As closing arguments wrapped up Monday in Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi’s felony theft trial and jurors began sifting through murky testimony about why a government-issued credit card was used to buy ample amounts of alcohol and other questionable purchases, one matter is clear: Big Island taxpayers deserve better.
They deserve financial transparency from the mayor and his administration, all of whom are on the public payroll. And the rules for spending on the county-issued purchasing card, or pCard, must be tightened up to better serve the taxpayers.
Get rid of the dubious practice of allowing the mayor broad leeway over spending, including the purchase of alcohol, as long as it’s in the so-called best interest of the county. That sort of vague direction sets up a sure bet for abuse.
Also, scrap spending on alcohol, or at least put a low ceiling in place for the mayor’s booze budget, and enforce the rule. The county’s pCard program prevents everyone else issued a credit card from buying alcohol. The mayor — no matter how hard-working or big-hearted — should not be allowed to spend freely.
Among the questionable spending passed off as official county business: small purchases, such as Heineken beer and Crown Royal whiskey to serve up as thank-you drinks for volunteers working at a fundraiser, and larger purchases, such as $600 for alcohol Kenoi bought at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
His defense team has argued that Kenoi purchased alcohol at various events to show appreciation for people and build relationships to benefit the county.
Fuzzy rules also allowed Kenoi to use the county card for personal purchases, with understanding that reimbursement should be speedy.
William Takaba, who served as Kenoi’s managing director for four years and created the county’s pCard program, testified that according to the rules, reimbursement should occur within 30 to 60 days, “but there’s no law that requires him (the mayor) to do that.”
Put in place a requirement and enforce it. The county’s taxpayers deserve such accountability.
Further, Hawaii County’s top official should not be slow to reimburse for purchases that fail to serve even the vaguest notion of public purpose. In Kenoi’s case, reimbursement for at least one personal purchase was more than two years overdue. That sort of lapse has the vibe of theft.
And the jury is now weighing two counts of second-degree theft, two counts of third-degree theft, and making a false statement under oath.
The charges are based on 15 transactions from 2011 to 2014 totaling nearly $4,130. Prosecutors say Kenoi took between four and 26 months to reimburse the county for 14 of the charges. Among the transactions is a $293 bill for a two-night stay at Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel that Kenoi purchased for a nephew as a wedding gift.
There were other questionable purchases that did not touch off criminal charges, such as using the pCard to cover a bill of nearly $900 at a Honolulu hostess bar in 2013. Media coverage of that transaction and others prompted the state attorney general to launch an investigation, which led to a grand jury indictment.
When Kenoi took the stand last week, during the second week of his trial, he told jurors he did not try to steal public funds.
“I’d never, never do anything to hurt this island, this county. I’m offended even being accused,” Kenoi said.
Supporters of the personable mayor, who grew up in Kalapana and was term-limited from running for re-election, note his devotion to the county. But the surest way to have avoided such accusation was to steer clear of even a hint of an offense.
Accountability starts at the top. Kenoi, who holds a law degree and is no political novice, set the tone for his administration.
The verdict is now in the jurors’ hands — but Kenoi has damaged the integrity of the mayor’s office. The county’s residents deserve a mayor who will put in place, and enforce, rules that prevent even the perception of playing fast-and-loose with taxpayer dollars.
