And then there were none. That seems to be the course we are on with respect to the staff for the Honolulu Ethics Commission, and frankly I can’t blame any of them for leaving.
The Ethics Commission is woefully understaffed, underfunded and micromanaged, and while it performs a vital city service, it’s mostly a thankless job.
According to the commission’s website, “the commission advances the standards of ethical conduct in government … to improve and maintain public confidence in government officials and employees.”
It’s had some notable cases that have served to hold people accountable as well as provide a message to others that it’s not OK to use public resources for personal benefit.
Chuck Totto has been the commission’s executive director for nearly two decades, but the relationship with the city administration started changing after the commission investigated Mayor Kirk Caldwell and his inaugural celebration.
The case was used as an opportunity to clarify the law, and no fine was issued.
However, when the mayor was involved in another case, Corporation Counsel Donna Leong stepped in to perform a separate investigation.
Leong would not share details of that investigation with the commission, and the case had to be dropped.
Leong got more involved in budgeting decisions than prior administrators. This caused friction at commission meetings.
Leong also created confusion within the city by stating that ethics training would be done by her department, even though the Ethics Commission is tasked with that responsibility.
Last fall Caldwell refused to renew the contract for the commission’s only investigator. While the reason for the nonrenewal is understandable (the contract had been rolled over beyond one year), it seems the commission has been singled out in this treatment — one notable example of a contract that continues to be renewed is the mayor’s informational affairs specialist, who has been working under a personal service contract that started in October 2013.
On other fronts, the Honolulu police chief sued the commission last fall to stop an investigation against him and his wife; and several City Council members, who were being investigated with respect to gifts and ties to key rail votes, were defended by Colleen Hanabusa, who also happens to be a member of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board overseeing rail.
Add in the fact that the commission’s average caseload is three to 10 times higher than other city departments that handle investigations, and one can begin to understand the pressure-cooker-type of situation in the office.
Most recently Totto was suspended without pay for a month as a result of an “independent” investigation. The investigator appears to be a supporter of the mayor, as evidenced by a political donation she made to his campaign.
I’ve known Totto for over five years and respect him personally and professionally. I question the results of an investigation in which Totto is blamed for fostering a stressful work environment when it’s clear other factors have had much more impact.
It should be noted our current Ethics Commission has one vacancy and one holdover.
Today, the commission will discuss filling staff vacancies, including the position of associate legal counsel and the commission’s only investigator, who gave his notice April 25. It will likely take weeks to fill these positions. In the meantime, Totto and the two remaining staff are required to fill out timesheets and put together written procedures and office policies.
If we’re not careful, we may find ourselves with no executive director and no one willing to step up to the plate.
