MEDIA RELEASE

On April 21, Councilman Greggor Ilagan submitted the following letter to the Hawaii County Salary Commission.

His letter conveys his concerns about a pay raise being proposed for County Council Members.

Ilagan addressed his letter to commission officers and members, including Pudding Lassiter, Marcella Stroh and Michael Sumja.

In full, it reads:

Aloha Chairperson Lassiter and Members of the Salary Commission,

I wish to express my concern about accepting a pay increase for Council Members. Many people in the district of Puna are struggling to make ends meet, and others are limited to a fixed income. There are fathers and mothers who must work second jobs to provide for their families.

Rather that refusing the raise and have the money returned to the general fund, I will donate this money to meet urgent needs in the Puna community.

Mahalo,
Greggor Ilagan