While lobbying hard this year to garner city approval of its plan to redevelop the Moana Surfrider Hotel with a new highrise tower on Waikiki Beach, officials of Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts managed to find time to be active in the campaign of then-mayor Mufi Hannemann.
That’s one of the tidbits I gleaned from another look at Hannemann’s latest campaign spending report, covering the six-month period January-June 2010.
In March, Victor Kimura, a director and corporate officer of several Kyo-ya companies, paid $1,503 for campaign t-shirts and was reimbursed by the campaign.
On May 27, 2010, Hannemann’s campaign threw a $1,000 per person fundraiser at the home of Greg Dickhens, Kyo-ya executive vice-president, campaign records show. Several people were reimbursed for fundraiser food and drinks, including Keala Dickhens, Greg Dickhens’ wife; Robert Iopa, project architect for the company’s Waikiki tower; Adam Wong, who Hannemann appointed to the Board of Water Supply in early 2010; and event organizer William “Billy” Pieper, a Bank of Hawaii vice-president.
What’s most interest is the way the former mayor has been able to pool and draw on diverse resources, including some subsidized, at least indirectly, by public dollars.
Jay Ishibashi, special assistant in the office of the mayor and often a stand-in for Hannemann at public meetings, was reimbursed for parking, air cargo costs, supplies, postage, food, ice, and a video cable.
Trudy Saito, assistant managing director and a longtime Hannemann campaigner, was reimbursed for $3,225 paid for yard signs.
Other city employees include Brian Mick, community relations specialist for the Neighborhood Commission, who was reimbursed for food and drinks for a campaign event at the Pearl Lounge, candy for a July 4 parade, and $506 of stamps. Ken Shimizu, deputy director of environmental services in Hannemann’s administration, was paid back for sending packages for the campaign. Mel Kaku, emergency management director, was repaid for fundraiser supplies.
Another interesting crossover between the public arena and the Hannemann Campaign is the Pacific Century Fellows Program, backed by the nonprofit Fund for the Pacific Century.
Hannemann is credited with founding the fellows program, which offers an annual leadership development program for selected individuals.
It’s board of directors reads like a Hannemann campaign roster. Officers include Hannemann as chairman, along with Fran Kirk, Alan Kimi, Ken Wong, and Trudi Saito. All are also part of Hannemann’s campaign committee. Hannemann campaign chairman Dean Okimoto is also a director, along with others tied to Hannemann’s campaign.
Ken Wong, secretary of the Fund for the Pacific Century, paid for interisland airline tickets and was reimbursed by the campaign.
Peiper and Greg Dickhens were both among the 2008 Pacific Century Fellows, and now part of the Hannemann campaign.
Tax returns filed by the Fund for the Pacific Century do not indicate the sources of funds supporting the fellows program.
I’ve got to give Hannemann credit for pulling together these various public and private resources into a sophisticated campaign organization, but lots of questions are raised when you start connecting the dots.
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It’s not enough to have to go up against all the hotels and developers supporting Kyo-ya’s permit to demolish the 8-story Diamond Head wing of the Moana Surfrider (the “First Lady of Waik?k?”) and replace it with a 26-story condo/hotel tower. (The proposed project will violate the Waik?k? Beach Reclamation Agreement by building 40′ into the 75′ shoreline setback area and 74.3% encroaches into the 100′ coastal height setback required by the Waik?k? Special District guidelines for height and density controls.) No wonder Mufi’s Director at the DPP has turned a blind eye to this project! Mahalo Ian!
What Mufi perceives as having things organized, the rest of us see as having things wired.
He says ‘organized’ and I hear ‘the Organization’. It’s really chilling.
He’s no part of the Democratic party and is a Democrat in name only. More of a corporatist.
Super, super creepy.
also, auwe for the Moana.
You want “creepy,” try Neil Abercrombie, Dickie Wong, Ben Cayetano, Ann Kobayashi, Clayton Hee and Dante Carpenter having a discussion about what they plan to do when they get back in power.
Do you actually know anything about what they plan to do?
Gotta defend myself Ian. The events were all planned and occurred outside of City work hours (fourth of July was a holiday by the way). For you to infer that I, Mr. Ishibashi, or Ms. Saito was doing anything improper without one of shred of evidence is misleading.
Ian,
When you “connect the dots” all you have is good organizational skills, and loyal people. It is a testament to Hannemann that he can attract and engage young professionals from diverse backgrounds and earn their trust.
Looks like you are hitting close to the mark, Ian, when the shills come out of the woodwork and the defenses become shrill and petty.
That is exactly my reaction!
Point for Keith on that one! The idea of those people coming back into power causes the same head shaking that your blog post on Mufi and all his little monsters did, Ian.
Yet again all reasons why I still cant bring myself to vote for either Mufi or Neil.
No, Keith, you guys creep me out plenty.
You just jumbled up the names of two of Neil’s supporters and some random people. Yes, Ann and Gov. Cayetano are supporting Neil. They aren’t going to be ‘getting into power’. Ann’s a little busy and Gov. Cayetano is retired.
Clayton Hee? Dickey Wong? What the hell? Why not be afraid of bears? Or clowns? Oh, wait…
Whatever happened to ucomming expose on Neil’s contributors you mentioned last week.
“More on the numbers a little later, including a look at Abercrombie’s top contributors.”
Here’s a suggestion…add up all the money from employees of Mitsunaga and Associates, the then remind everyone about their roll with Cayetano and Harris.
Rollman: that would be “their role”
You crack me up, Roleman!
Ian can write what he wants, when he wants. Of course if you really are upset with his content, you could always insist on a refund.
I’m happy with my current subscription rate. Ian is a way better deal than CivilBeat.