Audit of campaign
watchdog diesA Senate committee kills
a measure aimed at the panel
probing political donations
A state Senate call for an audit of the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission was stopped before it ever got anywhere.
A state Senate resolution to audit the commission, which has been investigating state and city politicians, will not move forward, said Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, whose Judiciary Committee has control of the resolution.
At the same time, a supporter of the resolution, Sen. Cal Kawamoto -- who is under investigation by the commission -- is considering whether to withdraw as a member of a House-Senate conference committee that last year stalled a campaign spending reform bill, according to Senate sources.
A year ago, House members of the committee refused to meet while Kawamoto was on the committee, accusing him of blocking any move at campaign reform. Kawamoto denied that, saying he wanted a bill that would forbid legislators from accepting donations from government contractors.
This year's audit resolution had drawn the attention of national campaign reform organizations, who said the measure was an attempt to intimidate the commission.
"The audit is an attempt to intimidate them," said Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles. "It is very unusual to have criminal convictions and there are very few commissions that have the independence and fortitude to do this -- they should be praising the commission, not burying it."
Kawamoto, however, said there were "community misgivings about the commission and people are concerned about the tactics used by the Campaign Spending Commission."
Kawamoto (D, Waipahu) said people are concerned "about bounty hunting," which he described as the commission levying campaign spending violation fines and then using the money collected for the commission's budget.
Bob Watada, the commission's executive director, said it has spent $380,000 in the past three years on investigations. About $900,000 in fines have been levied, but Watada said that less than half of that has been collected so far.
The commission has been investigating the campaigns of Mayor Jeremy Harris, former Maui Mayor James "Kimo" Apana, former Gov. Ben Cayetano and Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono. All of the politicians said they had no knowledge of the campaign improprieties.
Watada said he "had no problems with an audit," and noted that an audit was done two years ago of the campaign spending trust fund, which is the source of money for commission investigations. The fund has $4.8 million, with most of the money coming from a $2 check-off on state income tax forms.
The resolution to audit the campaign commission was written by Senate President Robert Bunda, who said yesterday he thought the commission was "doing a good job," but had heard community concerns.
"I defend the commission and I believe that they are OK financially and they do the right thing, but there are community concerns," said Bunda (D, Kaena-Wahiawa-Pupukea).
Hanabusa (D, Nanakuli-Makua), who had also signed the resolution, said she intended to use it as a vehicle to investigate whether to put the Campaign Spending Commission in the office of the legislative auditor.
"I don't intend to hear it in its present form," Hanabusa said. "It gives the public the wrong impression."