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INDEX
VOL. 47, NO. 245
18 PAGES
UH TICKET SALES
HIT RECORD LOW
SPORTS, 1B
Ethics bill advances
Six years after it was first
proposed by Mayor Billy
Kenoi, a package of eth-
ics reforms was grudging-
ly advanced Tuesday by a
County Council committee.
The council Finance
Committee voted 5-4 along
west-east lines to forward Bill
37 to the council with a pos-
itive recommendation, after
promises of future amend-
ments from bill sponsor
Kohala
Councilwoman
Margaret Wille.
“This is part of what the
mayor was promoting, at
least back then,” Wille said,
adding the bill reduces con-
flicts of interest and “keeps
us as employees at a higher
standard of performance and
of ethics and morals.”
The bill would ban compa-
nies owned by county officers
or employees or their imme-
diate families from holding
county contracts valued at
more than $50,000. It would
prohibit county officers or
employees from represent-
ing private interests against
the county or appearing
on behalf of private inter-
ests before county agencies.
And, it clarifies that coun-
ty property, facilities, time,
equipment and personnel
can be used only for a pub-
lic purpose, and not for pri-
vate business or campaign
purposes.
Kenoi first proposed the
bill in September 2009. Since
then, it’s bounced between
County Council and Board of
Ethics, without approval by
either body.
“I supported the mayor’s
original changes, which were
a little stricter,” said Kona
Councilman Dru Kanuha.
“There’s always going to be
some perception out there
that there could be some-
thing wrong. … It seems like
this is ongoing forever.”
Wille and the other council
members have worked on the
BY NANCY COOK LAUER
WEST HAWAII TODAY
NextEra adviser: Co-ops not cost-effective; intervenor begs to differ
Danger
lurks
Efforts to pursue public
ownership of Hawaii Island’s
electric utility came under fire
Monday in testimony support-
ing the proposed $4.3 billion
acquisition of the Hawaiian
Electric companies.
The Hawaii Island Electric
Cooperative (HIEC) is one of
multiple intervenors in a pro-
posal before the state Public
Utilities Commission to allow
Florida-based NextEra Energy
to assume control of Hawaiian
Electric Industries’ utilities
on Oahu, Maui and the Big
Island.
HIEC is an association of
community and business lead-
ers who are exploring the pos-
sibility of public ownership of
the Big Island’s electric utility,
Hawaii Electric Light Co. The
co-op model is currently in
use on Kauai, where residents
have purchased their power
from the Kauai Island Utility
Cooperative since 2002.
Many such cooperatives
operate across the U.S.,
typically in rural areas, by
reinvesting profits into infra-
structure, or by distributing
dividends back to electricity
consumers.
Portions of testimony sub-
mitted to the PUC on Monday
afternoon by an energy advis-
er speaking on behalf of the
NextEra-HEI merger took aim
at public ownership of utili-
ties, saying that the commis-
sion should not delay or reject
the transaction to include the
consideration of municipal or
cooperative utilities.
“At this stage, the notion
of a cooperative or municipal
electric utility is at the very
early concept stage of devel-
opment and, as will be fur-
ther explained, these efforts
usually are unsuccessful,” said
John Reed, chairman and
CEO of Massachusetts-based
Concentric Energy Advisors
Inc. and CE Capital Inc.
In response to a ques-
tion from intervenors about
whether a municipal or coop-
erative utility might be more
Community concerns are
leading to a route to school
that doesn’t include discarded
needles and speeding traffic in
Kailua-Kona.
The potential danger is at
the school bus stop on Henry
Street, near the AlohaMart.
Residents, including Naomi
Camacho, were worried about
the dangers of the traffic and
the group of unsavory people
who loitered there.
Years ago, the stop was at
the end of Kalani Street, near
the Mormon church. Here the
bus could turn around and the
children were safe, she said.
That stop was about 2,000
feet from the intersection
with Kuakini Highway, where
the stop was moved recently.
There students from the three
schools were kept together,
until the intermediate and high
school students were moved to
their current location.
West Hawaii Complex Area
superintendent Art Souza said
the reason for the movement
was the previous spot was
deemed unsafe.
The active stop requires the
students to walk northwest
on Alahou Street, crossing
through an inactive street and
into the parking lot.
This lead them through an
area occupied by drug users
and alcoholics, said Camacho.
Two middle school girls were
propositioned sexually while
headed to school, she said.
Camacho says that language
and the actions of the peo-
ple there has lead to students
holding their cellphones at
all times, instead of carrying
them in pockets or bags.
These concerns lead her
and parents to wait at the
site during the times where
students would be loading or
unloading. This seemed to
discourage the people harass-
ing the children, she said.
Even with the people absent,
materials were left behind.
This included fast food pack-
aging, clothes, beer bottles and
more dangerous items.
“… About a month ago my 10
year old and 7 year old found
a used needle and decided to
take it to school and keep it
and bring it home. I’m not sure
why in the world he would do
this,” wrote Veronica Duguran
in an email.
This lead to her teaching
them the dangers of the drug
BY COLIN M. STEWART
HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD
BY GRAHAM MILLDRUM
WEST HAWAII TODAY
Hawaii County Council
members are taking a tougher
stance against abuse of coun-
ty purchasing cards, known as
pCards, following a high-pro-
file lapse by Mayor Billy Kenoi.
The
coun-
cil
Finance
Committee
on
Tuesday
unanimously
advanced Bill 78
after amending
it to add strict-
er controls and
more transparency to county
spending on travel and gifts.
It now goes to future council
meetings for two readings and
votes.
The original bill, by Puna
Councilman Greggor Ilagan,
added the language that “no
exception involving public
funds shall be authorized with-
out a public purpose” to the
section of law stating that the
mayor or council chairman
“may approve exceptions with
good cause to any provision
relating to travel and expenses.”
An amendment by Kohala
Councilwoman Margaret Wille
added new requirements that
a written request for autho-
rization must be made, along
with documentation estab-
lishing the public purpose
and approval made in writing.
Authorization for the purchase
of alcoholic beverages will
not be allowed unless autho-
rized by an approved excep-
tion. In addition, purchases
for gifts must be $100 or less,
Closing
the
barn door:
BY NANCY COOK LAUER
WEST HAWAII TODAY
SEE
ETHICS
PAGE 4A
SEE
DANGER
PAGE 4A
SEE
PCARD
PAGE 4A
SEE
MERGER
PAGE 4A
Kealakehe Intermediate School students get off the school bus
on Henry Street Tuesday afternoon.
LAURA SHIMABUKU/
WEST HAWAII TODAY
COMMUNITY WORKS
TO MOVE BUS STOP
TO SAFER LOCATION
Kenoi
COMMITTEE
TIGHTENS PCARD
RULES
County Legislative Auditor Bonnie
Nims, left, and Corporation
Counsel Molly Stebbins answer
questions about a proposed ethics
package Tuesday in Hilo.
NANCY COOK
LAUER/
WEST HAWAII TODAY
