Open Letter to the People of the County of Hawaii

The past several days have been a mixture of emotions for me, my family and supporters. Shock and disbelief are just some of the feelings we've had in response to recent news articles. I feel it is very important to correct the misinformation and distortion of facts that have been printed in the newspaper.

Here are the facts:

1. I have not been charged with any wrong doing; neither have I been named as a defendant or party to any lawsuit.

2. My attorneys were not allowed to participate in the lawsuit, because I was not a defendant named in the lawsuit.

3. I have done nothing wrong, the allegations made are false and baseless, and I welcome the opportunity to defend myself in a court of law.

4. I was called ONLY as a witness in this lawsuit.

5. The Administrative Law Judge sealed all proceedings of this lawsuit at the request of the complainant.

6. The newspapers have reported numerous times that the hearing has been sealed by a Federal order, yet the newspapers have quoted information using an "anonymous" source, and willfully violated the Judge's order.

I call upon the newspapers to divulge their sources so that everyone can validate the reliability of this information. Our system is based on equal due process to both sides which clearly hasn't happened. You cannot imagine the frustration of being accused of something and not having the opportunity to defend yourself.

I knew about these allegations for almost a year. If these allegations had any validity, do you think that I would have announced a mayoral campaign? I have the utmost respect for all the people of our county, and that is why I will continue to campaign and deal with the many real and important issues facing all of us. I have the greatest wife and son whom I love and cherish. I will not let these false allegations harm my family. I ask for your continued support in finding ways to create a better quality of life for the entire Big Island. To resign or allow these allegations to overwhelm me is contradictory to every belief or value that I stand for.

Sincerely,
Stacy K. Higa,
Council Member and candidate for Mayor