Pull up a chair: Meetings of the Hawaiʻi Elections Commission are notoriously lengthy and contentious, with a divided commission unable to agree on much of anything (“Should we fire Chief Election Officer Scott Nago today?”)

So the Blog was prepared to settle in for another long one this week when the nine-member board was all set to try — once again — to select a new chair. Then the current chair, Mike Curtis, sent out an email to his colleagues last week informing them that he had canceled the meeting. The reason? The commission, he said, can’t reach agreement on who should take over for Curtis, so why bother.

“Due to the current makeup of the Hawaii Elections Commission, it is unreasonable to expect six votes to elect my successor to the position of Chairman,” he wrote.

But help might be on the way. Several new appointments of commissioners are expected July 1 to fill scheduled vacancies (including his).

“The new Chairman will be appointed/elected as prescribed by law,” said Curtis.

The chair did not respond to The Blog’s inquiry on how that might happen, but two paths are possible: that a commission with some new blood might reach agreement on who should be boss, or the chief justice of the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court will make the call.

The latest chaos at the commission comes as the state approaches the Aug. 8 primary, in which there are bound to be election challenges filed in our ongoing age of election denialism. The commission is tasked with investigating and holding hearings for receiving evidence of any violations and complaints.

Meantime, one of those commissioners, Ralph Cushnie, earlier this month asked the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court whether the state can even certify elections “without completing reconciliation” as required by state law.

The case — Cushnie, Gregory & Pasnik v. Scott T. Nago and Hawaiʻi Elections Commission, Case No. SCPW-26-0000424 — asked the court to compel the chief election officer and and the commission to complete that reconciliation before the 2026 statewide election is certified. The lawsuit contends that the commission has documented that those laws were not followed in the 2024 elections, based on discrepancies in the number of votes cast in Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi counties and the official results.

“This petition is not about party politics,” said a press release from Cushnie, who has been challenging the integrity of our elections for several years now. “The petitioners include individuals of different political backgrounds united by a single concern: that Hawaii’s elections be certified in compliance with the laws the Legislature enacted.”

Plaintiffs in the case include Tara Malia Gregory, who is running to unseat Honolulu City Councilman Tommy Waters, and Doug Pasnik, a retired Marine colonel and a registered Hawaiʻi voter.

Late last week, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court rejected the petition from Cushnie and company, calling it “unwarranted.”

Bidding aloha: Sen. Michelle Kidani announced her retirement from the Legislature in a Saturday afternoon press release. She says her last day after 18 years in office will be June 30.

“After much reflection, and in consultation with my physician, I have made the difficult decision to retire from the Hawaiʻi State Senate,” Kidani, who is the chamber’s vice president, said in the press release. “Throughout my years in public service, my focus has always been centered on serving my constituents to the very best of my ability, and I have always believed that if the time came when I could no longer fully and faithfully meet the responsibilities of this office, it would be my responsibility to make that decision.”

Questions were raised in February during the legislative session about Kidani’s mental fitness. Civil Beat reported that numerous people who worked closely with her noticed she seemed increasingly confused and had made some serious missteps during legislative hearings. She acknowledged at the time she’d been under a doctor’s care and her Senate colleagues were unusually outspoken about dementia and mental health during a floor session without ever saying that was what Kidani was suffering from.

The 77-year-old Kidani, who represents Mililani Town, Waipi‘o Gentry, Crestview, Waikele, a portion of Waipahu, Village Park and Royal Kunia, was the Senate Education Committee chair for a decade when the committee’s focus was on K-12. This past session, the committee was folded in with Senate Higher Education, long chaired by Sen. Donna Kim. Kim became the chair and Kidani the vice chair of what is now called the Senate Education Committee.

Kidani’s legislative agenda focused on advancing student well-being, educational access, student safety and support for Hawaiʻi’s communities. One of her bills, the Maʻi initiative or Menstrual Equality (Act 113 of 2022), expanded access to free menstrual hygiene products in public schools statewide “to ensure students can attend class with dignity and without barriers related to affordability,” according to the press release.

“While I am retiring from public office, my commitment to Hawaiʻi and to the people I have had the privilege to serve will remain unchanged,” Kidani said.

District 18 Democrats will send the names of three area party members to Gov. Josh Green, who will select a replacement. A special election to fill the remaining two years of Kidani’s term will be held in conjunction with the Nov. 3 general election.

They all look the same, right?: The Blog got a kick out of this column by longtime Alaska journalist Dermot Cole who found a good reason to write about President Donald Trump signing a proclamation allowing commercial fishing in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and elsewhere in the southern Pacific region.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican who is on his way out thanks to term limits, was invited to the Oval Office to watch the president sign the document. It turned out Trump thought the protected areas were in Alaska waters.

“Trump had no idea what he was signing. It appeared that Dunleavy had no idea what Trump was signing. In that they were evenly matched,” Cole writes.

“Trump thought the proclamation applied to Alaska waters, not to waters near Hawaii, and he had a notion he was saving the fishing industry from shutdowns ordered by his predecessors that Trump was reversing. He asked Dunleavy about it.”

You can read the column here (which The Blog, who appreciates a good snark, found hilarious for a lot of reasons including the comments) but Dunleavy did a good bit of dancing around when asked to address Trump’s folderol about how he had saved Alaska fishing by opening the protected areas.

“’Well, your deregulation is what really helps Alaska,’ Dunleavy said. ‘It helps the fishermen.'”

Indeed.

Ethically challenged: Hoping to reach more state employees to inform them on the do’s and don’ts of proper behavior, the Hawaiʻi State Ethics Commission plans to distribute short videos to assist with its training process. Billed as “The Ethics Minute,” one is titled Gifts from Contractors and Interested Parties: A Matter of Trust and the other Three Perspectives on the State Employee Gifts.

The screenshot below depicts a fictional state contractor admiring a gift basket: “These small gift baskets, they’re part of how we build relationships. We want our name to stand out. It’s marketing. We’re hoping state employees remember us when new contracts come around. It’s about getting noticed.”

The video then shifts to explain why state employees should not, in fact, accept gifts that might influence their officials duties. And those contracts are paid by taxpayers, of course.

Robert Harris, the commission’s executive director, said other ethics commissions nationally are taking similar approaches in making ethics law easy to understand.

Speaking of the do’s and don’ts for state employees, the ethics commission recently completed an investigation of a Department of Land and Natural Resources employee. Kapaihilauokalani “Kapa” Umebayashi, a conservation and resources enforcement officer, was found to have used state resources in an advertising video promoting a private business.

This past November, Umebayashi appeared in an Instagram reel advertising clothing apparel wearing his state-issued belt with holsters for his baton and other work instruments, and showed his state-issued truck.

“It was not made during his work time, or with state filming equipment. Respondent said he did it to generate goodwill and a favorable image of his agency,” according to the settlement. The Ethics Commission didn’t reveal the name of the clothing company.

Umebayashi cooperated with the investigation and was assessed a $300 penalty.

More, please: Another week, another Sunshine Blog, another round of campaign fundraisers as the Aug. 8 primary nears. This batch includes five state senators — Donovan Dela Cruz, Donna Kim, Tory Hashimoto, Rachele Lamosao and Chris Lee — raising money together June 16 at Bishop Museum. Sen. Stanley Chang was expected to hold a fundraiser of his own that same day at The Pacific Club.

That same day House Reps. Chris Todd, Matthias Kusch, Jeanne Kapela, Greggor Ilagan and Sue Keohokapu Lee Loy were set to gather at the Hilo Yacht Club. Kapela was then scheduled to join Reps. Tina Grandinetti and Trish La Chica at Aloha Beer Co. in Honolulu the next day.

Other fundraisers of note last week: Rep. Scot Matayoshi at the Old Spaghetti Factory and LG wannabe Derek Kawakami at what appears to be a private home in Hilo. And Honolulu City Councilman Matt Weyer had a fundraiser set up at the Fort Street Mall offices of Imanaka Asato, a well connected legal and lobbying firm.

Two former House reps looking to get back in the game are Lei Ahu Isa and John Mizuno, who also were listed with the Campaign Spending Commission as having filed fundraiser notices for last week.

The Blog, as readers know, likes to call attention whenever a political incumbent is asking for contributions. But candidates who do not currently hold an office are also required to notify the Campaign Spending Commission of any intent to hold a fundraiser.

This year, more than two dozen such candidates have filed fundraiser notices, including Christy MacPherson, who is running against Sen. Kim.

Never-ending story: And now for our bi-weekly update on the investigation into the mysterious legislator who possibly took a $35,000 bribe in 2022 while the FBI was watching. Brought to you by the state Attorney General’s Office which took over the case from the feds. The Blog is happy to share Friday’s press release in its entirety:

HONOLULU – The Department of the Attorney General today reaffirmed its commitment to conducting a thorough and independent public corruption investigation and ensuring that any conclusions reached are based on verified facts and evidence.

The Department’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division (SIPD) continues to review evidence, analyze records, conduct interviews and evaluate information obtained through the course of the investigation.

Because the investigation remains active, the department cannot comment on specific evidence, investigative steps, witness interviews, subpoenas, notifications, or potential charging decisions.

Statement from Attorney General Anne Lopez:

“I think most people believed that when this investigation commenced, it would be a simple matter of reviewing the evidence received from the Department of Justice and coming to a conclusion based on the evidence received.

This is not the case. As more facts are discovered, witnesses interviewed, and documents examined, what seemed a simple matter is in fact complex. Following the facts as they are uncovered is crucial to ensuring that the results can withstand legal scrutiny. To that end, this Department will take the time necessary to thoroughly complete the investigation.”

The Department of the Attorney General remains committed to transparency and will provide additional information when it is appropriate to do so and when doing so will not compromise the integrity of the investigation or the rights of individuals involved.