A certified public accountant is poised to fill the vacancy on the board overseeing Honolulu’s rail project.
Terri Fujii has been selected by a five-person panel from the board to fill the remaining term of former member Robert “Bobby” Bunda, who stepped down earlier this summer. His term was set to expire June 30, 2018.
Four of the panel’s five members met Thursday and unanimously selected Fujii, according to a Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation news release.
Fujii has 29 years of public accounting experience and is a partner with CW Associates, the release said. A resume provided by rail officials states that she has managed audits for a number of Hawaii companies and nonprofits focused on health care, higher education, real estate and other sectors.
“Ms. Fujii was exactly the person we need given our financial situation right now,” board Chairman Don Horner, a member of the panel, said Thursday.
HART’s full volunteer board is slated to vote on Fujii’s nomination at its Sept. 24 meeting. She would be the only member not appointed by either the City Council or Mayor Kirk Caldwell.
Fujii was selected from a field of 10 candidates who applied, according to a HART news release. The release did not state who the other candidates were, but the group’s report stated that their backgrounds were “rich and varied.”
Inmate missing after work furlough
Authorities were searching Thursday for inmate John Dziejak, who failed to return from a work furlough pass.
Dziejak, 43, left the Laumaka Work Furlough Center on Wednesday morning on a job-seeking pass and failed to return by 5:30 p.m.
Dziejak was serving time for second-degree theft. His next parole hearing was scheduled for February.
Dziejak is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 184 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes.
Siren goes off mistakenly in Wahiawa
The emergency warning siren at Leilehua High School mistakenly sounded at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
A contractor is working to upgrade the siren and is coordinating with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, formerly state Civil Defense, to find out why it went off.
Faulty sirens can be reported at county civil defense/emergency management agencies at 935-0031 on Hawaii island, 270-7285 on Maui, 723-8960 on Oahu and 241-1800 on Kauai.
Fallen tree spurs Tantalus Drive closure
Tantalus Drive was closed briefly Thursday by a downed tree.
The closure was from the 3600 block to the 3800 block, in both directions, starting just after noon.
The road was reopened at about 3:30 p.m.
Reward offered in brush fires
CrimeStoppers is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone furnishing information that leads to an arrest in connection with suspicious brush fires that have plagued Kauai over the past several months. Since December, firefighters have responded to more than 100 brush fires that they say have been intentionally set.
“These fires have frustrated the community for far too long and our ability to offer a large cash reward to anonymous tipsters might motivate anyone with information to report it to police,” Lt. Mark Ozaki, manager of the CrimeStoppers program, said in an email Thursday. “We’re asking citizens to be aware of your surroundings, and should you notice suspicious activity, even if you’re unsure, call it in.”
A date, time, location and description of suspicious activity or suspect vehicle would be helpful information.
The new CrimeStoppers number on Kauai is 246-8300.
