don&rsquot heave your sigh of relief yet! The Council can vote NO on both of these!
&ldquoNO&rdquo votes on these two resolutions would mean a decided escalation of the Council&rsquos assault on the Police Commission, Police Department and Police Chief K. C. Lum.
Could there be two &ldquoYES&rdquo votes? Yes, and my speculation is that this would only happen because the Council decided it is wiser, at least for now, to make a deal with the Chief whereby he would drop his Civil Rights lawsuit against the County in exchange for a brief interlude of relative tranquility, to allow the Government of the County of Kauai to return to its Public Relations style of pretending to be conducting its business. At this moment it is probably more important for our elected officials to spend their energy at assuring they can extract an additional 15 million dollars&rsquo worth of property tax from us, before their traditional pronouncement at the end of June that they have again not raised the TAX RATE (the word &lsquorate&rsquo is silent, of course) in balancing the County Budget.
That's enough for one evening's writing. I better get this off into the e-mail circuit.
Ray