Posted on: Saturday, December 15, 2001
Maui mayor's pay raise affirmed
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
WAILUKU, Maui — Mayor James "Kimo'' Apana will receive a 7 percent pay raise and his managing director, Grant Chun, will receive a 12 percent salary boost starting Jan. 1.
The Maui County Salary Commission yesterday reaffirmed an earlier decision to raise the salaries of the mayor, the managing director, department directors and deputy directors. The increases range from 4 to 13 percent and will cost the county an additional $160,575 annually.
At a commission meeting yesterday, no one testified against the pay hikes, which will increase the mayor's annual salary from $89,712 to $96,000 and Chun's salary from $80,436 to $90,000.
Maui County leaders last year received a 3 percent pay raise.
By comparison, Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris makes $112,200 per year, Kaua'i Mayor Maryanne Kusaka is paid $73,118 and Big Isle Mayor Harry Kim receives $78,564.
At least one Maui County councilman said he doesn't believe the raises are appropriate.
Alan Arakawa of Kahului said he opposes a pay increase because officials took the jobs knowing what their pay would be.
In addition, he said, the timing isn't right considering the hard economic times since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Apana said the commission spent many hours looking at the issue and that he supports their decision. He said it's sometimes hard to attract and maintain good people in government if salaries aren't set appropriately.
"I don't think there is ever a good time (for pay raises) that sits well with everybody. It's just one of those things,'' the mayor said.
Salary commission chairman Scott Matsuura said the raises are warranted because a number of union employees are making more than their county bosses.
According to pay records, nine employees make more than the managing director, nine employees make more than the head of their respective department, and 18 earn more than their department's deputy director.
"This was a tough decision for the commissioners to make,'' Matsuura said. "However, the salaries of the administration have not kept pace with the salaries of the civil service employees they supervise.''
Vice chairman Russell Johnson said a sizable across-the-board pay increase for top county officials hadn't been granted since 1994.
"A lot of this is catch-up through seven years of piecemeal adjustments,'' he said.
The commission is appointed by the mayor but has independent authority over salary adjustments for nonunion supervisors.
Meanwhile, the Hawai'i County Salary Commission also met yesterday to gather input on a review of the pay of department heads, their deputies and elected officials.
Big Island Councilman Dominic Yagong of Hamakua said that while county officials deserve a pay increase, now is not the time, considering what's going on in the world. He said the general public is not going to stomach pay raises.
"There are so many hardships going on now: lost jobs and benefits, cuts in hours. People are having a very difficult time on the Big Island,'' he said.
