By Jerry Burris
Advertiser Editorial Editor

On Tuesday of last week, city civil engineer Eugene C. Lee wrote an impassioned letter defending and explaining the process by which the city selects and awards non-bid consulting contracts.

This involves a detailed annual process that produces a list of qualified professionals. When a job comes up, the city's chief procurement officer chooses three potential contractors from a list of 10 vetted by an in-house committee. The department directly in charge of the project then chooses one of the three for the job and negotiates a price.

This process, Lee wrote, keeps politics out of the process and is quite similar to a "reform" contracting law just enacted with fanfare by the state.

The system does, indeed, appear designed to get the best possible contractor at the best possible price with little room for political interference.

Based on the rules, it seems that a potential contractor's best hope of getting city work would be to have a track record solid enough to impress the city's screening committee. Which leads us to a puzzlement.

It relates to a famous and often-repeated statement by former Mayor Frank Fasi (who is itching to get back into the mayor's seat again).

In speeches, Fasi would ask rhetorically: Who contributes to his political campaigns? It is, he would say, those who have done business with the city, those who are doing business with the city or those who want to do business with the city.

Or, put another way, Fasi said, all other things being equal between two potential contractors, his administration would tilt toward a friend rather than an enemy. Who wouldn't?

The key, Fasi said, is that there is no quid pro quo; that is, work in exchange for political favors.

Now it may be that things are different at City Hall these days, but the word appears not to have reached all those folks who did, are, or want to do city work.

Since November 2001, the state Campaign Spending Commission has fined no less than 63 companies some $365,850 for making over-the-limit (and often deliberately disguised) campaign contributions to local political figures, ranging from former Gov. Ben Cayetano to Mayor Jeremy Harris. Harris appears to have received the bulk of this unwanted generosity.

Why would these businesses and individuals want to pump so much money into the treasuries of these political figures if it has no impact on their fortunes? Why go out of the way to "hide" the excess cash by funneling it through the names of employees or family members?

Harris has said repeatedly he did not seek or knowingly accept any illegal contributions. And why would he, knowing it could come back to embarrass him or worse?

Many of those who contributed heavily are not working a deal where they give "X" dollars in exchange for specific contracts. What they are doing is buying stability, backing a known factor with whom they have worked in the past.

In short, backing up those folks in power who already have their names on "the List."

Reach Jerry Burris through letters@honoluluadvertiser.com.