The wife of Kauai Police Chief Darryl Perry told members of the Kauai County Council this week that the mayor had no authority over the police chief.

During a Council meeting Wednesday night, Solette Perry, who has spent years in human resources with organizations that include the United Public Workers and Department of Education, requested that Council members conduct an investigation into the mayor’s actions in suspending Perry.

A video of the meeting is available on the county website.

Perry has said he was suspended Feb. 1 and then placed on leave Feb. 8 after an investigation was launched into an employee complaint alleging a hostile work environment at the department. Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. has contended he has the authority to supervise the police chief and put Perry on leave pending the outcome of the complaint.

Perry’s wife, regional human resources director of the Hawaii Health Systems Corp., said Carvalho suspended Perry for seven days, yet no language exists in the county charter that gives the mayor authority to do so.

She said that after the police commission directed Perry to return to work on Feb. 22, two senior officers, at the direction of the mayor, refused to reissue Perry his gun, badge and keys to his office.

"I don’t see that anywhere in the charter provisions that allows the mayor to withhold the office of the chief," she said, describing the officers’ actions as insubordinate.

The Council agenda included an executive session to consult with the county attorney on issues pertaining to the authority of the mayor and police commission to hire, evaluate, dismiss and discipline the police chief.

County Attorney Al Castillo is seen on the video interrupting Perry and informing Council Chairman Jay Furfaro that the issues were personnel matters that shouldn’t be aired in public.Furfaro replied that she was addressing the agenda item to move into closed session, and allowed her to continue.

Perry’s wife said he met Monday night with Carvalho for a "settlement discussion."

She added that she and the chief were not going to compromise the integrity of his office, and that he was being asked to disregard insubordination from two of his officers.

"That’s not something we can live with," she said.

Furfaro said the matter was a personnel issue that would be addressed during executive session.