Inside Honolulu: July 12
There’s always something interesting going on at Honolulu Hale.
Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.
(Unnamed) City Official Violated Ethics Code
3:23 p.m.
A high-ranking city employee violated the ethics code and will face penalty.
Honolulu Ethics Commission Executive Director and Legal Counsel Chuck Totto told Inside Honolulu that the commission today found one city officer in violation. It will issue an advisory opinion in about 10 days that reveals that officer’s name, the actions that led to the violation and the recommended penalty, which will include suspension, termination and/or a fine.
The decision was made in executive session, and Totto said the state’s Uniform Information Practices Act limits the commission’s ability to share information about violations publicly. The item mentioned potential violations of “financial or business conflict of interest” as well as “failure to disclose conflict of interest.”
Because the violator in this case an “officer” — that term includes cabinet directors and their deputies, City Council members and city attorneys — he or she is not a member of a public employee union. That cuts out any delays from a potential grievance process.
The commission gives violating employees a 10-day warning before releasing their names publicly.
Ethics Questions Up From Last Year
11:38 a.m.
The July meeting of the Honolulu Ethics Commission is under way, and business is moving quickly.
Legal counsel Chuck Totto informed the members that the commission received 464 requests for advice and complaints over the last fiscal year, up 29 percent from the year prior to that.
The real juicy stuff will happen in executive session, and Inside Honolulu will be asked to leave the room. We’ll find out later what happened behind closed doors, and the names of offenders could be made public within a couple of weeks.
Prosecutor Kaneshiro Target of Ethics Complaint
in the Hawaii Reporter last night about an ethics complaint filed against Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro.
The state Office of Disciplinary Counsel wouldn’t confirm the existence of the complaint, but Kaneshiro told Jim Dooley that it was filed by an ex-deputy with “an axe to grind.”
Read the full story . We’ll be tackling other ethical issues today as the Honolulu Ethics Commission is set to meet at 11:30 a.m.
Elsewhere on Civil Beat
A couple of other stories that Inside Honolulu readers might find interesting:
- Berg Falsely Accuses Paper of Censoring Comments
- In the Shadow of the Train, Landowners Stand to Gain
Carlisle Quiet Today
There are no events on Mayor Peter Carlisle‘s public schedule for today. Will he be milling around Honolulu Hale? We’ll find out.
Read Previous Editions of Inside Honolulu
July 11: Transparency Site Getting Stale; Hoopili Hearing Set for September; Fire Commission Meeting Today; Carlisle’s Early Start.
July 8: Rail Appeals Opened to Public; Carlisle’s Public Sked; Ethics Panel To Decide on Violations Tuesday; Smoke on the (Waste) Water; Three Oahu Projects in Environmental Notice; County Governments Gather in Honolulu; General Plan Process Under Way.
July 7: T-Minus One Hour to General Plan Meeting; Rail Contractor Protest Closed To Public; What to Read This Morning.
July 6: Oh Godbey, New City Lawyer in the House; Derailed: Tom Berg Q&A; Steinberger Slams ‘Anti-Synagro’ Resolution; Ag Land Property Tax Bill Heads Back to Committee; New Chair, New Seats; Council Gathers Early to Fete Honorees; Martin, Anderson Ink Op-Ed.
July 5: New State Law Protects County Firefighters, Lifeguards; Federal Highways Rep: City and State Need to Play Nice; Leeward Politicians Push for Bikeway; State Officials in the Hale for Transportation; Ernie Martin’s First Agenda as Chair; No Crime Stats for HPD.
July 1: City Parade to Cost $20K; Furloughs Are Over, Pay Is Up; No Laie Decision At Next Council Meeting; Housing Office Open For Business; HART Kicks Off New Era for Honolulu Rail; Happy New Year!; Martin Tabs Kobayashi as Budget Chair.
