Friday, March 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Sunday, October 21, 2012
Secret Letters Show Nago Timed Attack on Hilo Election Office with Workers Planning Sickout
By Selected News Articles @ 7:37 PM :: 14052 Views :: Hawaii County , Office of Elections

Primary problems to ponder: Officials knew workers would call in sick on voting day

From WHT 10-21-2012 with emphasis and commentary to enhance clarity:

Two days before the Aug. 11 primary, state and county officials were aware that a “blue flu” was about to hit the Hawaii County Elections Division, resulting in the election day absence of more than half of the permanent division staff....

“As you might surmise, the Office of Elections was understandably concerned to learn that the services of certain Hilo elections staff will not be available on election day,” state Chief Election Officer Scott Nago said in an Aug. 9 letter to Hawaii County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi. “We now understand that you anticipated months ago that some election workers might not show up this week or on election day, and as such, you developed a backup plan.”

(In other words, Nago is writing a CYA letter to shift blame for his sabotage of the primary election.  Actually Nago had to have known this April 17, 2012.  Keep reading....)

The letter, among almost 400 pages of documents Nago’s office provided West Hawaii Today in partial fulfillment of an Oct. 5 public records request, went on to offer Kawauchi assistance if she needed it….

The original workers’ firings six months after Council Chairman Yagong and Kawauchi reportedly discovered evidence of alcohol use and a private business being run out of the county’s Makaala Street elections warehouse unleashed a firestorm of investigations, ethics complaints and lawsuits, some of which remain unresolved. Nakamoto and two other workers have been reinstated, although only one has returned to work. Another has taken a similar position on Kauai (congratulations, Kauai!) and Nakamoto remains on leave. One of the fired workers, warehouse manager Glen Shikuma, 59, died of an aneurysm Aug. 21.

Police Capt. Mitchell Kanehailua, who oversees the Hilo area Criminal Investigations Division, had told West Hawaii Today in June that police collected materials and information related to three allegations: trademark violations associated with possible counterfeit labels, second-degree theft of county resources and a county ethics code violation of fair treatment of county officers and employees, an allegation related to using county resources for campaign purposes.

(Yes. The fired workers, for whom the blue flu crowd was retaliating, were making campaign signs at the elections office warehouse. Hello? Hello?)

The case is in the hands of the county Prosecutor’s Office. (Note: If Lincoln Ashida is elected, the case will go nowhere and the criminals will continue to oversee our elections.)

The state’s election officials are a close-knit group, both on the county and state level. In fact, Nakamoto is in a live-in relationship with Nago’s old boss, former Chief Election Officer Dwayne Yoshina. Nago and elections administrators from the other counties leapt to Nakamoto’s defense in letters to Kenoi.

“Ms. Nakamoto has many years of experience and institutional knowledge in regards to the administering of elections in the County of Hawaii,” Nago said in an April 17 letter to Kenoi. “As the elections administrator for the County of Hawaii, Ms. Nakamoto has worked successfully with her counterparts in the Office of Elections and the other counties. To the extent her appeal results in her eventual reinstatement, it is clearly better that it occur as soon as possible so she may contribute to the successful execution of the 2012 elections.”

“My friends and I are adamant. We are not going to volunteer as long as (fired elections workers) are not reinstated or treated fairly,” said former County Clerk’s office employee and 20-year control center worker Arlene Waugh, in an April 18 letter to Kenoi. “Maybe our absences will not matter, but consider it our way of protesting as to the underhanded and evil ways of someone who seems to have something against these people.”

(Quick intelligence test: Are these two letters coincidental, or part of a coordinated effort?  Willful suspension of disbelief is required to think Nago was not part of the blue flu effort.)

…on Oct. 2, Nago held a surprise news conference on Oahu, announcing the state was taking over Hawaii County’s General Election activities….

read … About Why Scott Nago Must be Fired

Hawaii County Election: It’s the Girlfriend, Stupid

HGEA Boss Randy Pereira defends Pat Nakamoto campaign activities on behalf of County Council candidates

FBI investigating? Sex, Lies and Retaliation at Big Island Election Office

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT