Thank you to City Councilmembers Andria Tupola and Augie Tulba for being in touch with their constituents and for opposing the potential pay raises (“2 Honolulu Council members urge rejection of salary hikes,” Star-Advertiser, May 3).
I don’t disagree that the City Council members deserve a reasonable cost- of-living raise. I do, however, challenge the manner in which the job of City Council member was changed from part-time to full-time.
To drive down the more than 3,000 vacancies plaguing the ranks of the city’s workforce, Mayor Rick Blangiardi in 2022 sought to quash the six-month wait it took to fill an average City and County of Honolulu employee position.
Augie Tulba and Andria Tupola are the City Council members who are now urging the seven others to decline the 64.4% pay raises the Honolulu Salary Commission recommended for them, as well as for other top city officials.