protect the reefs! ban sunscreen! make me rich! and she is not the only one....

https://www.hawaiifreepress.com/Articles-Main/ID/41730/How-Oily-Profiteer-Manipulated-Maui-Sunscreen-Legislation-for-Personal-Gain

In the November 2024 election, Kelly King is a candidate to retake her old Maui Council seat.  She has an un-reported track record of ethical violations.

In 2017 and 2018, then-South Maui Councilwoman Kelly King successfully championed State and County bills from which she financially benefited. While promoting the bills to ban so-called ‘chemical’ sunscreens, Ms. King made no disclosure that she had just launched a sunscreen company to make the so-called ‘mineral’ sunscreens mandated by her proposed law.

In November of 2017, then Councilmember Elle Cochran introduced Maui Council legislation to ban chemical sunscreens. Kelly King, the South Maui Councilmember, businesswoman and owner of Pacific Biodiesel, was paying very close attention.   Cochran’s bill went nowhere, but Kelly apparently saw the writing on the wall.

DCCA records show Robert King registered Maiden Hawaii Naturals, LLC as a subsidiary managed by Pacific Biodiesel, June 26, 2017.  Kelly and her husband Robert King have both been listed as directors and officers of Pacific Biodiesel since April 1, 2017.  Pacific Biodiesel was listed as manager of Maiden Hawaii until August 2, 2021, whereupon the Maiden Hawaii managers were changed to Robert and Kelly King individually.

King’s 2017-2022 financial disclosures made no mention of Maiden Hawaii, LLC.  But with the legislating done, her 2024 disclosure as a candidate for public office now acknowledges she is a manager of this for-profit business and that Robert King receives compensation of $1,000 to $9,999 from Maiden Hawaii.

Maiden Maui touted its line of so-called 'reef friendly' sunscreens in Biodiesel Magazine September 19, 2018.

The push to ban so-called ‘chemical’ sunscreens statewide continued with the Maui Council’s 2019 legislative package via the Hawaii Association of Counties (HSAC).  On November 2, 2018, Ms. King reminded the full council about banning sunscreen, “I mentioned that the preemptive sunscreen bill that, that some folks are working on.”

Fast forward to 2021 when Councilmember Tamara Paltin introduced legislation via County Communication #21-305 and Bill 135 to ban chemical sunscreens on a county level. Bill 135 was referred to Kelly King’s Climate Action, Resilience, and Environment Committee.

As committee chair, on August 4, 2021, King supports the concept of public dispensers for mineral based sunscreens saying:   “And hopefully maybe we could use some of kind of exchange like that as a way to support our local businesses that are making the truly reef safe sunscreens…”  (page 19)

At no time did King make any disclosure that she owns a sunscreen company that might contract to fill those dispensers.

At each Council reading, Kelly voted in favor of the bill, again without any disclosure of her conflict. Bill 135 became ordinance 5306, establishing a new law and chapter in county code. Maui retailers now can only sell sunscreens that have a ‘mineral’ base, such as the product manufactured by Kelly King’s company.

A lot of the chemicals in FDA approved sunscreens are really awful, like not just bad for reefs but full on carcinogenic. Yes she should have disclosed her conflict of interest but overall it's a net positive to switch to mineral formulas. Also as a surfing troglodyte I've tested a lot of them and the chemical formulas simply can't hold up to the tropical sun.

i'm constantly appalled about the lack of "conflict-of-interest" awareness in Hawaii's state and county governments.  it's mind-boggling.

i guess they don't get training on that kind of stuff?

as a former gov employee, i was always getting bombarded with ethics training, contracting officer training, where conflict-of-interest is hammered into your head incessantly, year after year, non-stop, it becomes second nature, well, almost.  Not everybody gets the message, obviously, even in the gov & mil ranks.  some folks are just stupid and get caught and go to jail.

but the total absence of this awareness at the state and county levels!  seriously, this is not rocket science.  I sit back and watch this unfolding at the local level govt, it's as plain as day to see.   

i'm constantly appalled about the lack of "conflict-of-interest" awareness in Hawaii's state and county governments.  it's mind-boggling.

i guess they don't get training on that kind of stuff?

as a former gov employee, i was always getting bombarded with ethics training, contracting officer training, where conflict-of-interest is hammered into your head incessantly, year after year, non-stop, it becomes second nature, well, almost.  Not everybody gets the message, obviously, even in the gov & mil ranks.  some folks are just stupid and get caught and go to jail.

but the total absence of this awareness at the state and county levels!  seriously, this is not rocket science.  I sit back and watch this unfolding at the local level govt, it's as plain as day to see.   

It's not that our government officials are not aware.  The problem is they don't care.

So many in government are engaged in corruption to various degrees, such as nepotism or graft.  It's really the ones who don't include the right people in a share of their little enterprise who get punished.  Then there's the "you report my corruption, i'll report yours, too," syndrome.  Hard to be held accountable when so many others are playing the same game.  Nobody's hands are clean.

I remember the story of a liquor license inspector getting caught shaking down strip club bars to avoid having their liquor license suspended.  That government employee was fired and then rehired into the same job a few years later!!   

That story tells me somebody wanted to keep him quiet or risk exposure, too.