UH VP accused of mismanagement

The official directs work to friends' firms and makes costly project changes, a company owner says

By Rob Perez

~~<p>The politically prominent owner of an engineering company that does work for the University of Hawaii has accused a top UH executive of wasting potentially millions of dollars in state money through what the engineer called blatant mismanagement of construction projects, including steering contracts to firms operated by friends.</p>
<p>Dennis Mitsunaga, who owns Mitsunaga and Associates, said the actions of UH's associate vice president for capital improvements, <a span="" style="color: #0000FF;" href="http://bit.ly/XjgB12" target="_blank">Brian Minaai</a>, on a Hilo dormitory project Mitsunaga is involved with would have been criminal had the university not had a temporary exemption from the state's procurement code. That two-year exemption expired last year.</p>
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The politically prominent owner of an engineering company that does work for the University of Hawaii has accused a top UH executive of wasting potentially millions of dollars in state money through what the engineer called blatant mismanagement of construction projects, including steering contracts to firms operated by friends.

Dennis Mitsunaga, who owns Mitsunaga and Associates, said the actions of UH's associate vice president for capital improvements, Brian Minaai, on a Hilo dormitory project Mitsunaga is involved with would have been criminal had the university not had a temporary exemption from the state's procurement code. That two-year exemption expired last year. Login for more...