(Note: Since Ha'aheo 675's interview with Bruce Coppa, he has been officially named as Governor Abercrombie's new chief of staff.)

Folks in the private sector as well as with public entities who deal with state government are finding a refreshing change on obtaining quicker decisions with the agencies under the Department of Accounting & General Services.

"It's not a criticism of how things were done in the past," assured Bruce A. Coppa, DAGS chief as State Comptroller. "It may have been a belief in some cases of the need to control decisions, understandable in a complex work environment, but which often loses the advantages of the many civil servants who can make thoughtful decisions based on their experience and specific experience."

What is occurring since the Governor tapped Coppa to run DAGS, is that division heads and even subheads are encouraged to make decisions without requiring his oversight unless his views are requested.

The Comptroller's background from the day he left New Jersey 38 years ago has strictly been with the private sector, notably in construction management. "I've had the benefit of learning the ropes from some of the industry’s late toughest leaders, particularly contractor Bob Black of E.E. Black Ltd., and the Carpenters Union's Walter Kupau, for whom he served as executive director of the Pacific Resource Partnership.

Exposed to both sides of the construction table, Coppa needed no prompting. He recognized industry issues and more importantly, is facing them head-on. As The Governor reminds his Cabinet the administration is grounded with a budget that must manage and provide customer services. DAGS has taken heed by setting as priorities maintenance and infrastructure repairs, central to daily public service.

Coppa said that economic message means striving for energy efficiencies wherever possible. It's welcomed news for the plumbing industry because most of the public sewage and other infrastructures require long-due retrofitting as well as electrical work. “These projects are key to reducing consumption costs in the face of continued utility rate rises," he explained.

DAGS operational costs are covered statewide by the General Fund. The legislature funds statewide CIP, which this current budget year is around $1.8 billion, expected to rise to $3 billion in the succeeding budget.

He said DAGS is in tune with the Governor on utilizing Project Labor Agreements when most feasible, more likely with larger projects. "We've asked the Building Trades Council through Reggie Castanares to address this matter and we think PLA will be in place shortly," Coppa said.

In that respect, he noted, he and his staff are open to invitations from agency users, including professional, trade and business organizations, to address their respective interests. "It’s one way of meshing their legitimate needs and our operations," he said.

"I am enthusiastic about what we can do at DAGS because I felt from day one after acquainting myself with staff I realized I had a challenge in renewing its confidence and trust with its leadership," he confided. "We're also on a new path with our first full time information technology staff that promises to be a boost to all state operations."