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quote:
Originally posted by alaskyn66
http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/Portals/0...202016.pdf
Unfortunately that's just as vague:
* Count 1 & 2: unauthorized control over property in excess of $300
* Count 3 & 4: unauthorized control over property in excess of $100
* Count 5: falsely described purchase at Hilo Yacht Club as Office Strategic Planning Luncheon
* Count 6: falsely described purchase at Longs as Sam's Poke Contest Volunteer Appreciation Event
* Count 7: falsely described purchase at Volcanoes Resturant as Luncheon with US Conference of Mayors visitors
* Count 8: Made a false statement under oath
I know nothing about this guy -- other than a lot of bashing of his character, but this all seems pretty minor on the surface.
And the problem with not filing re-reimbursement paperwork immediately is sometimes you forget the exact purchase too. Didn't he pay everything back?
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Didn't he pay everything back?
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Maybe. But paying things back long after it is discovered by others that you owed it, is part of the problem. He tried to hide it.
Furthermore, we have no real idea if those purchases of cases of wine and other similar purchases/lunches/dinners... were really for government business or personal.
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For me, a former public servant, this is and has always been about special treatment of Mr Kenoi -- he was doing and getting away with actions and conduct that would have gotten an in-the-trenches County worker promptly terminated without retirement benefits and prosecuted.
Mr Kenoi did decide to apologize publicly and take full responsibility, whatever that means today. He even paid all the money back after becoming aware of the differences afterward. His behavior has probably been more embarrassing and selfish than illegal or criminal, jmo.
Maybe the buying of surfboards, bikes, bar exams, or bar tabs with the p-card was not wrong after all. But, The fact that he "the mayor" has or was spending large amounts of money in off-Island nightclubs known for some prostitution and human trafficking "probably" does not bring him any favors at home or within part of the community.
The frequent nightclub visits are disturbing because the public should have the right to know who or what their P-Card money was spent on "if needed". If he uses his own credit card to pay the bill's that's one thing, when he uses the public's p-card which he was only "entrusted with" to pay the Bill's, then some may feel he should have to explain who, what, and where "if asked upon". By choosing to stay silent or pleading the fifth on who he was with during those nightclub visits, makes it somewhat harder for me to believe or "trust" that they were just reoccurring P-card spending accidents or p-card use misunderstandings. jmo
Also maybe we the public should have a say in how well all of our representatives are traveling or lodging elsewhere? I recently got bumped off of a stand-by flight from Oahu to Hilo a few months back by our senator Mr Ruderman, (he got the last seat). I thought to myself while waiting in Oahu for another two hours, why would he (our senator) be flying stand-by when he is also a millionaire? Then I thought could our "Mayor" also be flying standby between Islands?
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Everybody knew Uncle Billy was a hard partying surfer boy from Kalapana. What did they expect? He also proved himself by getting a law degree out of the Kalapana environment. He works hard when he is working. He has done a lot of good for this island, being a very strong backer of all of Senator Inouye's initiatives like Saddle to unite the two sides. Uncle Billy and Uncle Fresh have done a huge amount of work to get the area around Hilo Bay not just recovered, but more vital. Watching the waterfront getting cleaned up these past several years has been a remarkable experience to me. Everything is so much more alive. The pCard abuse is being way too lynch mobbed. There isn't any evidence of theft, just late payment. The p in pCard does stand for personal, even though it isn't for personal use.
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
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quote:
Originally posted by gypsy69
...Also maybe we the public should have a say in how well all of our representatives are traveling or lodging elsewhere? I recently got bumped off of a stand-by flight from Oahu to Hilo a few months back by our senator Mr Ruderman, (he got the last seat). I thought to myself while waiting in Oahu for another two hours, why would he (our senator) be flying stand-by when he is also a millionaire? Then I thought could our "Mayor" also be flying standby between Islands?
Flying standby is pretty common for all kinds of folks who frequently travel between the islands, rich and poor. You have business on one island and make your return reservation for a time you think your business will be concluded, then you finish up early and end up flying standby to get home sooner, rather than spending another hour or two sitting around the airport. I've seen all kinds of people waiting for those standby seats: musicians, politicians, business people, government workers, my kids' teachers coming back from trainings, Kaiser medical providers, and construction workers who work on Oahu in their hard hats and boots. It is about time, not money.
I'm pretty sure Hawaiian gives those seats out on a first come, first serve basis, so Ruderman didn't really "bump" you, he was just ahead of you in line. If you had a reserved seat and he got it instead of you, he would have "bumped" you and you would have had every right to complain. My employer has flown me first class twice, once when there were no other seats available and I had to represent our organization on Oahu on short notice, and once when it was cheaper to fly me home first class than pay for a room overnight. Both times I had to explain to our accounts person why it was cheaper to fly me first class. Flying first class is sometimes the cheaper option, but you sure better be able to justify it.
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Really don't want to be off-topic on this. However, if your "status" on Hawaiian is high enough, or you have purchased one of the blocks of flights, you get priority over the lowly single ticket person.
So you get to "bump" someone else.
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I do a good deal of standby airline travel and it's all about priority status especially with Hawaiian. If you purchase a first class ticket and you want to change it last minute you get "bumped" to the front of the line. I've watched and spoken with friends who had been waiting all day to get on a flight to Hilo from Oahu standby due to delays from their mainland flights and I went before them and got on and they didn't. It's not remotely fair, I don't purchase first class Hawaiian tickets any longer.
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Some might wonder why I continue in challenging the status quo of opinion on this Forum regarding Mayor Kenoi. I just saw this passage expressed on another Forum thread and thought it was well stated:
"...This is a classic example of how myths are perpetuated, people can't let go of misconceptions even when the hard facts don't support their perceptions and arguments..." (Mahalo Punatic007, well said)*
I am trying to promote a better understanding of the facts and strip them of the biases that have clouded their acceptance. For instance, above are a couple of links to the apologies the Mayor has made. Now all of us know that an apology is not an acknowledgment or expression of guilt. It is frequently a nuanced expression of regret. These apologia seem just that if you take them at face value, and consider the content.
In the longer video, where Billy is questioned about "the surfboard" and "the bike", two of the 3 most common forum bete noirs, he specifically states that those purchases were reimbursed immediately as personal charges. ( ALLOWED)
Where he apologizes for entertaining in a bar (ALLOWED) he chooses to classify them as personal expenses(ALLOWED) rather than have to seek to justify what to many people is an unacceptable approach to mayoral behavior. I don't happen to agree with that standard, you might not either, but it's clear that this was the path of least resistance and the expeditious approach towards resolution. Arguing morals is very shortsighted for anyone in politics so the Mayor was probably correct to do this. Doesn't mean what he did was outside the allowed use of his card. But certainly the optics are bad, and the myopic have had a field day.
BTW; you know with ALL the time she's put in to regurgitating the same references and the same innuendos that Cook Lauer and the HTH were cognizant of the above facts. She/they should be shamed.
*irony alert[}  ]
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It would be helpful to know what the specific charges were for and the time lines involved.
It's unusual to see a case like this go through the legal system when the funds were repaid and abuse doesn't appear to be systemic problem.
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