Berg pulls job offer to worker who quit city post after probe

City Councilman Tom Berg said his withdrawing of a job offer to former city special events coordinator Patty Teruya Tuesday had nothing to do with the allegations of ethics violations for which she was forced to resign.

"I made the decision she wasn’t going to be on my team," the Leeward Oahu Council member said. "I was prepping for 2012 and had three to four draft picks and made the determination. … It’s all about salary."

Berg said that since he won a special election in December 2010, he had had a standing offer to hire Teruya, one of 13 people who ran against him.

Last month, Berg had his staff prepare paperwork to hire her as a district liaison in the event her contract with the city was not renewed by year’s end.

Berg hasn’t completely ruled out hiring Teruya, the Nanakuli-Maili Neighborhood Board chairwoman who formerly led the Waianae board.

"With Patty’s 20-plus years of service, that if the public wants her to work for me, I’m willing to listen," he said.

Honolulu Ethics Commission Executive Director Chuck Totto said, "Frankly, we were shocked Council member Berg was considering hiring her."

The commission had worked out a settlement agreement with Teruya, which "did not require, as part of the settlement, that she never work for the city again, but when someone commits as many violations and breaks the public trust the way she did, there are problems that arise obviously because for any new employer, especially a government employer, there is … a significant concern whether she’s going to do the same thing again."

Totto said despite what seems to be an obvious practical matter, the commission would probably need to ensure the situation does not arise again.

Teruya resigned on Dec. 19 after being accused of 2,677 alleged ethics violations, including misusing city property to promote a campaign for public office and conducting hours of personal business on city time.

Totto said Teruya had a consistent pattern of behavior despite being told by her director not to use city resources for non-city uses.

Berg’s conduct has made the public spotlight recently.

On Nov. 12, police reported Berg appeared drunk when reacting belligerently to Secret Service agents who denied him re-entry into an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation reception to retrieve a forgotten cellphone.

On Nov. 17, police were called to a Waipahu Neighborhood Board meeting where Berg had become disruptive and argumentative.

Nanakuli-Maili Neighborhood Board Vice Chairman Hanalei Aipoalani said he presumes Teruya will continue to serve as chairwoman since she was elected by the community.

Board member Cynthia Rezentes said Teruya "has managed to keep a lot of this separate from her neighborhood board activity." She said Teruya is one of nine on the board, and "no one person runs anything."

Teruya and her attorney did not return calls to the Star-Advertiser.