For the second time in two weeks the Honolulu Ethics Commission has come down on a City Council member.

Nick Grube reports Inside Honolulu:

This time, however, there was a hefty fine associated with the punishment.

Council Member Nestor Garcia was forced to pay $6,500 for breaking conflict of interest rules related to his role as executive director of the Kapolei Chamber of Commerce.

According to an Ethics Commission press release, Garcia was required to file a conflict of interest disclosure for 52 bills and resolutions because the chamber had testified on issues, such as rail and rezoning in the Kapolei area.

Here’s what Ethics Commission Executive Director Chuck Totto said in a statement:

“Councilmember Garicia’s duty to the public here is clear-cut,” Totto said. “The test for a conflict of interest is simple — Would a reasonable person question the councilmember’s impartiality in voting if his employer took a position on the bill? It’s hard to imagine a more obvious and basic financial conflict than your employer testifying on a bill that you’ll vote on.”

Civil Beat has written about Garcia’s conflict in the past. His response? “Don’t tell me I’m a whore.”

Last week Council Member Ikaika Anderson was verbally flogged by the Ethics Commission. But unlike Garcia, Anderson did not receive a fine.

You can read the Ethics Commission opinion on Garcia here.

—Nick Grube