State worker reprimanded
for vote memo

By Richard Borrreca
Star-Bulletin

A state worker has been reprimanded for passing out a memo directing state workers to call the executive secretary to a state director to volunteer to staff phone banks for the Democratic Party and Gov. Ben Cayetano's re-election campaign.

The action was taken after the news media received copies of an anonymous memo that asked for help "in the continued phone-bank efforts as well as in providing manpower at the headquarters."

"We have been requested to assist for half-day shifts by utilizing personal vacation time," the memo said.

It gave the telephone number for the office of Kathleen Matayoshi, state commerce and consumer affairs director. Volunteers were told to "call Esther . . . to arrange your schedule to help at the headquarters (corner of King Street and Kalakaua Avenue)."

That is the location of Cayetano's main campaign office. The other address given was for the Democratic Party headquarters.

Matayoshi said she tracked down who sent the memo and the person, a state worker, was "orally reprimanded," which is the first of several disciplinary options available for violations of the state ethics code.

The ethics code forbids state employees using state equipment or state time for campaign purposes.

Matayoshi said her secretary is a volunteer in the governor's re-election campaign, but that she didn't know specifically what she did for the campaign.

While not identifying the state worker, Matayoshi said the person has been disciplined.

"The employee was asked to rescind the memo; we are taking the corrective measures," she said.

The recruiting memo was quickly disavowed yesterday by Cayetano officials, who said the state administration has a "zero tolerance policy where accountability and appropriate consequences will result."

"We keep reminding our people what they can and cannot do," Charles Toguchi, Cayetano's campaign co-chairman and formerly the governor's executive assistant, said.

"We put out reminders time and time again," he said.

Cayetano's press secretary said the governor's new executive assistant, Sam Callejo, also put out a memo explaining that state workers were not to campaign on state time or using state equipment.