Hawaii state Sen. Gil Keith-Agaran, Democrat, represents a Maui district devastated by this month’s wildfires. While in the spotlight, Keith-Agaran resigned Wednesday… ahead of a possible ethics scandal.
Keith-Agaran had been serving as vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee, the body responsible for writing the budget. Meanwhile, Agaran is also a partner at a law firm apparently weighing a lawsuit against the state, on behalf of wildfire victims.
Given his committee role, Keith-Agaran raised eyebrows over a possible conflict of interest. He may have seen confidential information about the state’s budget, information with the potential to affect his clients’ payouts.
“There are some potential ethical issues,” Randal Lee, a retired state circuit court judge now teaching at Hawaii Pacific University, told Hawaii News Now. “Because he’s a state senator, he may be privy to confidential information that the public doesn’t have and he might be privy to use that information for the benefit of his client.”
Keith-Agaran partially owns a law firm partnering with Morgan and Morgan, who have already filed a lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric and Maui Electric Co.
Plus, Keith-Agaran himself appeared on a flyer for a lawsuit for a “community discussion” between his law firm and wildfire victims. He was reportedly omitted from later flyers.
Some legislators have sued their own states in the past… but none have launched a lawsuit this large while also leading the Ways and Means Committee.
Keith-Agaran could have asked for an opinion from the Ethics Committee before appearing on the flyer. Instead, he chose to resign afterward.
“It has been my privilege to have served in the state Legislature representing the people of my Central Maui Communities in Senate District 5 and former House District 5,” Keith-Agaran said in the email to the governor, the senate president, and the state Democratic Party.
Keith-Agaran was appointed to the state House in 2009 and the state Senate four years later. At the time of his exit, he helped to chair not only Ways and Means, but also the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Tourism and Hawaiian Affairs.
He attracted attention Wednesday for resigning more than three years before the end of his term. In response, he explained that he could serve better serve the wildfire victims through his law firm than through the state Senate.
“I believe that this decision best serves the interests of the Maui people especially given what they have gone through over the last three weeks, and what they continue to experience,” Keith-Agaran said later in a statement issued by the Senate. “The choice for me has always been and will always be my family and community, and this decision is consistent with that overriding value.”
The Hawaii Democratic Party is set to give the governor a list of three possible replacements for Keith Agaran. The governor must appoint one of them within 60 days, as per state law.
Take a look at the flyer —
Sen. Keith-Agaran resigning amid ethical questions over Maui lawsuit representation, Mayor Bissen criticized for fire response, Biden pledges $95M for electric grid hardening, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands #HInews #HIgov #HIleg https://t.co/SUqFcUIXVP pic.twitter.com/l3snjDdAxz
— All Hawaii News (@allhawaiinews) August 31, 2023
The Horn editorial team