Mayor Kenoi's ethics proposals - Laserfiche WebLink

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William T. Takaba Managing Director William P. Kenoi Mayor Walter K.M. Lau Deputy Managing Director County of Hawaii Office of the Mayor 891 Ululani Street Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720-3982 (808) 961-8211 Fax (808) 961-6553 KONA: 75-5722 Hanama Place, Suite 102 Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740 (808) 327-3602 Fax (808) 326-5663 September 14, 2009 John Dill, Chairman Hawai’i County Board of Ethics Hilo Lagoon Centre 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 325 Hilo, Hawai’i 96720 Aloha, John, Mahalo for your service on the Hawai’i County Board of Ethics. Effective administration and interpretation of the County Code of Ethics is an essential part of creating and maintaining an ethical environment. You and your colleagues on the board perform a critical role, and your work helps to build public confidence in county government. I am writing today to offer a package of proposed amendments to the County Code of Ethics to further your efforts, and I hope these proposals will encourage a meaningful debate in our community about both ethics and accountability. The code has served our county well, but it needs to be the kind of “living document” that evolves with the times and changes as community standards change. Behavior that was commonplace or even thought to be meritorious a generation ago may no longer be acceptable in our community, and carefully considered amendments to the Ethics Code are an appropriate way to reflect these evolving standards and expectations. Today I ask you and the board to consider these amendments, weigh the benefits and any drawbacks you may see in the proposed changes, and submit these proposals with your comments to the Hawai’i County Council for consideration. The board’s input is critical because you and your colleagues have years of experience dealing with the existing code, and you are most familiar with its strengths and shortcomings. As part of your deliberations, I strongly encourage the board to invite community input by holding public hearings on the proposed changes in both East Hawai’i and West Hawai’i. County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.