Posted on: Tuesday, August 5, 2003

Lingle returns $16,000 in campaign donations

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Gov. Linda Lingle's campaign committee has returned about $16,000 in contributions over the past two months to donors because most of the money was linked to a company with a history of campaign spending violations, the head of the Lingle campaign said yesterday.

Bob Awana, Lingle's chief of staff who also headed her campaign, said the money had been raised since June when Lingle held several fund-raiser "bashes" to celebrate her birthday. Awana said some of the checks may have come from legitimate donors, but the campaign didn't want to take a chance because they were associated with the company.

Awana would not name the firm, but said it is under investigation and "has demonstrated a pattern of excessive contributions." He said Lingle's campaign committee has set up an extensive computer program that links individual donors with companies and allows the campaign to monitor donations.

"Our research showed that most of them were all affiliated with the same company, either as decision makers or employees, so to err on the side of caution, we decided that we would return those contributions," Awana said.

"I don't want to prejudge the givers. They may be made in totally good faith. But I have to step back and look at the bigger picture and in doing so we made a decision to return them."

How much of an impact the refunds will have on Lingle's re-election bid isn't known. But her campaign already has a solid jump on the 2006 election, having collected $718,000 during the first six months of this year. Former Gov. Ben Cayetano's campaign raised $2,500 in the first six months of the year following his 1994 victory.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8025.