Kenoi not guilty

[Frank]

quote:

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Originally posted by HiloPuna

Chunkster

I've read your opininions on the likelihood that internecine warfare amongst party factions was what likely led to the leak from the Finance Dept to Cook Lauer.* I agree this is a distinct possibility, and it surely had an effect on the subsequent prosecution of the case. Ultimately truth won out but at what cost to each of the factions (3, in my opinion)?

However I disagree on the value of lelanidudes point;

"My only wish is that the exposing of the unpaid, personal charges had not been brought forward until after he was out of office. That would have made it extremely unlikely to have any sort of innocence proved. As it were, 15 months to pay back personal charges should have been reason enough to prove guilt."

I believe that what came out in the testimony is that all of the charges paid well after the normal period (seemingly 30-90 days) were the result of excessive caution by the Mayor. Testimony from Bill Takaba was that those charges were appropriate as far as the Mayors public use of his account. He advised the Mayor not to pay them. Billy (or his attorney ) overrode the former Finance Directors position and advice.
Remember it was Takaba who established the Pcard rules during the Kim administration and who was also Billys Managing Director who oversaw the initiating of Pcard practices by that incoming administration.
#criticalreading #analysis

*the other possibility (probability?) was a retained loyalist from the previous, and returning, administration.

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blah blah ....blahblahblahblah blah!! kkk...blahblah^

[alaskyn66]

Whoever found out about this should have collected info.. but kept quiet... untill billy left office.then brought it out.

.. if its true he didnt pay back the county,till he got caught.

[HiloPuna]

Frank
Yeah, yeah, yeah....Believe what you choose and never let the facts get in your way. Your probably in bliss....

a66,
again, the facts don't bear out your assumptions or conclusions. See above...

[kalakoa]

For immunity to be offered, there had to be some presumption of wrongdoing on the part of the prosecutors.

Sweet deal for the department heads, then; they got immunity for their "actually illegal" behavior by turning State's evidence against the Mayor's "not really illegal" activities.

[Chunkster]

Ultimately, after the trial and the ethics lapse admission by Kenoi and his lawyers, my summary would be:

There are two lessons to be learned, one about the law and one about Kenoi's character. The regulations and laws on pCard use need to be completely revised, tightened, and provided with severe penalties for any personal use. If the council can't bring themselves to do something that intellectually strenuous, then the whole pCard program should simply be scrapped.

The lesson about Kenoi's character is actually more simple. Whether it was illegal or not, using county resources for one's personal gratification (even on a "temporary" basis) is unethical even by the arcane standards of Hawaii County. Someone of good character would have known that and avoided the whole mess.

[Frank]

quote:

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Originally posted by HiloPuna

Frank
Yeah, yeah, yeah....Believe what you choose and never let the facts get in your way. Your probably in bliss....

a66,
again, the facts don't bear out your assumptions or conclusions. See above...

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bliss? not...i've yet to figga out who is da dog and who is da pony in dis show

[kalakoa]

unethical even by the arcane standards of Hawaii County

County has "standards"?

[leilanidude]

I find it extremely difficult to believe that Kenoi, as a bar certified lawyer, didn't know enough about common ethics to avoid the issue he got himself in. That is why I believe it really was theft, not just a few oversights here and there.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

There are two lessons to be learned
...
figga out who is da dog and who is da pony in dis show

I myself have learned only one lesson, that working in politics is a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card for not only those who make it into office, but even those trying to get elected, like Tiffany.

And it doesn't stop at our elected officials. It extends to their administrative staff, even down to their workers in state and county offices who support and allow this management structure to continue year after year, decade after decade.

Think that's going to far? When was the last time you conducted business at a Hawaii government office? While you're in the long line, watch the workers, and imagine, where in the private sector could they get paid to work at their glacial pace, a pre-climate change glacial pace. West Hawaii today did an expose some years ago, and followed County crews around for a week. They discovered that on an average 8 hour day, County maintenance staff put in about 20 minutes of actual labor. In a year those employees will steal paychecks for work never performed that totals more than the personal items Billy put on his pCard over several years.

Money for nothing? Even Billy managed to do some work around the office when he showed up.

We're the dog and pony.
We pay the price of admission.
We watch the performance unfold before our eyes.


“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen

[kalakoa]

In a year those employees will steal paychecks for work never performed

Which pales in comparison to the overpayments (due to 19th-century paper payroll process mistakes) that State has written off as uncollectible.