Aug
22
HTA to cut smaller checks for Rex
Filed Under Sunrise on KGMB9
The Hawaii Tourism Authority has decided to punish but keep CEO Rex Johnson, who apologized for keeping racy emails in his office computer.
The authority board decided to censure him rather than fire him and cut his salary from $240,000 to $200,000 a year.
Given that Nelson Befitel was not fired when, as state labor secretary, he grabbed an employee by the collar, it seems reasonable to stop short of termination for someone who never showed blue content to people in the office. (An auditor, going where no other state employee would be allowed to go, found them.)
Johnson conceded it was dumb to keep them and seemed genuinely mortified at having been such a screw-up. But several women who work in his office — who also thought it was dumb — nevertheless defended him and told the board they thought dismissal would be excessive punishment.
As I have mentioned here previously, it seemed like calls for his termination came mainly from people who wanted him replaced for reasons unrelated to the matter at hand. He had defenders like that, too.
The pay cut makes sense only if framed properly. If it was part of the punishment, it gives the unfortunate impression of putting a price tag on the infraction. If he agreed to the pay cut as a gesture of atonement, that’s another matter entirely.
Now, back to work, everybody: visitor arrivals are down in double digit percentages.
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Back to work? Not so fast, I say.
http://poinography.com/?p=6154