Mayor Kenoi wants off on a technicality

[HiloPuna]

"...I wonder if this will weaken the case on the theft counts of the indictment in the eyes of the jurors..."

It was never a strong case, or for the most part even a serious case at all. At this point I would think the best case scenario for the prosecution is a dismissal of all remaining charges to relieve them of the burden of carrying on. For the Mayor his goal would be keeping at least one of the charges intact, getting to the jury, and receiving Not Guilty verdicts.
i
The losers here, besides the Mayor and his family, are the public that was essentiallly abused by a reporter with a grievance. All who were deceived by her false narrative need to pick up on their critical reading skills.

There are some who will likely remain offended by Billy, who while politically gifted is earthy and at times crass. So be it, just be mindful that the process of gaining office and wielding power is only attractive to a minority, and most who pursue office will not meet or surpass the publics expectations. This Mayor surpassed my expectations as an administrator, easily met my expectations as a political leader, but disappointed me with his lack of an effective response to the public relations disaster that was his relationship with the HTH. He has paid a heavy price for that failing.

As a County we come out of his tenure a better place to live and and I'm thankful for that.

[Guest]

HiloPuna, How as a county do we have a better place to live now because of this mayor's tenure?

The well intended P-Card system has been shown to be broken and an embarrassment during this mayor's tenure. Most of the long standing Ohia trees in my neighborhood have now died during Kenoi's tenure as mayor. Home value's in my area of Puna have gone down significantly since Mr Kenoi took office. The Homeless in paradise has become more excepted and expected during this mayor's tenure. Many have lost faith and trust in many branches of government during this mayor's tenure. The billion dollar TMT telescope that was rubber stamped by state and government officials has caused grief and division within our island communities during this mayor's tenure. jmo

Will our next Mayor in line have more or less to work with from this mayor's tenure?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

gypsy,
Your comment doesn't just contain a few pearls of wisdom.
I'd go so far as to say that this time, you've strung together a full pearl necklace of wisdom.
Really.*

*I'll ignore and overlook the TMT comment. Can't blame you for going for the gold though, stretching for that big billion dollar finale.

Something is wrong, I know it, if I don't keep my attention on eternity. Mary Oliver

[knieft]

So what's the point of having a jury if the judge simply dismisses charges?

Cheers,
Kirt

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

So what's the point of having a jury if the judge simply dismisses charges?

Probably the same point as having rules and regulations for a pCard, without the expectation that they are followed?

Something is wrong, I know it, if I don't keep my attention on eternity. Mary Oliver

[reni]

"Probably the same point as having rules and regulations for a pCard, without the expectation that they are followed?"
Does anyone know if the pcard rules are enforceable regulations?
Our mayor is currently on trial for alleged theft resulting from his mis-use of his pcard. But what about our county government violating State statutes or regulations?
It is doubtful that the Mayor was solely responsible for the P card oversight.
I read the information that RJ posted outlining the "regulations" or "statutes" and it appeared to me that no one in our government was diligently enforcing these regulations.
What recourse do we citizens have in insuring that oversight will occur regardless of who becomes our mayor?

[jlgerk]

quote:

---

Originally posted by reni

What recourse do we citizens have in insuring that oversight will occur regardless of who becomes our mayor?

---

none

[kalakoa]

I read the information that RJ posted outlining the "regulations" or "statutes" and it appeared to me that no one in our government was diligently enforcing these regulations.

From the latest coverage:

http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/news/loca...enoi-trial

Takaba, who wrote the county's first pCard policies and manual in 2003, said the county code gives the mayor broad powers that supersede any rules or guidelines.

Eddins referred to a section of the code that says the mayor can authorize expenses in excess of established limits or may approve "exceptions with good cause to any provision relating to travel and expenses."

"It's very broad," Takaba said. "He has the final authority."

So, how can anyone enforce rules that are effectively "whatever the Mayor says"?

It's amazingly similar to the way the building code has numerous exceptions "at the discretion of the Director".

[Chunkster]

Billy Kenoi, to the surprise of some of us, took the stand in his own defense today and got all weepy talking about his humble upbringing in Kalapana:

http://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/10/26...ion-trial/

Cue the violins, or better yet a local band singing a sad song. It will be interesting to see what he says under cross examination.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Cue the violins, or better yet a local band singing a sad song.

Or even the Beatles:

Bi---lly---Shearsssss....
What would you think if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song,
And I'll try not to sing out of key.
I get by with a little help from my friends,
I get high with a little help from my friends,
Going to try with a little help from my friends.

Something is wrong, I know it, if I don't keep my attention on eternity. Mary Oliver