2008-06-25 Board of Ethics Minutes Regular Session

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NICHOLSON: Everyone can do their own thing? JACOBSON: We are able to establish our own. For instance, mine has my name in Chinese on the back —the one side with the gold seal. Actually, having that seal next to my name is probably the most important promotional item that I have. Of course I am an elected councilmember, so I think it is appropriate having it addressed like that but that's more or less the form that when I went into office people have been using for many years. They don't have the back side of it but —I actually travel a bit and I have to say I'm very happy that it looks like we're going to get direct flights from Mainland China into Hawai `i starting I think today, and I have been promoting that. So that's in part why I have Chinese, my name there. So that people can know who I am and that's a variation which I don't think —I didn't think that that was unethical, so I didn't bring that into —many of the other councilmembers have them in different languages over the years. It's just a photograph, if in the future I wanted to include a photograph on this or on my other stationery. Did I answer your question? NICHOLSON: Yeah, you did. So it just comes out of your regular operating expenses for your own office. JACOBSON: Right, and actually right now I have my own color printer because I always like to have my letterhead in color. The County pays for the ink but I bought the printer itself. I think other councilmen have color printers that are paid for by the County but mine is faster and nicer and I thought I should pay for it. NICHOLSON: I would think that once you do this people —if in fact you do it, that other people would follow suit. JACOBSON: I'm convinced that they probably would. CHAIR: That's one thing that really concerns me is what level and maybe it's our own fault here for past decisions we have made, but where do you draw the line in terms of what level you stop putting your name on it- LUM: --picture. CHAIR: We've got people that workfor the County that obviously have higher aspirations than just working for the County and might see it as an avenue or a tool to market themselves for future positions. Another thing that kind of just off the top, is if I get a letter in the mail from the County the thing that grabs my attention is number one the seal like on your card and the fact that it says in big letters right at the top that this is from the Council and this is from the County and I guess what I'm trying to argue is that I think that might be enough of an attention grabber for personal correspondence and for a business card in that sense. Do you guys have any? LUM: Yeah, the other side of that is the kind of looking you know at our code of ethics too but the —this is it's Hawai `i County Council and he is council, his name is in 48 point type- JACOBSON: - -I'm a councilmember- 8