Credit to KHON’s Ron Mizutani for his story last night about a fundraiser by Mayor Mufi Hannemann’s campaign held in Pittsburgh while the mayor was on a city-paid trip to Washington, and to watchdog Carroll Cox for raising the issue.
Watching the video, it seemed that Hannemann campaign spokesman Dean Okimoto implied that this was a fundraiser done by some people in Pennsylvania that the campaign didn’t really know much about.
But KHON also had a flyer announcing the fundraiser, and if you click for a larger version, you can just make out the phrase in the lower right of the image, “Paid for by Friends of Mufi Hannemann”. The campaign’s logo is also prominently featured.
Another point that isn’t clear is whether Hannemann’s campaign complied with the state law requiring a notice of the fundraiser to be filed in advance with the Campaign Spending Commission. The notice of this fundraiser doesn’t appear on the commission’s web site as of this morning.
June 3 is the same day the campaign booked Mufi’s flight from Washington to Pittsburgh, according to a receipt obtained by KHON.
Section 11-203(b) HRS states:
(b) No fundraiser or fundraising activity shall be held unless a notice of intent to hold the function is filed by the person in charge of the function with the commission prior to the date of the function setting forth the name and address of the person in charge, the price per person, the date, hour, and place of the affair and the method thereof.
It is possible that the commission is responsible for the delay in posting the notice, although there is a notice for a Maui fundraiser which was prepared and signed on June 3, and filed on June 4 for an event held June 7.
Since the campaign provided and authorized use of campaign graphics, paid for the flyer, and booked flights for the mayor (and, likely, others), it certainly had plenty of advance knowledge of the event.
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So happy to see real investigative journalism. Huge kudos to Ron Mizutani for being willing to question these things. Regardless, the people have a right to know.
I agree, huge kudos to Ron Mizutani and Carroll Cox for their investigation and reporting.
How about an answer to the obvious question: Why do people in Pittsburgh care who our governor is?
Maybe having a one paper town is good for alternatice media and investigative journalism because the two papers were crowding out the efforts of others.
I’ve noticed a lot of good reporting from other sources in the last week to fill the vacuum. Of course they are also now being sought out more for second opinions. Bravo. And thanks, Ian. We take you for granted but we owe you many thanks, even when we don’t quite agree with you.
Civil Beat is picking up the vacuum quite well.
That’s a joke, right?
Sometimes, you wonder about Civil Beat. It is like a circle-jerk for the same elitist insiders spouting their predictable propaganda.
Civil Beat will never reach the critical mass needed to be a real news source, and too many gatekeepers to be relevant to people in the know who want/have to keep their anonymity.
Right now, it looks like Pierre Omidyar’s vanity press.
If it’s a “circle jerk” it’s only for paid hacks who get reimbursed for their subscription, not for people who have to spend their own money.
The funny thing is the owners who think they are providing a civic forum when in this context they are only managing a bath house for exhibitionists.
I have no idea what the proportion of paid PR or campaign types are among members at civilbeat.com, but they certainly are prominent in some discussions. I wonder if this is something Civil Beat is concerned about? They must be concerned if the result is at least some potential readers avoiding the site.
Pat’s comment is hilarious. Touche!
Wow, what a catch by Cox. This had better get some real attention from the SA.
Mike M.- The Mizutani story says that the fundraiser was organized by a Paul Overby, who is a “transit consultant” but was formerly employed by Bombardier, one of the potential suppliers of the trains.
Overby’s resume lists his former title at Bombardier as “Senior Director, Strategy and Performance Management.”
So… let’s keep our eyes peeled for Siemens to host a fundraiser for Mufi.
The most important thing in this story for me is whether or not Dean Okimoto is fibbing or not when he basically says he didn’t know. I happen to like the man’s greens, and I’d hate to have to stop buying them because he decided to start lying for Mufi.
Otsuji Farms rocks!
http://otsujifarm.blogspot.com/
Caroll Cox, how about eminent domain? Your Cuz is also ‘sanitizing, manipulating’ the Ko’olauloa Neighborhood Board about his botched-up $13 million condemnation.
He’s also forcing business owner in Nanakuli to sell so he can say he gave Nanakuli a park.
He’s quiet about his Rail route and TOD condemnation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgTNKvDmsHk&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJnAo9X0jTY&feature=channel
The guys on Civil Beat like Rollman, Carlson, etc. should just go get a room and talk amongst themselves – Wait, that’s already what they are doing!
I’ve yet to see one worthwhile breaking story on there. Sad, especially when the fields are so ripe.
In case anyone care about reality around here I pay my own subscription to CivilBeat, am not reimbursed and contribute my own ideas on my own time.
If you want to rescind by first amendment rights you will have to do better than that.
Keith Rollman, you have every right to to pay to contribute to be a member of the elite Civil Beat club. It’s like a country club — those who can pay belong to the “in” crowd; those who cannot, don’t.
And those who cannot afford it must, as usual, go elsewhere. It is unfortunate that those “elsewheres” are few, but perhaps they are increasing in number, or at least robustness.
Thank you for your honest contribution here, Keith. There’s no shame in belonging to a country club. (That’s not sarcasm.)
Ian,
The new Star-Advertiser’s silence on this major story is ominous — likewise the combined TV station news show. It raises the question of extreme monopolization: are we to be blacked out? That makes your push on Carroll’s story all the more important. Don’t let go.
I liked how the papers used to limit Letters to the Editor writers only one published letter a month.
Civil Beat has the same 5 people who comment on every subject.
Yeah, even the radio call in shows limit the number of calls by the same person per show.
But then again, Civil Beat likely doesn’t have that “critical mass” of subscribers/readers to be relevant (yet?)
It’s funny how the radio talk shows don’t require giving up your identity and there isn’t a problem. The 7-second delay from live radio is not much different from light moderation in blog comments.
Here’s my comment: Why wasn’t anybody reporting on the fact that Hanneman was seen earlier this week at the corner of Likelike and School street, waving, with a bunch of folks waving and holding campaign signs? Hello? I see this as blatant obfustation of the law – at such an early stage. Bearing out my earlier beliefs about this candidate. Auwe.
Why do you think this seems inappropriate? He is an announced candidate, although not a legal one yet.
Ian, clearly there’s a lot of Abercrombie supporters who would like to declare any opposition somehow “illegal.” Doesn’t this scare the hell out of you?
Clearly, that’s not a true statement. Sorry.
People believe what they want to believe, Ian.
The Hannemann haters want to blow up Cox’s planted story into the second coming of Watergate.
When CBS runs a national story on Abercrombie’s blatant pay-offs to his supporters with federal earmarks, the same characters say “there’s nothing there.”
My comment about false charges refers to the letter writing campaign orchestrated by Abercrombie’s people to float the idea that Hannemann is breaking the law by not resigning.
There is no question about how the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled on this after Harris in 2002…you have to resign when you file. There is no “spirit of the law” nonsense to discuss, and no “illegal” activity to smear anyone with.
There are more than a few people who will go with whatever BS Abercromie feeds them….because they think it tastes good.
Bon apetit!
“There is no ‘spirit of the law’ nonsense…”
This attitude is part of the problem with our society. It’s why people got conned into mortgages they could not afford and why companies like BP do whatever they can to avoid paying victims of their malfeasance. Personally, I want politicians who set their standards higher than just the letter of the law.
kudos to Keith for not using City time to share his ideas even if some people might think he’s running in hack mode. I know, first hand, that a ton of web surfing happens on the county dime, esp at the old HNL Ad comments pages. So good on you!!