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Campaign The state Campaign Spending Commission is to decide today whether to accept $40,000 as settlement for its claims against City Councilwoman Rene Mansho that she misused election funds.
spending panel to
consider approval
of Mansho offer
The Councilmember wants
to pay $40,000 to settle
the claimsBy Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-BulletinThe vote comes the day after she announced she will step down as chairwoman of the Council Budget Committee, apparently under pressure from colleagues. It also comes two days before the city Ethics Commission is expected to rule on allegations that she had her Council staff use taxpayer time to work on her campaign.
According to the proposed settlement with the Campaign Spending Commission, Mansho must pay $10,000 from personal funds.
The remaining $30,000 is to come from her campaign account.
In exchange, the commission is to agree to not refer the charges to state attorneys for criminal prosecution.
Mansho acknowledges using $48,000 in campaign funds for a variety of expenses not related to an election under the agreement.
Among the most serious charges she is to admit to is spending nearly $10,000 in campaign funds for travel and lodging for which she also received reimbursement from the Council. Only about $2,800 of that was paid back to the campaign account.
Other allegations have included using campaign funds to promote Aloha Boat Days and charge breakfasts at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hanohano Room.
Mansho and her attorneys have stated repeatedly that she did not misspend the money intentionally and is willing to rectify any abuses to be found.
State campaign spending laws say intentional violations are misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail or $2,000 in fines per violation.
Yesterday, Mansho issued a two-paragraph letter to Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura stating that she was resigning as chairwoman of the powerful Budget and Economic Development Committee.
The letter made no mention of her campaign-related problems.
Yesterday was also the first day of the Council's two-month-long budget review process.
Councilman Steve Holmes is expected to take over the reins of the Budget Committee. His old job of chairman of the Public Works Committee will now go to Mansho.
The changes are expected to become official after a vote of the Council at its meeting tomorrow. This morning, Budget Vice-chairman Duke Bainum presided over budget proceedings.
Council sources said Mansho was given the option of either resigning or being ousted by a majority of her colleagues. She retains her title as vice chairwoman of the Council, according to Holmes.
Holmes and other Council members supported Mansho's decision to step out of the Budget Committee limelight.
"She's got a lot of personal issues that she's dealing with ... it's important that she focus on that," Holmes said. Meanwhile, he said, "it's important for the Budget Committee not to have those kinds of distractions during the budget cycle."
Councilman Gary Okino said he doesn't believe Mansho would want to keep the responsibilities with the investigations running concurrently.
"I don't think she wants to be chair of the Budget Committee," Okino said. "I think she's doing the right thing."
Said Councilman Duke Bainum, a former budget chairman, "Given the situation, I think Councilmember Mansho made the right decision."
Meanwhile, the city Ethics Commission meets Thursday and is expected to deliberate behind closed doors on allegations that include a charge that Mansho had her staff work on campaign duties on city time. Federal authorities are also probing allegations against Mansho.
City & County of Honolulu
