Five candidates for Kaua‘i County Council and one for mayor were months late in filing mandated public disclosures about their employers, income, board positions, property and other financial interests. 

Under current county rules, they face no consequences for failing to disclose their finances — a sharp contrast to Honolulu and Hawai‘i counties, where such tardiness could result in fines as high as $2,000 and even prison time. 

“That is key information for many informed voters and not having that information when you’re making decisions is cheating the system,” said Camron Hurt, state director for Common Cause Hawaii, adding that the county should rectify it immediately. 

The Kaua‘i Board of Ethics plans to discuss next month whether to implement fines for late filers. 

The Hawai‘i House passed a resolution last year urging the counties to adopt similar standards as the state. Candidates for state office are assessed an initial $50 administrative fine for late financial disclosure filings. An additional $250 fine can be assessed if the candidate is over 30 days late. 

Last September, the Kauaʻi Board of Ethics formed a working group to take up that issue and others, such as whether the board’s rules or county’s Code of Ethics needed amendments regarding fines, nepotism and gifts. 

Hurt said a rule without a consequence is just a suggestion, and that there should be consequences for candidates filing financial disclosures late, especially if the county wants to promote trust in its local government. The nonpartisan nonprofit has advocated for stronger lobbying disclosure laws, limits on cash gifts to campaigns and other reforms. 

Kaua‘i County law requires that mayoral and council candidates file financial disclosures within a week of submitting nomination papers. Mayoral candidate Denis Megeso-William and council candidates Michelle Kaleiohi Correa and Jeremy Haupt filed nomination papers in March and April. Addison Bulosan and council candidates Mike Coots and James Trujillo filed in May and June. 

The Board of Ethics, which reviews disclosures for conflicts of interest, voted last week to have the Office of Boards and Commissions staff call and email candidates to remind them to file their disclosures. Ellen Ching, Boards and Commissions administrator, told members that’s what staff did in past election years, though candidates wouldn’t always respond. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, Bulosan, Coots and Correa submitted their disclosures, and Haupt told staff that he would soon be sending in his.

Kaua‘i is the only county that doesn’t impose penalties on candidates who fail to file their financial disclosures on time. Maui County assesses an administrative fine of $25.

Honolulu and Hawai‘i County have much tougher penalties.  

Honolulu’s fines range from $100 for an initial late filing and $200 for a second late filing, to the fine imposed for the previous late filing plus $200. Candidates who fail to file entirely may also face a criminal fine of up to $2,000, imprisonment of up to one year, or both. 

In Hawai‘i County, candidates can be found guilty of a misdemeanor, charged up to $1,000 and imprisoned for a year.  

Hurt said Honolulu and Hawai‘i countie’s fines are reasonable consequences. 

“The disclosures tell the voters so much,” he said. 

Of the three council members running for mayor, Chair Mel Rapozo is the only one who receives outside income. His consulting business generates $25,000 in annual income. He also receives $45,000 from the state retirement system. 

The disclosures show Arryl Kaneshiro, who’s seeking another two-year term on the council, has a consulting and sheep ranching business, from which he receives more than $100,000 a year. Seven other council candidates have their own businesses. 

While the candidate financial disclosures are public record, the county doesn’t make them available online. Instead, the county will provide them upon request. Civil Beat obtained the financial disclosures from the 2026 candidates who have filed so far and put them in a public Google Drive folder here.

Civil Beat’s reporting on Kauaʻi is supported in part by a grant from the G. N. Wilcox Trust.