Retired water board chief still on payroll

By Jim Dooley
Advertiser Staff Writer

Clifford Jamile, longtime head of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, retired at the end of last year but is still on the job, collecting full pension benefits plus a salary of $10,500 a month, board spokeswoman Su Shin said yesterday.

Jamile's retirement at the end of December was because of health problems, but he agreed to stay on with the board until a replacement can be found or until early July, when he will permanently step down, Shin said.

His original personal services contract, which pays him his pre-retirement salary, ran from January through March and has been renewed on a monthly basis twice since then, Shin said.

Jamile was named the board's manager and chief engineer in 1998.

Collecting a pension and a salary at the same time — "double dipping" — is a relatively common occurrence in local government. Last year, there were some 300 such employees on state and county payrolls in Hawai'i.

Among the most prominent is Honolulu Fire Chief Attilio Leonardi, who retired in 2003 from his $112,206-a-year job, then was immediately hired at the same salary.

Reach Jim Dooley at 535-2447 or jdooley@honoluluadvertiser.com.