Posted on: Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Counsel to stop going to meetings

Advertiser Staff

LIHU'E, Kaua'i — The head attorney for Kaua'i County said her staff will no longer sit in on meetings of the County Council and major county commissions.

County Attorney Lani Nakazawa said she made the decision based on staff shortages and issues relating to closed-door executive sessions, which are largely restricted to discussions about personnel and legal matters.

The county has been fighting a state Office of Information Practices order to turn over minutes from an executive session called by the council ostensibly to discuss an investigation of the Kaua'i Police Department. The county has gone to court for an opinion on whether the OIP's opinions on the subject are correct.

"Right now, we're not sure what's privileged and what's not. We have instructed all commissions, to the extent that they can, to avoid holding executive sessions, and if they need to, to send us a request in writing" so that it can be researched, Nakazawa said.

She also said her office is now handling much of its own civil litigation work, creating a staff crunch. County attorneys will be on call to county panels by phone, she said, and attorneys may attend meetings on a case-by-case basis for particularly sensitive issues.