An annual $25,000 contingency fund that goes to each City Council member is intended to cover expenses incurred while conducting official city business, such as the purchase of lei for honorees and travel-related costs. Councilwoman Heidi Tsuneyoshi has raised eyebrows by tapping the fund to outsource her community outreach. Since April, she has maintained an $85-an-hour contract with a firm that also worked on her 2018 election campaign. While city rules allow spending related to “community outreach and assistance,” a fine line separates the reporting of Council district news and the glossy art of political self-promotion.

More help for health clinics

It comes as welcome news that the University of Washington is launching Hawaii’s first training program for physician assistants at the Kaiser Permanente Clinic in Kailua-Kona. The PAs have a key role to play statewide, taking on some of the more routine patient interactions as health care increasingly becomes a team project. However, the need is especially acute on neighbor islands, where M.D.s can be in short supply. This training emphasis needs to be part of Hawaii education, permanently.