4 companies agree
to pay election fines

The firms donated funds to Harris'
and Cayetano's campaigns
over the legal limits

---

By Rick Daysog
rdaysog@starbulletin.com

Four local companies have agreed to pay fines totaling $6,000 for giving excessive political contributions to the campaigns of Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris and Gov. Ben Cayetano.

Bob Watada, executive director of the state Campaign Spending Commission, said his staff has reached conciliation agreements with PBR Hawaii, a planning firm; Diversified Energy Services, an engineering firm; Marc Siah & Associates Inc., an environmental consultant firm; and Masa Fujioka & Associates, a geotechnical and environmental engineering firm.

The fines, which require the approval of the commission's five-member board at its meeting this Wednesday, are the latest imposed by the state agency in its two-year investigation into city and state contractors.

Since January the commission has fined more than a dozen local companies for giving excessive contributions to Harris, Cayetano and other local Democrats.

According to the commission:

>> PBR received a $3,500 fine because its officers overcontributed $8,950 to the Harris campaign for the mayor's 2000 re-election and $9,750 to Cayetano's 1998 re-election.

>> Diversified Energy was fined $500 for giving $250 in excess of the limit to the Harris campaign.

>> Masa Fujioka was fined $1,000 for contributing $2,500 in excess of the limit to the Harris camp.

>> Marc Siah agreed to a $1,000 fine for overcontributing $3,750 to the Harris campaign.

Under state law a donor can give no more than $4,000 to a mayoral candidate and $6,000 to a gubernatorial candidate during a four-year election cycle.

Marc Siah, who heads the engineering company that bears his name, said he inadvertently exceeded the limit. Siah said he sent the Harris checks in his name and in the name of his company under the mistaken impression that they would be counted separately.

PBR, Diversified Energy and Masa Fujioka officials could not be reached for comment.

---

Campaign Spending Commission