Off The News: Anti-nepotism law put into practice

It’s good to see the first test case of the state’s new anti-nepotism law, and a ruling affirming it. When Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Brickwood Galuteria asked that his daughter, whom he directly supervises as his office aide, be exempted from the law, the state Ethics Commission said no. But it did grant a three-month extension to find an option, such as reassignment to another OHA job or another supervisor.

Baby steps, perhaps, but at least the anti-nepotism message is being underscored. Let’s hope legislators, who exempted themselves from the new law, are also held to this standard to avoid conflicts of interest.