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Elected official face insurmountable ethical conflicts when voting themselves pay raises. The Honolulu Salary Commission, composed of political appointees, obscures but doesn’t solve the ethical conflict.
Current officials knew the salary when they ran for election; the best practice would be to apply any raise prospectively to newly elected officials.
The ethical conflict should surprise no one. The salary increases were the product of a “permitted interaction group” (PIG) created by the Salary Commission: “The Salary Commission considered the range of recommendations submitted by the PIG and tentatively approved a slate of salaries and salary schedules” (Salary Commission Findings of Fact, April 26, 2023).
Political commentators usually find “pork” in budgets and brand politicians “pigs.” In Honolulu we don’t even try to put lipstick on the pigs.
John Keiser
Makiki
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