The Billion Dollar Gamble: State Investment

BY DENNIS HOLLIER Photo: istockphoto.com What a difference a billion dollars makes. Until recently, the state treasury – officially, the Treasury Management Branch of the Financial Administration Division of the Department of Budget and Finance – has operated in relative obscurity. With its staff of seven or eight employees, the treasury acts as cash manager…

School Procurement Scandals

BY DENNIS HOLLIER “It’s OK as long as it’s for the children,” says Marion Higa. Photo: Kevin Blitz“It’s OK as long as it’s for the children,” says Marion Higa. The state auditor smiles wanly to show she’s being sarcastic while commenting on her office’s two-part 2009 audit of procurement at the Department of Education. That’s…

Hawaii Procurement Wastes $200 Million

For most people, government is simply the sum of the services it provides: security and safety, for example, in the form of police and fire departments; education, in the form of schools and libraries; and transportation, in the form of roads, harbors and airports. Citizens can measure their government by how effectively it provides those…