Spending panel approves
fines against contractors

The 2 businesses made
over-the-limit election contributions

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Star-Bulletin staff

The state Campaign Spending Commission has approved fines against two local contractors for making excessive political donations.

By a 4-0 vote, the commission agreed to accept $1,000 fines against Richard Sato & Associates Inc. and Brownlie & Lee for making over-the-limit contributions during the 1998 and 2000 elections.

According to the commission, the engineering firm of Sato & Associates made $2,000 in over-the-limit contributions to Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris' 2000 campaign and $1,400 in excess contributions to Maui Mayor James "Kimo" Apana's 2000 campaign.

Brownlie & Lee, a landscape architecture firm, made $450 in excessive contributions to the Harris re-election effort and $1,500 in over-the-limit donations to Cayetano's 1998 campaign.

Under state law, an individual or company cannot give more than $4,000 to a mayoral candidate during a four-year election cycle.

The legal limit for the governor's race is $6,000.