HONOLULU- City investigators say ethics violations by the city's special events coordinator were so numerous and egregious that she was unfit to continue employment. But despite what was called blatant ethics violations, Patty Teruya admitted no wrong-doing.
Teruya was responsible for organizing most city events, whether it was a Sunset on the Beach or the annual Mayor's Craft and Country Fair.
An investigation by the Honolulu Ethics Commission showed Teruya abused her city position for her own benefit.
According to an advisory opinion, Teruya accessed 2,135 non-work related web sites on a city computer over a two-month period. The web pages visited included shopping sites as well as some for her failed campaign for City Council District 1 in Leeward Oahu. The Commission also found that Teruya sent and received 174 non-work related emails within the span of four months, and exploited her authority as Special Events Coordinator over non-profit organizations and vendors.
Teruya could have requested a contested case hearing to dispute the charges, but instead voluntarily resigned her position December 19.
"These are the exhibits we would have introduced at the hearing," said Charles Totto, the Honolulu Ethics Commission executive director and legal counsel, as he showed a 488 page file on Teruya to Khon2.
"When we looked at the amount of time those websites were opened, in a two month period it was eighteen work days," explained Totto. "There are twenty work days in each month, so that's almost half the time she was at these not work related web sites."
Teruya's attorney Franklin Don Pacarro says his client "denied any wrongdoing and resigned from her position as Special Events Coordinator in an effort to move on with her life." He said "the case was settled without the determination of any of the alleged facts."
However Totto stands by the Commission's findings, saying that Teruya is "not a woman that you can trust in a position of confidence."
Carroll Cox of the Carroll Cox Radio Show alleges Teruya's abuses went far beyond what the Ethics Commission investigated.
He says Teruya colluded with city politicians, both past and present, to further their political campaigns.
"She would put on a certain programs or functions and they would be invited to appear and make presentations and address the crowd while the others were not," said Cox, who is calling for a criminal investigation of Teruya's activities.
Teruya is also the chairwoman of the Nanakuli Neighborhood Board where she lives. The Ethics Commission investigation does not impact her role on the board.
Register to log on and leave a comment
Have a news tip? Contact Andrew Pereira at 368-7273. Follow Andrew on Twitter at Khon_Reporter or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AndrewPereiraKhon2
