Totto takes The city Ethics Commission once exemplified what could go wrong with government: It was unresponsive, ineffective and obsolete.
hands-on approach
to guiding city
ethics office
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin
That changed a year ago when Chuck Totto took over as the commission's then-acting executive director and legal counsel.
With Totto in charge, the commission has published and indexed more than 180 advisory opinions and set up ethics checklists and guides for employees.
Totto and his staff of one, legal clerk Donalyn Keliipuleole, also established a Web site so people could reach that information quickly yet privately.
Yesterday, Totto conducted a 21/2-hour ethics training session for City Council members and about 50 of their aides. The training was requested by Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura after ethical questions were raised about several Council members, including Andy Mirikitani, under federal indictment, and Rene Mansho, under investigation by police for theft.
Meanwhile, a bill moving through the Council would require Totto to conduct similar classes for the city's 1,600 other supervisors, including 100 board and commission members.
Totto's approach to guiding the seven-member commission is simple: Make sure 99 percent of the employees follow the rules, then vigorously investigate the remaining 1 percent.
"Ultimately, our job is to help city officers and employees do their work in a proper manner, in a way that the public can trust them," Totto said.
At the same time, he said, the public needs to be made aware that most employees are doing their job and serious about being public servants.
The commission stepped out of the shadows in March when it found Councilwoman Mansho in violation of ethics laws for, among other things, using her campaign staff to work on nongovernment activity on taxpayer time.
The Council stripped Mansho of her leadership positions, and Mansho paid $40,000 after acknowledging the violations.
Totto and the commission have testified in favor of the ethics training bill. Totto said he believes the workload of his office will pick up considerably when the training is completed as employees become more familiar with ethical issues.
"We don't want people to memorize the ethics laws, but we want them to be aware of issues when they cross their path," he said. "And when they are aware of the issues, call us, and we'll help them make a decision."
Totto first joined the commission, as a contract hire of Corporation Counsel David Arakawa, to help clear the backlog of 200 unpublished advisory opinions.
The lack of published opinions, which are mandated in the City Charter, was attacked by Council and commission members who criticized former commission Executive Director Carolyn Stapleton.
Stapleton said one reason for the delay was that there were not enough opinions to make printing them cost-effective.
She resigned in late May 2000, and Totto became acting executive director. The commission took the "acting" out of the title in November.
Daniel Mollway, Totto's counterpart on the state Ethics Commission, called the differences between Stapleton and Totto "night and day."
Mollway said that in retrospect, Stapleton's tenure was "disconcerting," "appalling" and "disappointing."
Totto chooses his words carefully in describing his predecessor.
"She wasn't doing thorough investigations, and because of that, she was not making the issues known to the commissioners," he said.
Mollway said that in contrast, Totto "has an enthusiasm for the job, and enthusiasm for doing all of the various components, including education, enforcement, the issuance of advisory opinions in a timely fashion, enthusiasm for furthering the cause of ethics."
Councilman Steve Holmes, who introduced the ethics training bill, offered similar praise. "He's a genuinely concerned individual on ethics issues," Holmes said. "He believes in the cause, and that is reflected in his job performance."
Totto said his job has been made easier by commission members eager to forge ahead and forget about the past.
Before the Ethics Commission, Totto was best known for his 11-year tenure as consumer advocate before the state Public Utilities Commission. Before that he worked in the Office of Consumer Protection.
Robbie Alm, Totto's former boss at the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, described him as dedicated, intelligent and "public-minded."
The common denominator between the consumer advocate post and his current job is that both involve helping institutions be more responsive to public concerns.
The jobs Totto has taken are difficult ones that do not win popularity contests, Alm said. "You've got to have relatively thick skin for the stuff you hear about yourself," he said.
"I appreciate that there are people like (Totto) who pick up these jobs, because they need to be done and they need to be done well."
Totto said he relishes the role of playing good guy.
"It's nice to be able to wear a white hat and help people," he said. "It's fulfilling."
