Office of the Ombudsman
State of Hawaii
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Office of the Ombudsman
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REPORT of the OMBUDSMAN
For
the Period July 1, 2002 - June 30, 2003
Presented
to the Legislature December 2003
TABLE OF CONTENTS
United States Ombudsman Association 1. Numbers and Types of Inquiries 2. Means by Which Inquiries Are Received 3. Distribution of Population and Inquirers by Residence 4. Distribution of Types of Inquiries by
Residence of Inquirers 5. Means of Receipt
of Inquiries by Residence 6. Distribution and Disposition of Jurisdictional Complaints by Agency 7. Distribution and Disposition of Substantiated Jurisdictional Complaints
by Agency 8. Distribution of Information Requests 9. Distribution of Non-Jurisdictional Complaints LETTER
OF TRANSMITTAL Mr. President,
Mr. Speaker, and Members of the In accordance with Section 96-16, Hawaii Revised Statutes, I am pleased
to submit the report of the Office of the Ombudsman for fiscal year 2002-2003.
This is the thirty-fourth annual report since the establishment of the
office in 1969. My dedicated staff and I appreciate the unique role we serve as the link
between the people and their government. We
are all committed to working to resolve problems and improving the level of
public administration in Hawaii, especially during these tough economic times. On behalf of all the members of the office, I would like to thank the
Governor, the Mayors of the various counties, and the State and County
department heads and employees for their ongoing cooperation and assistance in
our efforts to resolve citizen complaints and to assure fair treatment for the
people of Hawaii. Respectfully
submitted, ROBIN
K. MATSUNAGA December
2003
Chapter I THE YEAR IN BRIEF
The
Office Workload The office received a total of 6,158 inquiries during fiscal year 2002-2003.
Of these inquiries, 4,550, or approximately 74 percent, may be classified
as complaints within the jurisdiction of the office.
The remaining inquiries consisted of 533 non-jurisdictional complaints
and 1,075 requests for information. The 6,158 inquiries received during fiscal year 2002-2003 represent a 9
percent increase from the 5,638 inquiries received the previous fiscal year. The
number of jurisdictional complaints received increased by 13 percent. A comparison of inquiries received in fiscal year 2001-2002 and fiscal
year 2002-2003 is presented in the accompanying table. TWO-YEAR CASELOAD COMPARISON
Staff
Changes Two staff members reached service milestones this past fiscal year.
In August 2002, senior analyst David Tomatani celebrated 30 years of
service to the State. Mr. Tomatani joined the staff of Herman Doi, Hawaii’s first
Ombudsman, in 1981 after previously serving as an administrator with the
Corrections Division. In June 2003,
executive secretary Linda Teruya celebrated 10 years of service with the office
after many years of experience in the private business sector.
We thank both of these staff for their dedication and strong commitment
to government service, in general, and to the Office of the Ombudsman, in
particular. On June 30, 2003, Glenn Mirikidani, an analyst with our office since
1989, retired after 32 years of State service.
We congratulate Mr. Mirikidani and wish him all the best as he embarks on
another of life’s exciting journeys. At the close of the fiscal year, the office consisted of Ombudsman Robin Matsunaga; First Assistant Donna Woo; analysts Herbert Almeida, Mark Au, Gillman Chu, Yvonne Faria, Alfred Itamura, Lynn Oshiro, and David Tomatani; and office staff Sheila Alderman, Edna de la Cruz, Debbie Goya, Sue Oshima, and Linda Teruya.
Outreach
Efforts We continue our efforts to educate the public on the
existence and function of the office through the printing of advertisements in
the various newspapers in each county. Special
focus was placed on the small business community during the fiscal year. In March 2003, a short article on the office was submitted to and printed
in the “Voice of Business”, a monthly publication of the Chamber of Commerce
of Hawaii. On April 7, 2003 the
Ombudsman participated in a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce on Project Jobs,
a business retention program. Later
that month, on the 15th, the Ombudsman met with the Small Business Regulatory
Review Board to inform the Board members of the function of the office and to
answer their questions on how the office can assist small businesses. On June 21, 2003, Ombudsman Robin Matsunaga and First Assistant Donna Woo
participated in the 3rd Annual Hawaii Small Business Fair that was held at the
University of Hawaii’s Leeward Community College.
The Fair featured panel discussions, workshops, and 30 exhibitors
offering programs and services for small businesses.
United
States Ombudsman Association The office continues to play an active role in the United States Ombudsman
Association (USOA). The USOA is the
nation’s oldest and largest organization of ombudsmen working in government to
address citizen complaints. USOA’s membership includes practicing ombudsmen at all
levels of government, some of whom have general jurisdiction, and others who
have jurisdiction over a specified subject matter or agency. Ombudsman Robin Matsunaga was elected to a third
consecutive two-year term on the USOA Board of Directors and his second two-year
term as president of the organization. As president of the Board, Mr. Matsunaga will continue to
guide the USOA toward its long-term goals. Hawaii was selected as the site for the USOA’s 24th Annual Conference. The office has worked closely with the USOA’s Conferences and Training Committee to develop the program and agenda for the 2003 conference, which will be held in Honolulu in September. Participants are expected from all parts of the United States, as well as from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Asia, and Europe.
Chapter II STATISTICAL TABLES TABLE 1 NUMBERS AND TYPES OF INQUIRIES Fiscal Year 2002-2003
TABLE 2 MEANS BY WHICH INQUIRIES ARE RECEIVED Fiscal Year 2002-2003
TABLE 3 DISTRIBUTION
OF POPULATION AND Fiscal Year 2002-2003
*Source:
The State of Hawaii Data Book 2002, A Statistical TABLE 4 DISTRIBUTION
OF TYPES OF INQUIRIES Fiscal Year 2002-2003
TABLE 5
MEANS OF RECEIPT AND TYPES OF INQUIRIES Fiscal Year 2002-2003
TABLE 6 DISTRIBUTION
AND DISPOSITION OF Fiscal Year 2002-2003
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