Department of Water welcomes Thomas Canute to the Kauai Board of Water Supply

Department of Water welcomes Thomas Canute to the Kauai Board of Water Supply

Thomas “Tom” J. Canute was recently appointed to the Department of Water’s Board of Water Supply (KBWS). Mr. Canute is the vice president and Lihue branch manager for First Hawaiian Bank.

He was officially sworn in at the Board’s Regular Meeting, held Jan. 27 at the Department of Water (DOW).

Mr. Canute joins six other Board members in overseeing and determining the policies and direction of the KBWS. Within the KBWS, four Board members are appointed by the mayor with the approval of the Kauai County Council. Appointed Board members are volunteers who do not receive compensation for serving on the KBWS. The remaining three Board members are ex-officio voting members, but do not serve as chair or vice chair of the Board. The current Board members are:

Sherman Shiraishi – Appointed member since December 2012, Mr. Shiraishi is an Attorney at Law at his private practice firm established in 1979. He currently serves as the Board’s chairperson.

Laurie Ho – Appointed member since February 2014, Ms. Ho is a retiree with over 32 years of experience with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. She currently serves as the Board’s vice chairperson.

Beth Tokioka – Appointed member since July 2016, Ms. Tokioka is the communications manager for Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. She currently serves as the Board’s secretary.

Michael Dahilig – Ex-Officio Member since December 2010, Mr. Dahilig is the planning director for the County of Kauai’s Planning Department.

Lawrence “Larry” Dill – Ex-Officio Member since December 2010, Mr. Dill is the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation’s district engineer. Mr. Dill served as an ex-officio member from December 2010 to February 2016 while in the position of county engineer for the County of Kauai. He continues as an ex-officio member when he began his position with the Department of Transportation in 2016.

Lyle Tabata – Ex-Officio Member since May 2016, Mr. Tabata is the acting county engineer for the County of Kauai.

Mr. Canute fills the Board’s vacancy left by former Board Member Clyde Nakaya who served a full 6-year term on the KBWS. Mr. Nakaya, who is the assistant vice president at First Hawaiian Bank, joined the KBWS in June 2011 and served as the Board’s chairperson from January 2014 to December 2014 and vice chairperson from January 2012 to December 2013 and from January 2015 to December 2016. The DOW and KBWS extend its appreciation to Mr. Nakaya for his years of volunteer service to the Board and the community.

About the Kauai Department of Water

The Kauai Department of Water, a semi-autonomous agency of the County of Kauai, manages and operates the water supply and distribution systems for the County of Kauai. The Department derives all of its revenue from water service accounts with no direct subsidy from the County General Fund. Its mission statement, “Together, we provide safe, affordable and sufficient drinking water through wise management of our resources and with excellent customer service for the people of Kauai” is embraced by the department’s staff and the Board of Water Supply. For more information about the Kauai Department of Water, visit www.kauaiwater.org or its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/KauaiDOW.

om Canute being sworn in to the Department of Water’s Board of Water Supply by Eddie Topenio, administrative assistant to the county clerk.

Thomas J. Canute