Posted on: Tuesday, August 3, 2004

EDITORIAL
Campaign spending flaws deserve scrutiny

One of the more interesting issues for voters going into the 2004 elections will be candidates' stands on campaign spending reform.

We have long argued that a key question for every voter to ask is whether the candidate will agree to strict new rules that limit who can contribute and if they will agree to limits on what campaign money can be used for.

But don't take easy answers. Ask whether the candidate has played by the rules he or she now supports.

For instance, voters might ask Sen. Cal Kawamoto for an explanation of his handling of campaign finances that led last week to a $21,000 fine by the Campaign Spending Commission.

Kawamoto, D-18th Dist. (Waipahu-Pearl City), was cited for failing to disclose dozens of campaign contributions and for using campaign money for personal expenses.

The senator says the failure to report contributions was inadvertent, the result of a shift from paper to electronic filing.

And he says he did not realize the money spent on an automobile ($26,000) and for UH season football tickets and golf tournaments should be counted as personal, not campaign, expenses.

Voters in Kawamoto's district should think long and hard before deciding that these explanations are good enough to merit another term in office.