By Staff Reports
(LĪHU‘E) – Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr. has asked the county council to confirm Mauna Kea Trask as the new county attorney, effective December 1, 2014. Trask currently serves as the county’s first deputy county attorney. The present county attorney, Al Castillo, Jr., will be returning to his private legal practice as of December 1.
“Mauna Kea is extremely diligent and thoughtful in his work,” stated the mayor. “I have seen him grow into a leader who considers all sides of an issue and provides consistently sound advice.”
The mayor added: “I am grateful for Al Castillo’s service as county attorney for the past six years, and I honor his desire to return to his practice as a private attorney at this time. Under Al’s mentorship, our deputies have gained invaluable experience and knowledge, and they work effectively together as a team. I believe the office is well positioned to move forward under Mauna Kea’s leadership.” When asked about Mr. Castillo’s plans, the Mayor remarked: “Al will be returning to his successful criminal defense and family law practice, and I wish him the best.”
Commenting on Trask’s nomination, Castillo stated: “Mauna Kea has played a lead role in many of the recent, significant accomplishments of the Office of the County Attorney.”
Castillo added: “Successfully expanding the acreage of Hanalei/Black Pot Beach Park through a condemnation action, creating stewardship agreements with Native Hawaiian and community organizations, and utilizing a ho’oponopono process to complete our Section 106 obligations for Ke Ala Hele Makalae are just a few ways in which Mauna Kea and our deputies have used innovative approaches to resolve challenges and move projects forward.”
The mayor credited Castillo with bringing together a dedicated group of attorneys and, over the past six years, creating a talented and highly-effective team, currently led by Trask as first deputy.
Prior to joining the county attorney’s office in 2009, Trask worked with the Kaua‘i Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, the Oahu Office of the Public Defender, and served as a clerk for judges in the First and Fifth Circuit Courts. He is a 2004 graduate of the University of Hawai‘i’s William S. Richardson School of Law and a 1997 graduate of Kamehameha Schools.
The newly elected council is expected to consider the mayor’s nomination at its inaugural meeting on December 1, 2014.