Hawaii contractors are still big contributors to political campaigns due to loopholes in state law

Executive officers and employees of government contractors along with their family members donated more than $170,000 to local campaigns between January and the end of June, a Civil Beat review of campaign finance data found.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s campaign topped the list of recipients with about $62,000 coming in from people tied to contractors, including one that recently won a flood control contract from the city. That figure is about 13% of the $475,000 his campaign raised between Jan. 1 and June 30.

Blangiardi dismissed the notion that there would be any connection between campaign donations and contracts his administration awarded.

“I don’t think anybody over the last four years, thought ‘If I give Blangiardi some money, maybe we’ll get the contracts,’” the mayor said in an interview.

The top contributors to all campaigns include executives of Honolulu rail contractor Nan Inc., who along with their family members contributed $29,000 to various campaigns.

Big contributors also include officers of Alexander & Baldwin. A subsidiary recently sold the state land for $10.5 million, while A&B contributed to state lawmakers’ campaigns via the company’s political action committees.

Hawaii banned donations from contractors in 2005, but the Legislature wrote a loophole into the law that allowed officers, owners, employees and family members to continue donating. A New York Times and Civil Beat investigation earlier this year found that nearly one-fifth of all campaign donations made since 2006 came from people tied to contractors.

Efforts to close the loophole and ban donations from company executives and family members failed in the last two legislative sessions. However, citing the Times/Civil Beat investigation, lawmakers