Like Kris Kristofferson sings in his song “The Pilgrim” — “He’s a walkin’ contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction” — Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi’s path was just too perilous for a politician.
The party stopped this week when the hammer fell on Kenoi’s practice of charging hostess-bar drinks, surfboards and triathlon bicycles to his county-issued charge card.
His total tab for all charges was nearly $130,000.
Kenoi said he paid back the charges, but some repayments were made only after they were revealed in the Hawaii island newspapers. When he was given a county charge card, called a “pCard,” Kenoi had to sign a statement saying he would not use the card for personal expenditures.
His defense attorney said Kenoi will fight the charges.
“The county is not out one penny. Mayor Kenoi has not enriched himself one penny,” Honolulu attorney Todd Eddins said Wednesday. “It is factually and legally feeble to claim that Billy Kenoi stole from his hometown.”
This week’s eight-count grand jury indictment against Kenoi contains two felony charges, which if proven and enforced could mean 10 years in prison.
Kenoi, an ebullient Democrat, is described across the political spectrum as one of the most well-liked politicians in Hawaii.
“As far as work is concerned, he is No. 1. He is a congenial guy. He is a nice guy. He is an intelligent guy. Nobody can equal him in giving speeches,” says George Yokoyama, longtime Hilo political activist.
The 47-year old, two-term Hawaii County mayor was definitely in line for a bright future in politics, with rumors of him either running against Gov. David Ige or Sen. Mazie Hirono in 2018.
Kenoi boasts a Dan Inouye political pedigree, after serving as the late senior senator’s aide in Washington, D.C.
Fellow staffers knew Kenoi was always the first to volunteer for any assignment, but his reputation for hard work was matched by his reputation for hard partying.
Perhaps unnoticed was Kenoi’s focus and drive.
In 2014, Kenoi finished the brutal Ironman triathlon in Kona. He swam, biked and ran for almost 17 hours in one of the most grueling athletic contests devised. He finished last but he did not give up.
Today, Kenoi’s friends expect that same spirit will power his defense, but expecting that to extend to a political rebirth is probably a race Kenoi cannot win.
Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.
