The headline proclaims, “pCard ordeal not done yet.”
Surprise. Yes it is.
Even we armchair Perry Mason and Matlock fans know this issue never should have gone to court. This was an administrative issue, not a criminal issue. Need an example? A bank robber is caught and the money recovered. That violated criminal statutes, not administrative regulations, so he goes to court, not through some human resources department.
The Attorney General and judge knew that but they were stuck with the grand jury edict. What message is sent to the jury when the judge throws out several of the charges? Get the picture? So the mayor proclaims through his attorneys that inebriated camaraderie is the norm in island politics where one can better obtain political favors. For a few thousand dollars of wine, women, and song, hundreds of thousands were claimed to be the return.
Here, I support the ethical call of Mayor-elect Harry Kim. No booze charged to the county. I sort of see that as the ethical issue but I doubt it is before the Ethics Committee. We know that line. If the charge don’t fit, you can’t convict!
I note some critical comments against WHT and the reporter who broke the story. They are misplaced. The best friend the mayor may have had in this issue is the reporter. If the mayor had forgotten to pay back some of the card charges after he left office, then criminal charges would have had a place. But he was embarrassingly reminded before his term ended to make things on the pCard right, and apparently he did. Administratively, he was denied future use of the card and sadly some of the mud tossed at him stuck on a personal basis. But we are an island of aloha and that includes compassion.
So enough already. It has run its course. Join with me in forgiving the mayor his transgressions and hope that he has learned a valuable lesson that exemption from righteous, moral, and ethical standards is not granted by political office. Further, let us stand behind elected mayor Kim as he attends to moving our government intelligently and dependably forward with respect, pride and dignity.
Mike Reimer is a resident of Kailua-Kona