Former mayoral aide Chris Salem, who was fired, alleges a range of wrongful behavior by county officials in a lawsuit filed three years ago.

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A Maui County Council committee has voted in favor of paying as much as $450,000 to a Honolulu law firm to defend the county against allegations of wrongful termination and government corruption by a former mayoral aide.

The Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee went into executive session during its afternoon meeting on Tuesday to discuss how to move forward with longstanding litigation brought by Chris Salem, a Napili resident who once worked for then-Mayor Mike Victorino.

Salem filed suit against the county in 2021 after Victorino fired him as legislative liaison. He’s representing himself in court.

The Kobayashi, Sugita & Goda law firm is acting as special counsel in the case that has landed in the courtroom of Second Circuit Judge Peter Cahill on Maui. Judge Kirstin Hamman had originally handled the case but she stepped aside after Salem challenged her former employment with the county’s Office of Council Services as a conflict of interest.

KSG has already received $125,000 in taxpayer money to defend the county against Salem’s claims. In the resolution passed Tuesday, the GREAT Committee agreed to pay KSG attorneys another $325,000.

KSG took over as special counsel for Maui’s Corporation Counsel, the county’s legal department, to avoid any conflicts of interest.

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