Posted on: Friday, October 8, 2004

Illegal contributions settlement to be heard

Advertiser Staff

The Campaign Spending Commission will consider next week a settlement over about $155,000 in illegal contributions by two sister engineering companies to the campaigns of high-profile politicians from 1997 to 2002.

The settlement, which proposes a fine, is with KFC Engineering Management Inc. and KFC Airport Inc. for donations made in excess of the campaign limits and under false names, according to Bob Watada, the commission's executive director.

The donations included $51,000 to Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign, $31,165 to gubernatorial candidate Mazie Hirono's campaign and $25,000 to former Gov. Ben Cayetano's campaign, but also $12,500 to Gov. Linda Lingle's campaign, Watada said.

Dale Lee, lawyer for the two companies run by Dexter Kubota, KFC president, and Brian Bowers, KFC Airport president, said the two are "outstanding people who have been cooperating with the Campaign Spending Commission.

"They're looking forward to putting this behind them," he said. "They will take a significant administrative fine that has been proposed."

Watada and Lee declined to disclose the amount of the proposed fine.

The commission is scheduled to hear the proposed settlement on Wednesday.