Guess who came to our Administrator's meeting!

Yes, Governor Ige and his chief of staff Mike McCartney stopped by our Administrator's meeting at the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR).  It was a surprise visit and caught everyone off guard.  He came to give us an update on what's going on.  The deputy director appointee, Leonard Hoshijo, will wait until the Senate approval before he actually starts at the DLIR.  Leonard's brother Bill Hoshijo is the Executive Director of the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, an attached agency of the DLIR, and was present at the Administrator's meeting.  Bill had a good poker face so it was hard to tell if he knew that already. 

The Governor also told us that he is still looking for a DLIR Director candidate and does not plan to have a series of "Acting" Directors.  Both Elaine Young, Administrator of the Workforce Development Division,  and the Governor seemed committed to having Elaine as Acting Director for not more than 60 days and someone in line for confirmation by that time, or before.   Governor Ige asked everyone at the table what he could do for us.  For most it was staffing and technology upgrades to get rid of the mountains of paper we still use to process most of our work.

Governor Ige is a personable man who seems eager to learn about the hurdles we have been dealing with.  He genuinely seemed surprised at the situation that even if we have the money in our budgets we have difficulty getting approval to spend it.  Some fingers pointed to the retentions over the years from B&F, some identified the procurement process as cumbersome, and some just didn't make the priority list to be able to fill their vacancy or the State didn't pay enough to compete with the private sector.  With all the wants and needs expressed, it was clear that everyone was glad to see him sitting down with us and giving us a moment to speak. Many were eager to hear what he had in store for our Department, but today was a listening day.

He spoke briefly about goals focusing on doing a better job at collecting the money that is owed to the State and wondered why if an employer gives a check to the State why does it take so long to deposit?  What is holding us back from having the goal of depositing checks in 1/2 day?  He also acknowledged that filling the vacancy created by David Pendleton's recent departure from the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeal Board(LIRAB) would be moved higher on the list, especially if it is causing a lack of quorum and holding back the processing of workers compensation appeals that LIRAB hears.

Finally, he said a couple of times that advancements in technology do not mean layoffs.  Becoming more efficient at some jobs, will only serve to allow others to address the next level. Everyone was charged-up and feeling the energy that keeps them in public service.  It feels like this first meeting, hoping we'll have a second, Governor Ige gets an A+.  Thanks for stopping by.