The Honolulu Liquor Commission has begun the process of cleaning house, and the city is rightly waiting expectantly for far more progress to be made before the commissioners call it a day.

Administrator Wallace Weatherwax's negotiated retirement in October is just a start; clearly more changes are in order to deal with the agency's decades of institutionalized corruption and foster public confidence and credibility.

Weatherwax will continue to draw his taxpayer-supported salary until his official departure. That's too bad, but it's not surprising that such a concession would be made, given the civil service protections offered to the agency's top supervisors. When the agency's long-awaited strategic plan is unveiled in the next month, those protections must not apply to top administrative jobs. Those administrators also must be given periodic, comprehensive performance reviews.

This is one city department that distinctly needs its leaders to be fully accountable for what they and their subordinates do. Earlier this year, eight former investigators were found guilty on charges of racketeering, bribery, extortion and related counts for accepting bribes from owners and workers of hostess bars and strip clubs.

If the commission is ever to have credibility as a regulatory agency, there must be a complete revolution in its operational culture. While it's important to toughen the rules governing bar owners, that revolution should begin with introspection. It's fueled by continuing enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy where corruption is concerned.

Considering its history, the commission faces a long road toward gaining public trust. Dismissing the top brass is only the first step.