Testify this Tues Oct 15th 9am, GET Committee

As a rule, no lawyer can override their client's wishes, yet Maui's Corporation Counsel and is doing just that, aggressively.

Corporation Counsel is trying to strip your elected officials of their authority by citing a court in Georgia and Honolulu's Charter, neither of which have anything to do with Maui's Charter. In case of a disagreement, Maui's Charter clearly gives power to the Council over the Mayor.

Council Chair Kelly King wrote to let the Supreme Court know that the Council duly voted to settle the Injection Well case but that both Corporation Counsel and the outside law firm Hunton, Andrews, Kurth (whose clients are usually industrial polluters) are refusing to honor the Council's decision.

Moana Lutey countered with a false representation that she alone is the legal voice of the County which completely ignores the advice that the Hawaii Office of Disciplinary Counsel.

The ODC advised that if the legislative branch and executive branch disagree on an interpretation of law related to each branch's powers, a direct conflict of interest is created such that the attorneys in the Department of the Corporation Counsel are conflicted from representing either branch of government in legal action to resolve this question of law. 

Rather than uphold her duties to serve the best interests of the Maui County, Moana Lutey is choosing instead to repeatedly violate professional rules of conduct in order to serve interests outside of Maui. 

The County Council must have a legal representative who follows directions. If Moana Lutey refuses to do that then the Council must vote to hire its own lawyers. 

If Lutey is allowed to get away with this farce it will set a precedent that will strip authority from the Council on all kinds of issues going forward. That must not be allowed to happen.

Call your Council Member to say that the Council must protect its authority and that they must hire outside lawyers to represent them.

Tell them to refuse to go into Executive Session with Corporation Counsel. 

And please sign our other petition to call for an investigation into Racketeering by Corporation Counsel, licensed professionals, and department directors. 

https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/request-for-criminal

Alice.Lee@mauicounty.us (808) 270-7760 Mike.Molina@mauicounty.us (808) 270-5507 Tamara.Paltin@mauicounty.us (808) 270-5504 Shane.Sinenci@mauicounty.us (808) 270-7246 Yukilei.Sugimura@mauicounty.us (808) 270-7939
Mayors.Office@co.maui.hi.us (808) 270-7855 Kelly.King@mauicounty.us (808) 270-7108
Keani.Rawlins@mauicounty.us (808) 270-7678 Tasha.Kama@mauicounty.us (808) 270-5501 Riki.Hokama@mauicounty.us (808) 270-7768