Republicans, riding a new wave of public concern over government honesty, are pushing the state Ethics Commission to rule against Gov. Ben Cayetano for using state time, computers and employees to research Linda Lingle's detailed proposal to cut taxes and reform state government. GOP claims governor
violated ethics rulesThe state ethics chief responds
only that the situation is novelBy Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.comMicah Kane, GOP chairman, said yesterday he would file a complaint with the ethics commission, claiming that "the conduct of the governor has been improper, unethical and probably illegal."
Cayetano maintains that if his administration is attacked or criticized, he has a responsibility to respond and defend himself as governor.
"I am still the governor and when people criticize or propose things that I perceive to be detrimental to the state, do they expect me to be a potted plant?" Cayetano said yesterday after hearing about Kane's allegations.
Other Republicans also jumped into the fray, with Rep. Charles Djou saying Cayetano's "abuse of taxpayer resources for purely political reasons again highlights the problem of corruption in Hawaii."
And GOP Sen. Fred Hemmings called Cayetano's actions "a blatant misuse of state resources."
What Cayetano did was to e-mail his cabinet officers and other state department heads and ask for their analysis of Lingle's plan, which besides urging the reduction in state taxes on food and medical services, offers increased tax credits for long-term care insurance and for employers who offer medical insurance to part-time workers.
After receiving an analysis from his staff, Cayetano issued a news release saying the Lingle plan was too expensive and would not work. He also promised to provide a similar analysis for any other candidate who offered a campaign plan. Capitol observers were unable to recall any other lame duck governor issuing a similar statement.
But Dan Mollway, ethics commission executive director, who said he could not comment about the Cayetano allegations, said that most cases of unethical campaigning involve the use of state time or supplies for direct campaign activities, such as selling fund-raising tickets, preparing food or a rally during state work hours or in a state facility.
"I don't think something like this has come up before. This is a pretty novel case," Mollway said.
Ethics in government is becoming more of an issue in this campaign, as several Democratic office holders have been either convicted or indicted in the past year.
A new public opinion poll released yesterday shows concern over government ethics is increasing.
The statewide survey of 2,500 randomly selected voters, conducted by OmniTrak Group for the Hawaii Business Roundtable and several other business and labor groups, shows that for the first time in the poll's four year history, government corruption is a big issue.
"The resident's desire for political and government reform is intensifying, so much so that for the first time, this issue is raised spontaneously as one of the most important issues facing Hawaii," said Pat Loui, OmniTrak president.
Hawaii State Ethics Commission