More needs to be done to monitor ‘special privileges’
I would like to comment on your very cogent editorial in Sunday’s paper.
Last April, your paper printed a statement by County Finance Director Deanna Sako:
“The county has no policy on frequent flyer miles,” said Finance Director Deanna Sako. That means government employees are allowed to keep the frequent flyer miles for their personal use.”
That is not true. It is also – unfortunately – typical of the cronyism under Mayor Kenoi’s administration. If the Ethics Board had actually dealt with my petition against Ms. Sako last year, she would have known that Hawaii County Code of Ethics, Sec. 14-2(b), mandates:
“It shall constitute a conflict of interest for employees or officers of the county to:
(b) Use their official position to secure special privileges, consideration, treatment or exemption to themselves or any person beyond that which is available to every other person.”
Since the frequent flyer miles are accrued using taxpayer funds to pay for the air travel, those frequent flyer miles cannot be used to “secure special privileges” beyond those which are “available to every other person.”
The county does not need a special policy on frequent flyer miles when this law is on the books! Well, here it is almost a year later. I think the public would benefit by learning whether or not county employees are still getting “special privileges” from the Kenoi administration. The mayor’s attitude is probably, “Hey, if I had special privileges with my pCard, why shouldn’t all these folks get special privileges from their frequent flyer miles? The law obviously doesn’t matter.”
I am also interested why the mayor has not been placed on administrative leave like any other county employee who would be if he was under formal and official investigation. (Look at two of our fire department battalion chiefs. Double standard?)
The mayor is under formal criminal investigation by the Attorney General of Hawaii. Hawaii County Charter Sec. 5-1.4 specifically permits a temporary vacancy in the office of the mayor to be filled by the managing director, in this case, Wally Lau. Why hasn’t this been done? More cronyism between the cozy County Council and the mayor and the Ethics Board? Don’t we deserve better?
Lanric Hyland
Kapaau