An ethics complaint against Hawaii County Council Chairman Dru Kanuha was dismissed Wednesday.
An ethics complaint against Hawaii County Council Chairman Dru Kanuha was dismissed Wednesday.
The county Board of Ethics voted 2-2 to take the matter to an informal hearing, resulting in the case being dropped.
Irie Hawaii Smoke Shops owner Mariner Revell filed the complaint over Kanuha receiving $536 in airfare from the Honolulu-based Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii. The airfare occurred before Kanuha introduced a bill banning use of electronic cigarettes where conventional tobacco cigarettes are prohibited.
Revell, who alleged the flight was a violation of the county’s Ethics Code, said his issue was more with the lobbyist than Kanuha.
The councilman did not return a request for comment.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.