Yamane Heads City Ethics Panel

The former acting state auditor is now the Honolulu Ethics Commission’s new executive director and legal counsel.

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Jan Yamane is the new executive director and legal counsel of the Honolulu Ethics Commission.

The announcement was made by the commission Wednesday.

Right, State Auditor Jan Yamane and Jeff Kissell Executive Director of the Hawaii Health Connector answer questions after the auditor presented her report. 9 nov 2015. photograph Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Jan Yamane will take over the embattled Honolulu Ethics Commission, which has been in disarray ever since its prior executive director quit. Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2015

Yamane replaces Chuck Totto, who resigned in June after differences with commissioners and the Caldwell administration.

She will be charged with helping rebuild an ethics commission that up until this week had no one on staff to investigate complaints.

Yamane left her post as acting state auditor earlier this year.

Les Kondo, the former executive director of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, was appointed state auditor in April.

The Hawaii Attorney General’s Office had launched an investigation into the state auditor’s office while Yamane was at the helm.

Officials have kept quiet about what the investigation entailed.

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