Big Island mayor put $892 bar bill on county card

Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi charged $892 on his county credit card at a Hono­lulu hostess bar in December 2013, he acknowledged last week, violating county policy that prohibits using county cards for personal expenses or for alcohol.

Kenoi said Friday he reimbursed the county in March 2014, West Hawaii Today reported.

"Any error in judgment in the use of my card is entirely my own," Kenoi said. "I take full responsibility for the purchases on my card. … Certainly I could have exercised better judgment."

He has used the county credit card for personal purchases on other occasions, he said, but always reimbursed the county.

Repeated attempts by the newspaper to obtain copies of Kenoi’s credit card statements have been turned back. County Finance Department officials have refused to provide statements, instead compiling summaries of charges incurred by the mayor and others.

The newspaper reported it obtained the December 2013 statement from a different source.

The request for actual statements was renewed again March 18. Under Hawaii’s Uniform Information Practices Act, the county has 10 business days to respond.

Kenoi said charges from his purchasing card, or pCard, that were not county business will have been reimbursed.

"I’ve used my pCard when I shouldn’t have," Kenoi said. "But I always try and make sure the taxpayers only pay for official business."

The charge at the hostess bar occurred on the same day Kenoi charged $215.10 for a round-trip Hilo-to-Hono­lulu airplane ticket and a $62.93 rental car. Kenoi said he was in Hono­lulu on county business.

The $892 charge was at Club Evergreen, one of several Korean hostess bars in downtown Hono­lulu, where patrons buy drinks for themselves and for hostesses who sit with patrons.

County policy restricts the purchase of alcohol unless specifically authorized. The cardholder is responsible for "Using the pCard only for official purchases for which the cardholder will be responsible," according to the policy, which also states that the pCard will not be used for personal use.

According to the policy, "if the pCard is inadvertently used for a personal purchase (i.e., a wrong card is used at a restaurant and the mistake is not noticed until after departing the restaurant), a full report must be submitted to the Director of Finance explaining the mistake, along with proper reimbursement."

Kenoi did not submit a report, he said.