The Office of Hawaiian Affairs board of trustees has unanimously decided to transfer 90 days of vacation owed to former administrator Linda Colburn to the state Department of Health, where Colburn begins work this month.
But Elizabeth Jubin Fujiwara, Colburn’s attorney, said Colburn wanted a cash payment for the 90 vacation days with any excess transferred to her new post. Fujiwara said she’ll write to the OHA board to seek liquidation of all vacation pay by July 11, or the agency may face another lawsuit.
Colburn was fired June 9 and unsuccessfully sought a severance package from the board. By law, OHA must compensate Colburn for unused vacation days.
Fujiwara said the board’s “nickel and dime” discussions yesterday over Colburn’s vacation pay may end up costing the agency more in legal fees.
“This serious deviation from past practices smacks of opportunistic punishment,” Colburn said in a statement read by Fujiwara. Colburn is vacationing on the mainland.