08-29-2018, 05:45 PM
Maybe I'm missing something here, but if Jen doesn't feel she can fulfill her duties as a Council Member without putting herself in legal jeopardy, she should resign her position (since it's clear that the issues that put her in conflict will not be resolved anytime soon). However, if she's still cashing her paycheck from the County while maintaining her moratorium on voting, I have a problem with that. She asked the Corporate Counsel for legal reassurance that she was not liable, and the Counsel replied with a brief, but eminently clear opinion that his official opinion was that she would indeed not incur liability by performing her duties. Maybe she would have preferred an expanded treatise on the rationale for the decision, but the conclusion stated in the letter was unambiguous, and would appear to make the County liable for any action raised against her. If that's not good enough to ease her reservations, she should step down.
I understand and can sympathize with both sides of the Hawaii sovereignty issue, and I respect Jen for standing up for her beliefs. But it seems a bit hypocritical to accept a paycheck to serve as a representative of the US-recognized County Government while simultaneously refusing to undertake the main responsibilities of your job in deference to the Hawaii sovereignty concerns.
I understand and can sympathize with both sides of the Hawaii sovereignty issue, and I respect Jen for standing up for her beliefs. But it seems a bit hypocritical to accept a paycheck to serve as a representative of the US-recognized County Government while simultaneously refusing to undertake the main responsibilities of your job in deference to the Hawaii sovereignty concerns.