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GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARADVERTISER.COM
Former Honolulu City Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro, left, and businessman Dennis Mitsunaga exit U.S. District Court Friday after being found not guilty in a pay-to-prosecute conspiracy trial.
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While the Kaneshiro-Mitsunaga trial ended in not guilty verdicts for all defendants, it brought attention to the practice of pay to play in Hawaii politics and government, and contributed to the public’s loss of trust.
Indictments and convictions of government officials and employees for corruption led to the creation of the Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct — where I served as chairman — in 2022. Most of the commission’s recommendations to improve transparency and accountability have been adopted by the Legislature, but some important bills remain to be considered, like public financing of elections and prohibiting officers and family members of corporations that receive government contracts and grants from contributing to the campaigns of elected officials.
I am hopeful the evidence introduced in the Kaneshiro-Mitsunaga trial will help spur the Legislature to move forward on these bills to restore public trust in Hawaii government.
Dan Foley
Kailua
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