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The state is suing a member of a state licensing board to recover $1,940 in fines after the board member failed to file two years of financial disclosure statements.
In November the Hawaii State Ethics Commission found Kenneth Hovanian had failed to file financial statements pertaining to personal income for 2011 and 2012 as required by law, according to a lawsuit filed in Circuit Court on Wednesday. Hovanian, who was not at the commission hearing where he was found in violation, was ordered to pay a fine within 60 days but never paid, the suit said.
Hovanian is a member of the Elevator Mechanics Licensing Board. He is currently serving his second four-year term, which ends at the end of July. Board members are limited to two consecutive terms.
The suit asks for a court order enforcing the fines against Hovanian.
Hovanian, owner of Island Steel Erectors, said he had not heard about the fine until the Honolulu Star-Advertiser called about the lawsuit.
"Kind of hard to be fined for a nonpaid position," he said by phone. "I don’t see how they can get off assessing a fine for something that you’re doing out of the goodness of your heart."
Hovanian said he hasn’t had time to file the financial statements and has been busy running a couple of businesses.
He said he’s been too busy to even attend licensing board meetings recently.
"They should have notified me," he said. "I think it’s a total waste of taxpayer dollars to try to go through all the effort that they are to assess a fine on a nonpaid position."
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