While both candidates for Honolulu’s prosecuting attorney are campaigning to restore integrity to an office tainted by the corruption scandal involving former Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha, it’s the experience and approach to the job that sets them apart.
Steve Alm is a former judge, deputy prosecutor and United States Attorney with more than three decades of experience in Hawaii’s criminal justice system.
Alm, 67, spent the past three years in Washington, D.C., acting as a consultant for HOPE Probation, an award-winning program he created in 2004 to reduce probation violations by drug offenders and others at high risk of recidivism.
Now he’s returned to Hawaii in a quest to become Honolulu’s top prosecuting attorney, establishing himself as the front-runner after garnering 40% of the nonpartisan primary election vote.
The winner of the Nov. 3 general election will succeed Keith Kaneshiro, who has been on paid leave since March 2019 after being named a target of the federal corruption investigation that already resulted in convictions for Kealoha and her estranged husband, former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha.
“I think people are looking for a proven leader who can go in there, take charge, get things settled down and get things working again, so HPD trusts (the office) and the prosecutors trust it,” Alm said.
Megan Kau, 42, is a former Honolulu deputy prosecutor who left the office at the end of 2010 to work in a private practice specializing in civil litigation, criminal cases and personal injury.
Kau, who won nearly 25% of the primary vote, says she brings to the table “more recent and relevant experience” in Honolulu’s legal system.
“Do you know who else had experience when he ran for prosecutor? Keith Kaneshiro. So this notion of, ‘I’ve done it before and I’ve been here for 30 years,’ people really are not buying that,” Kau said. “People want to end corruption and they want change. And they’re looking for someone who’s fresh with new ideas — and that’s me.”
As for his lengthy government experience, Alm said what matters is “what you did with it while you were there. I’ve been around for a while, and that’s a total plus.” He said he’s committed to creating a culture of high ethical standards in the prosecutor’s office and “of doing justice, not just winning cases.”
As for the Kealoha scandal, Alm said he plans to take a closer look at all of the cases touched by Kealoha, determine her involvement and take appropriate action.
“If we find evidence of wrongdoing for a disposed-of case, we would do what we needed to do to make that right, including vacating a conviction. We would look for any other potential corruption in the office, root it out and deal with it,” he said.
Alm said he wants to look at starting new and innovative programs to address crime concerns in the community. That includes reinstating proven initiatives from the past, such as Weed &Seed, a program Alm led while he was
U.S. Attorney that reduced crime in Kalihi-Palama and Chinatown by over 70% in three years.
Kau said the first thing she would do to restore trust is firing those who helped to aid and abet Kealoha.
“There are four people in that office who assisted Katherine Kealoha in her misconduct,” she said. “I know everybody who participated because I was in the midst of helping the federal government (with its investigation). I know what they did. I know how they did it And they need to go.”
And, she said, if any deputy has any information about anyone else in the office doing anything unethical, that person will be investigated and possibly fired.
Kau said she plans to prosecute all level of crimes.
“A prosecutor’s sole authority is to objectively apply the criminal laws that already exist,” she said.
To view the full Star-Advertiser 2020 General Election guide, go to https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/10/18/special-sections/2020-general-election/
Stay updated on Hawaii and national elections coverage