Posted on 07/31/2002 12:47:04 AM PDT by Justice
Cayetano Criticized Over Analysis Of Lingle Plan
Analysis Sent To All Legislators
Posted: 4:09 p.m. HST July 29, 2002
Updated: 5:03 p.m. HST July 29, 2002
HONOLULU -- A watchdog group and Republicans blasted Gov. Ben Cayetano Monday for using state employees to analyze the financial effects of campaign proposals by GOP candidate for governor Linda Lingle.
The governor said he's providing a "public service" and that the programs of all candidates will be scrutinized.
Lingle came within 5,000 votes of beating Cayetano in 1998. This year, Cayetano's lieutenant goveronor, Mazie Hirono, is running against Lingle.
The governor issued a four-page news release Monday, saying Linda Lingle's proposed tax cuts in her New Beginning plan would create "a huge revenue loss."
Cayetano directed his tax and budget directors to research Lingle's plan, which she released last week.
"As governor, it's my duty to prepare the budget that's going to be submitted to the next legislature. Therefore, as I said in my e-mail, 'We're going to analyze all of the tax proposals made by everyone.' What's political about that?" Cayetano said.
He said his department heads will study the financial-tax plans of other major candidates for governor when they release them.
Cayetano e-mailed the results of the Lingle study to members of his cabinet at their work addresses.
It's something that's never happened before in the state; a sitting governor getting his staff to analyze the financial implications of candidates' positions, doing so on state time with state resources.
A watchdog group said that's not right.
"All of the people he sent it to should not should not be digging up this stuff on state time or using state facilities, because it seems to shade in the political. It shouldn't be used for political purposes," said Larry Meacham of Common Cause Hawaii.
Meacham is the spokesman for the government watchdog group.
"So they can go home and work on it. They just shouldn't be working on it during their job time," Meacham said.
Cayetano said it didn't cost taxpayers much, just one day's worth of work by his tax director.
The governor said he also sent the results of the Lingle study to all legislators' offices from both major parties.
"And we're going to analyze proposals made by Republicans and Democrats. Surely, the proposals made by these people will have an impact on the budget that's going to be sent to the legislature. That's why I sent it to Democrats and Republicans," Cayetano said.
The governor's spokeswoman said that the Cayetano administration can be objective in evaluating the proposals of one of their own, Hirono, even though many Cayetano cabinet members could be re-appointed and work for Hirono if she's elected governor. The spokeswoman said it's "purely a financial analysis."
"I think it's the candidates' and the media's responsibility to do that. Not the government's," Meacham said. "I agree those plans should be evaluated, I just don't think they should be evaulated by the government, because these are political plans at this point, and this is a political campaign."
The executive director of the state Ethics Commission said if someone complains about this, his panel could investigate a key question. ""To whether this is a mere campaign chore, or campaign task, or is this a legitimate state function or duty that's being carried out here?" state Ethics Commission director Dan Mollway said.
The governor sent the results of the Lingle study to the three leading Democrats Friday, and warned them that their plans, once they were developed, would be analyzed as well.
However, Cayetano, also a Democrat, did not warn Republican Lingle about the study and did not provide her with the results.
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