Opinion criticizes redacted report

The state Office of Information Practices issued an opinion that "almost none" of the redactions to the 57-page University of Hawaii fact-finders’ report on the Stevie Wonder concert debacle were justified under state law.

The opinion, prompted by a request last fall from state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim (D, Kalihi Valley-Moana­lua-Halawa), chairwoman of the Senate Special Committee on Accountability, was released last week.

In its opinion, the Office of Information Practices chided UH for redacting Wonder’s name, noting that "his name had been publicized in UH’s statewide announcement of the concert and, thus, in this case he was already widely known in connection with the failed concert and, indeed, tickets with his name on them were being pre-sold at the time of its cancellation."

In its opinion, the OIP recommends "that the committee return the report to UH so that UH can redo the redaction as provided for herein."

In the wake of the concert debacle, UH commissioned the Cades Schutte law firm to investigate and compile the fact-finders’ report. Another law firm, Torkildson Katz Moore Hetherington & Harris, was hired to help UH officials prepare for the Senate hearings, including redacting the fact-finders’ report. Both contracts totaled $65,000.

Both firms came under fire from the committee in hearings held in September and October.

Kim said, "The OIP opinion confirms what the Senate’s Accountability Committee concluded: that UH paid $65,000 to a law firm to redact the fact-finders’ report without regard or knowledge of the law. I continue to seek answers from UH as to who oversaw the work and deliverables of this law firm with little success. This is another example of the kind of questionable spending that continues to be revealed."