EDITORIAL
Please, Mr. Leong, step down now
Police commissioner Leonard Leong, who admits he made illegal campaign contributions to Mayor Jeremy Harris, is in a quandary over whether or not to step down.
Surely he can't believe that the benefits of his continued tenure on the mayor-appointed civilian panel that oversees the Honolulu Police Department — including cases of police misconduct and other abuses — outweigh the drawbacks.
It's absolutely vital that we trust these watchdogs.
Police and prosecutors are pursuing a massive investigation of illegal campaign contributions to various politicians, including, as it happens, the man who appointed Leong to the Police Commission, Mayor Harris.
Leong, a vice president of Royal Contracting Co., and former chairman of the commission, has been among the targets of the probe.
Authorities allege Leong illegally made excessive contributions to the Harris campaign between 1997 and 1999, some in the name of relatives and others.
By law in Hawai'i, an individual or company can give no more than $4,000 for a mayoral race and $6,000 for a gubernatorial race during a four-year election period. Needless to say, donors are forbidden from making contributions under false names.
Of course, there's no law forcing Leong to resign. But there ought to be. We said the same thing about former City Council member Andy Mirikitani, who stayed in his council seat five months after his federal felony conviction on corruption charges.
Councilman Mirikitani wouldn't budge until sentencing. In response, then-acting Gov. Mazie Hirono signed a law that would require elected officials to step down once convicted of a crime.
Granted, Leong's misdemeanor is manini compared to Mirikitani's conviction on charges of theft, bribery, extortion, wire fraud and witness tampering. Nonetheless, such a law ought to apply to tarnished political appointees as well.
Police Commission members this week sent out a strong signal that they would like to see Leong resign. So please, Mr. Leong, volunteer to step down. If you don't, Mayor Harris should remove you.
