MEDIA RELEASE

Mayor Billy Kenoi today announced a package of proposed reforms to the Hawai’i County Code of Ethics (Article 15), including one that would ban county employees from contracting with county departments. Another proposal in the package would tighten certain restrictions on lobbying County boards and agencies.

As part of the reform package, Mayor Kenoi also proposed that his administration join forces with the Hawai’i County Ethics Commission and the Honolulu Board of Ethics to press state lawmakers to make changes in state law that will allow administrative fines to be imposed for violations of the counties’ Codes of Ethics.

In a letter transmitting the package to the County Board of Ethics, Mayor Kenoi strongly urged the ethics board to hold public hearings in East Hawai’i and West Hawai’i to hear public comment on the proposals. Mayor Kenoi asked the board to review and comment on the package, and to forward the proposals on to the County Council for consideration. Most of the proposals would require Council approval.

Among the proposals is new language that would prohibit county employees or officers, or companies controlled by county employees, officers or their spouses and dependent children, from contracting with the County.

Mayor Kenoi acknowledged a number of County workers have contracted with county departments over the years, but added: “I believe the larger community no longer considers this practice to be acceptable. This proposal is not meant as a commentary on any past arrangement. It is simply an acknowledgement that today our community expects that we will be either county employees or county contractors, but not both.”

Copies of the complete submittal to the Board of Ethics are available through the News Website for Office of the Mayor at www.hawconews.com.