Hawaii County Council confirms Wesley Sagawa as environmental management director after ethics and capacity questions

HILO — The Hawaii County Council confirmed Wesley Sagawa as director of the Department of Environmental Management on Jan. 31 after a session that mixed technical questioning about wastewater projects with pointed concerns over past conduct and potential conflicts of interest.

Mayor Michael Alameda opened the confirmation hearing by endorsing Sagawa, saying the nominee had identified key vulnerabilities in the county’s wastewater system and helped assemble an early emergency plan. "He has my full support without any reservations," the mayor said.

Sagawa told the council he accepted responsibility for a deferred no‑contest plea more than 20 years ago and that the record has since been expunged. He said he has “removed myself from day‑to‑day operations” of his companies, removed those companies from DEM project eligibility lists, and prepared a petition to the county Board of Ethics regarding two contracts that predate his nomination. “I will comply with the standards of conduct expected of all officers and employees employed by the County of Hawaii,” he said.

Council members pressed Sagawa for specifics about his firms’ existing county contracts, how he would avoid favoritism, and his plan to implement large wastewater and solid‑waste projects required under an EPA administrative order. Sagawa described experience overseeing wastewater plant design, pump‑station rehabilitation and an earlier role on a statewide housing authority board. He said the county’s Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant project is under contract and financing verification is pending, and that conversion options for decentralized systems will be guided by an integrated wastewater management plan.

Several members expressed lingering concern about optics and the scale of county projects. Council member Villegas said the past conduct raised “mistrust” and announced she would vote no; others said Sagawa’s professional record and the expungement cleared the way for confirmation. Corporation Counsel explained the deferred‑plea mechanism used in the case and said the court had set conditions that Sagawa satisfied.

The roll call vote to confirm Sagawa was 6–3: Ayes — Council members Galimba, Eustace, Connolly Lee Kleinfelder, Kirkowitz, Onishi and Chair Inaba; Noes — Kaguata, Campbell and Villegas. After the vote, Council Chair Inaba announced a recess.

The council’s questioning repeatedly returned to two topics: how to manage a roughly $700 million set of EPA‑driven wastewater upgrades and how to avoid even the appearance of contract conflicts between a department head and his former private firm. Sagawa said he will submit his petition to the Board of Ethics and pledged to rely on DEM staff and independent counsel when project decisions overlap with prior business work.

Next steps for DEM include finalizing financing for the Hilo treatment plant contract, pursuing front‑end landfill diversion strategies, and advancing an integrated plan to prioritize cesspool conversions and decentralized wastewater options. Sagawa told the council he would work to increase staffing in DEM and improve public communications about project timelines and challenges.

The council did not set any additional conditions in the confirmation vote; the nomination was approved and Sagawa will assume the director’s role pending administrative onboarding.

(Reporting note: Quotations and vote tallies above are taken from the Jan. 31, 2025 county council transcript and roll calls.)