Your Views for May 15

Public deserved vote

Being among the testifiers at Tuesday’s last Board of Ethics meeting, I referenced the 15-page, “Hawaii County Purchasing Pcard Program and Procedures Manual” of October 2013. I highlighted to the board safeguards within the manual requiring pCard bearers to sign and agree to use the pCard only for “budgeted” purchases that are “for a legitimate department purpose.”

I asked the four members present (Chairwoman Ku Kahakalau, was absent) to consider if the mayor’s pCard purchase of a bicycle and surfboard were budgeted items.

I noted that language on pages 5 and 6 in the manual prohibited purchases of liquor and goods and services for personal use, unless specifically authorized.

I asked the board to consider if purchases made at two Honolulu hostess bars served a legitimate department purpose. And was alcohol purchased with his pCard at these establishments, and, if so, were the purchases specifically authorized and budgeted items?

I also noted that pCard holders must sign that they understand that “if the pCard is used for unlawful or improper purposes, I may be also subject to disciplinary action for the misconduct.”

How clear is that?

In the end, the toothless board continued to baby and shelter the mayor — once again kicking the corroding Spam can down the road — the road to nowhere.

The vote was 2-2 to table the issue, and had the chairwoman attended and voted against tabling the discussion, hers would have been the deciding vote whether the can got kicked along or not. Regrettably, without her vote, we taxpayers will never know.

The citizens of this county — and this state — deserved an up or down vote, and it was not forthcoming by this spineless board. That is shameful.

This matter has been postponed, tabled, delayed, deferred and shelved for far too long.

With opportune timing for the mayor, and with the chairperson absent for this key vote, Vice Chair Kenneth Goodenow once again chose to vote down the motion to open discussion, proving that he is the best defense attorney the mayor could ever want.

The action on the matter was postponed until the June meeting.

Richard Dinges

Hilo

Kenoi should resign

Kudos to County Councilwoman Margaret Wille, who called for a reprimand and leave of absence for Mayor Billy Kenoi. Auwe that other council members blocked Wille’s attempts, when they should be removing Kenoi from office.

Mayor Kenoi has earned a lot of well-deserved aloha. But if he wasn’t caught, would he have run up charges he could never pay back?

We all make mistakes. But this was repeated behavior, using $30,000 of taxpayer money, continuing despite repeated warnings, followed by five years of cover-up. If a county clerk did that, would they still have a job?

Our County Charter calls for treating everyone in an “impartial manner” (section 14-4). Mayor Kenoi should be treated the same as a clerk.

The charter also says, “All public property and equipment are to be treated as a public trust and are not to be used in a proprietary manner or for personal purposes without proper consent” (section 14-4).

And noncompliance “shall constitute a cause for suspension, removal from office or employment, or such other penalty as the council may prescribe by ordinance” (section 14-6).

Kenoi is drawing a full salary. But he’s not fully carrying out his duties, because he’s hiding to avoid criticism. Could a county clerk get away with that?

The right path would be to resign. Not easy, for this rising star, but arguably showing the public a better side of his character than trying to dodge the bullet.

Instead, the drama keeps dragging Kenoi’s name through the mud, along with his family and our island.

It’s consuming time, energy and money that is sorely needed elsewhere, as the County Council and Ethics Board sit with hands folded.

This is a civics lesson our young people do not need.

Martha “Cory” Harden

Hilo