Posted on: Tuesday, October 8, 2002

Firms fined for excess contributions

Advertiser Staff

The state Campaign Spending Commission voted unanimously yesterday to accept two fines totaling $4,000 to settle complaints against two Honolulu companies for making excess campaign contributions to candidates in the 2000 mayoral race.

The commission agreed to fine landscape architecture firm Walters, Kimura, Motoda Inc. $2,500 for donating $1,125 too much to Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign.

The panel also fined Antonio's Steak, Ribs and Pasta restaurant $1,500 for giving $5,000 too much to former city councilman and mayoral candidate Mufi Hannemann.

The restaurant is owned by Honolulu Police Commission member Alan Ho and business partners, Ben Fung and Edward Yu. Their company's attorney, Ronald Amemiya, declined to comment.

Michael Motoda, president of the architecture firm, said he had misunderstood state rules regarding contributions to mayoral campaigns. A company or individual may give up to $4,000 to a candidate. But the commission counted contributions by Motoda and his company as coming from a single source because Motoda is a member of the company's board of directors, and that put him over the limit.

The commission also ruled that contributions made by several restaurants owned by Ho and his partners should be counted as coming from a single source.

Commission director Robert Watada said the fine for the architecture firm was more than the other because expenses such as subpoenas were involved in that probe.