Illegal dumps delay confirmation of director

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Despite glowing compliments and assurances they had confidence in his abilities, City Council members voted 6-3 yesterday to postpone Frank Doyle's confirmation as director of the city Department of Environmental Services until next month.

Doyle, formerly head of the city's refuse division, has been acting director since February. He had just assumed the post when an illegal dump site was discovered near the Waipahu incinerator. Since March, about 210 tons of buried appliances have been removed from the site, costing the city some $150,000. Two more instances of illegal dumping have been found nearby.

Doyle has taken responsibility for the actions by city workers that occurred on his watch. "Some of these things obviously could have had much better oversight than they had, there's no question whatsoever, and that goes right up the chain of command," he said after the council voted to defer.

Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi asked for a deferral of the confirmation until the council meets again on May 7, "because there's a cloud hanging over his nomination."

"I'm not asking that we deny, I'm asking about deferral, having the nomination lay on the table," she said. "I don't think it's fair to him for us to confirm him at this time and I don't think its fair for our constituents to have us react so soon when I'm sure there are many questions."

Council Chairman Gary Okino, Councilman Nestor Garcia and Councilman Mike Gabbard voted in favor of immediate confirmation.

After the vote, Doyle told reporters that the council members' concerns were understandable and his confirmation came at a difficult time. "We're going to do everything that's necessary to get this cloud removed. I'm going to do everything that I can to try to get it done within three weeks," he said.

But, Doyle said, "We've still got a lot of things to sort out over there. I don't think they're going to be all sorted out in three weeks. I think there's going to be lingering things but I think that there are some things that are coming up that are going to come to a head."

He said he is "really certain" the city will be able to declare that the dumping has created no risk to the health of workers at the Ted Makalena Golf Course and the Waipi'o Soccer Complex or the community.

Garcia disagreed with the other council members' arguments that a deferral would allow time to clear the air.

"The deferral only serves to make even cloudier this man's reputation and his ability to do his job," he said. "I don't think we are doing him any favors by deferring his nomination. The deferral amounts to nothing more than a no-confidence vote."

"I think Mr. Doyle has proved himself to be very capable civil servant and a very good engineer and certainly deserves to be confirmed to this post," said Councilman Charles Djou, before voting in favor of the deferral. "I'm very sorry to see that Mr. Doyle's confirmation is becoming the vessel through which the council expresses its frustration in the Harris administration and the illegal dumping at the Waipahu dump site."

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.