HILO, Hawaii (AP) - Hawaii County’s ethics board wants the state attorney general to conclude an investigation into Mayor Billy Kenoi’s questionable credit card expenses before proceeding with its own inquiry.
The three-member board voted Wednesday to hold off on looking into a citizen complaint that says Kenoi violated the county ethics code when he used a county-issued credit card to pay for personal and campaign expenses, Hilo newspaper, Hawaii-Tribune Herald reported (https://bit.ly/1QLREWj ).
Board member Douglas Adams made the motion to postpone review of the citizen complaint, which also names county finance director Deanna Sako.
“I think we’d be hindering or perhaps causing problems for the other investigation and that’s not what we should be doing,” Adams said.
About a dozen subpoenas were issued earlier this month by the attorney general’s office seeking access to Kenoi’s credit card statements and details of his travel-related expenses.
Kenoi has paid back more than $31,000 of the more than $129,000 he charged on the card. One expense was for $900 at a Honolulu hostess bar in 2013. He told reporters in Honolulu last month that he doesn’t have a personal credit card, and he’s apologized for misusing the county-issued card.
The attorney general’s investigation could mean criminal charges or administrative discipline for the termed-out mayor who’s been in office since December 2009.
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Information from: Hawaii Tribune-Herald, https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/
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