Hawaii County Council to mull resolution reprimanding Mayor Billy Kenoi

Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille wants the council to reprimand Mayor Billy Kenoi for inappropriate use of his county credit card, and she’s put a resolution on Wednesday’s council agenda to do just that.

While the County Council has no authority over the mayor, Wille said the local legislative body should make it clear that it doesn’t condone Kenoi’s misuse of his purchasing card, known as a pCard.

“Remaining neutral on this matter may give the impression that the County Council is willing to overlook the mayor’s use of the pCard for personal purchases,” Wille said in Resolution 272.

The resolution concludes it “hereby reprimands Mayor William P. Kenoi for misusing his pCard.”

Copies of the resolution, if passed by the council, will be sent to the mayor, the Board of Ethics and the county finance director. Neither Kenoi nor his attorney could be reached for comment by press time Thursday.

The resolution comes in the midst of an investigation by the state attorney general, following a West Hawaii Today report earlier this year that Kenoi had used his pCard at Honolulu hostess bars and to buy personal items including an expensive surfboard and bicycle.

Kenoi, who had resisted the newspaper’s repeated public records requests for his pCard statements, generally paid the money back, but $9,559 in reimbursements didn’t occur until months later, after the newspaper broke the story.

An audit by Legislative Auditor Bonnie Nims found several problems, primarily in the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Liquor Control, with cards being used for personal purchases and purchases, such as for alcohol, against county policies. Kenoi’s pCard has since been revoked.

The council is also tightening pCard and travel rules and has Bill 78 on the Wednesday agenda to address that issue.

“It’s been seven months and nothing’s been done,” Wille said Thursday.

The state Attorney General’s Office took over the investigation after County Prosecutor Mitch Roth cited possible conflicts of interest. The county Board of Ethics has indicated it will wait until after the attorney general completes his investigation before considering possible county-level ethics violations.

“What do we wait for?” Wille asked. “Do we wait for the Attorney General’s Office to decide if there’s criminal charges? It’s a violation of (county) administrative law. He’s admitted it and he’s apologized. I’d just like to get it closed.”

Wille, who’s been one of Kenoi’s top critics, had her pCard revoked as well, after she butted heads with County Clerk Stewart Maeda over about $1,000 in charges. She said her charges were different because they were good faith county business charges that council leadership disagreed with, rather than personal charges. Officials said Wille also was slow in submitting paperwork.

Wille said she sponsored the resolution because she continues to get calls from constituents about the issue. She’s unsure if they’ll come out to testify about the resolution, however.

The council meets at 9 a.m. Wednesday in council chambers at the West Hawaii Civic Center. The public can testify there, or via videoconference from Hilo council chambers, the Waimea council office, the Hisaoka Gymnasium conference room in Kapaau, the Naalehu state office building and the Pahoa neighborhood facility.

Hilo Councilman Dennis “Fresh” Onishi said he opposes the resolution, which he says seems “political.”

“I can’t see why she’s doing it. To keep it in the news?” Onishi said. “If we say that, it means that we’ve all done our investigation and making one generalization when there’s still an ongoing investigation.”

Hilo Councilman Aaron Chung, who served from 1996 through 2004 before returning to the council last year, called the resolution “unusual,” but added that “this is an unusual situation.”

While he wouldn’t have introduced the resolution himself and he does support Kenoi, Chung said he’s likely to vote in favor of the resolution now that it’s out there. He said the facts listed in it seem accurate, “whether we like it or not.”

“I’m not in the habit of scolding adults,” Chung said, “but since it’s here, I can’t find a way of saying nay.”