David Shapiro: Former Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and Lt. Gov. Josh Green cling to lucrative outside employment

There are differences between the rich side jobs held by former Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and Lt. Gov. Josh Green, but the principle leading legislators to curtail the practice is the same: We have a right to the full attention of our top state and county executives.

Caldwell and Green, who are expected to face off for governor next year, are rare public executives to hold high-paying outside jobs while in office, and the Legislature is right to stop it before it becomes the norm.

Caldwell was a director of Territorial Savings Bank during his eight years as mayor, making up to $250,000 a year in fees and stock incentives and amassing over $1 million in bank stock. His mayoral salary was $182,432.

Green, a doctor, has continued as lieutenant governor working two 48-hour shifts a month as an emergency room physician on Hawaii island. His 2020 financial disclosure reported income of between $150,000 and $250,000 from his company, Green Health International LLC, in addition to his $162,552 state salary.

The Legislature last year barred the governor and county mayors from holding outside employment via House Bill 361, proposed by Speaker Scott Saiki. This year HB 1075 would extend the prohibition to the lieutenant governor.

No changes take effect until 2022, so neither has had to give up their side jobs, but they would if elected governor.

Caldwell said last year he felt singled out and suggested the law be “applied fairly and equally upon all elected officials, including the House, the Senate, the County Councils and the lieutenant governor.”

Unlike state and county executives, legislators and Council members are defined as part-time and with part-time pay.

Green argues “it really makes me a better lieutenant governor being a physician,” citing his pandemic coordination with the medical community for the Ige administration.

Saiki said the bills weren’t to target Caldwell or Green, but to address emoluments concerns highlighted by Donald Trump’s outside business interests.

Caldwell’s bank gig was cleared by the city Ethics Commission because the city had no accounts with Territorial, but that says more about the narrowness of city ethical restrictions than whether actual conflicts of interest existed.

Any bank or its customers would have interest in city policies, and having the mayor on the board provided access others didn’t enjoy.

Caldwell said he worked only two hours a month for the big compensation, which leads to a logical conclusion that the bank was primarily buying influence.

Green works long and high-stress ER hours for his money, and providing needed medical care to a rural community doesn’t raise blatant conflict-of-interest issues.

But hospitals and physician groups he works with do have interests before the state, and there’s the same principle of full-time public executives owing taxpayers their full-time professional attention.

When more income is derived from the outside employment, you wonder which is the side job.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.