Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

[glossyp]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

I wish they (the show) had been more up front about what was happening, that these people were not in financial distress and that this was an acknowledgement of service Mrs. Akana has given to the community and the years of struggle. The whole show and process seems a bit suspect now.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

Today's newspaper piece also answers something else we wondered about here, and it was when we were discussing possible tax implications. We now know that they don't outright own the house. The tv show people drew up a lease for them, keeping the details of the lease private but the charity owns the house. Maybe it's a fifty year lease or something.

The Advertiser's article raises a lot of red flags that go way beyond the ethical issues of how "needy" the Akana family actually was.

As Ian Lind points out in his website, the non-profit organization (Keiki O Ka 'Aina) has several staff members who are also on the board of directors, not the least of which is Momi Akana, who also holds the title of executive director. Another board member who also functions as an administrator is Jack Randall, who happens to be married to Momi's mother. Hmmmm.

As if the administrative and fiduciary interlocking wasn't bad enough, there also appears to be a liberal commingling of funds going back and forth between Momi Akana and her non-profit organization. Besides the six-figure salary and benefits she receives from her non-profit org., the Advertiser reports that KOKA also paid Akana $22,000 in annual rent for use of the top floor in her old house. Conversely, Momi Akana and her family is occupying and leasing the new house, which is owned by KOKA. For how much, we don't know because KOKA staff member Kanoe Nanoe is claiming that Extreme Makeover wanted to keep terms of the lease agreement confidential. Very strange.

And that's not all, of course. Now that Akana has announced plans to turn her old house into a transitional center for women getting out of prison, does she plan to extract even more rent money from her non-profit organization for use of the entire house?

There's a lot of questions here. And I'm sure the IRS is just as anxious as anyone else for the answers.

[Karen]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

Sigh....can't deny it's sounding close to an investigation being needed. I think you can trust the state of Hawaii, taxation pitbulls to go through this thoroughly, and from what we're told in the Advertiser article, it's sounding fitting and proper. dangit~

[tutusue]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

I was given a "tip" awhile back about Momi's income. By that time I'd already perused KOKA info and saw the salary but the name attached to it wasn't familiar to me. As it turned out, it was Momi's previously married, legal name. Still, the "Pollyanna" in me hopes that Momi's good deeds while she was a welfare mom are being repaid now. IOW, Karma in action!!! I'm more interested to see how the show is scripted to depict the Akanas. Since Momi's husband is a VP at FHB, it would be in really poor taste for the show to play up any reference to welfare without dates or to depict them as continuing to be low income. And, will the show reference Mr. Akana's position? Time will tell!

As mentioned above, I sincerely hope that the decision to bless the Akanas with a new home and KOKA facility is karmicly based and that this situation can withstand any investigation that might take place.

[Karen]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

Amen, Sue! I hope so, too. I hope things aren't peculiar as they sound, and most of all that this precious lady that I believe DID share some of her food stamp food with others, is being blessed and that there's no real bummers up the road for them. Karma, Law of Reciprocity...it has more than one name and I believe strongly in "it."

[ploal5333]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

I don't get it. How is someone collecting welfare, using public tax money to establish a center for whatever, giving back to the community??? I can see Oprah or professional athletes who use their own salaries to start non-profits as giving back, but the prior? I don't see it.

To top it off, after lobbying for public funds from Washington and the State Legislature, and paying yourself a good salary in excess of $120,000, which includes $1,900/mo for office space in a rundown house which, btw, would buy you monthly rent for an ENTIRE luxury 1-bdr condo in Kakaako, you still say she's giving back to the community? GIVE ME A BREAK!

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

I think this issue is being obfuscated by the media. The Advertiser headlines trumpets, 'Makeover' home recipient earns $100K. Thing is, while that notion does not set well with some people, there is nothing illegal as far as that particular matter is concerned. If the Extreme Makeover producers saw fit to build a new home for the Akanas, despite their combined salaries being in the neighborhood of a quarter mil, fine. That's their business and I have no problem with that.

Ian Lind's headline puts the focus on the real controversy. “Extreme Makeover” home built on land purchased with state grant to a nonprofit agency. This is where the real problem is, folks. The new house is built on land owned by Akana's non-profit agency. In turn, it was the state legislature that provided $2 million in funds to make that particular land purchase in Kalihi possible. The purchase was made in December of '06. Now,... did KOKA's grant proposal state that a residential home would be built on the land? If not, there could be trouble if it's considered misappropriation of funds.

What compounds the problem is the fact that KOKA is leasing out the new house to its executive director, Momi Akana. Who made this decision, KOKA's board of directors? Well, Momi herself is a board member, as well as her step-father. Yikes! And finally, what are the lease terms? That information is confidential, at the show's request. Or say claims KOKA's spokesperson. Double yikes!

That last point troubles me. How much in rent will Akana be paying to KOKA? Keep in mind that she collected more than $22,000 in annual rent from KOKA for the upstairs use of her old house, valued at $397,000. With that in mind, what would be an appropriate rent for Akana's family to entirely occupy the new house, valued at over $600,000? Hmmm, maybe there is a reason why this information is being kept under wraps.

Now, the issue has nothing to do with how nice a person Momi Akana is, or how deserving she and her family may be for helping others. I'm good friends with David Nakada, who's been executive director of the Boys & Girls Club in Hawaii for almost 30 years now. He's done a lot for the youth in the community and he's been the recipient of many awards. But as much good as he's done, David can't furnish some rooms in the Spalding Clubhouse and start using it as his own personal appartment. Neither can he (nor would he) use B&G Club vans to do his personal errands. Years of service and dedication simply does not give anyone the license to personally use and misappopriate the funds/assets of a non-profit entity. He told me that as the head of a non-profit agency, there shouldn't be any exceptions to this because once you start doing it, it can be hard to stop. You begin to rationalize, and after awhile, even someone who starts out with the sincerest of intentions begin to make unwise and selfish decisions.

Momi Akana may have helped over 9,000 families over the last decade or so. And for that, she should certainly be applauded and acknowledged. But her compensation should be her salary/benefits (preferably determined by board members who are well-respected in the community and are NOT staff members or clients of KOKA). That's pretty much it. When you start compensating an exec with additional things involving assets/properties that belong to the non-profit entity, you're treading a slippery slope. Unfortunately, I believe such a misstep was taken when KOKA's board allowed Extreme Makeover to build a residential house on their land. If Momi Akana wished for a new home for her family's use, it should have been done on her own land, not her agency's. But an unwise choice was made and as a result, there may be consequences that will have to be dealt with.

[dick]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

Wasn't this referred to as "niele" earlier?

Interestingly enough, the tax info and all that jazz that was "broken" on this thread weeks ago...

... and now it's "news."

[Karen]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

Dick, Hawaiithreads rockin it yet again.

This thread was accused of taking "niele" which is good, too far.

[ploal5333]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

Seems NY had a similar controversial situation where ABC chose only the facts they wished to disclose and the local newspaper who investigated and reported the whole story after the build came under fire:

http://blogs.timesunion.com/editors/?p=639

[acousticlady]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

Seems NY had a similar controversial situation where ABC chose only the facts they wished to disclose and the local newspaper who investigated and reported the whole story after the build came under fire:

http://blogs.timesunion.com/editors/?p=639

This occurred in my "other" neighborhood. I have to say, with all the hoopla this show created in NY, I have kind of ignored this thread. I have lost all interest in the show due to what happened in NY. For some reason, I happened to look at the thread this morning and saw the NY incident referenced. This made me go back and read what has been said about the HI show. Seems to me that here in HI, the issues are a little more serious. In NY, the issue was how "good" or "bad" the receipiant was. She apparently had a previous drug problem and her ex (maybe out of jealousy) made sure the public knew it. However, she has since cleaned up her act and has taken in children with AIDS. I don't believe there was any issue with how much she made or who owned the land.

I think that any story (for this show or any other reason) will always have another side. Does anyone remember Paul Harvey's old radio show "The Rest of the Story"?

[LikaNui]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

Mark Platte, the Editor of the Honolulu Advertiser, had a very interesting editorial at this link in yesterday's paper about why the paper ran stories on the salary info. Good reading.

[scrivener]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

Reporters Rick Daysog and Kim Fassler did an admirable job and played it straight down the middle.

I have to say I agree with this assessment. "Right down the middle" is exactly the way I'd describe the write-ups. And yes, good piece.

[Karen]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

Thanks for posting the links to these other articles. Y'all rock~

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Exteme Makeover Home Edition in Hawaii

I have to say I agree with this assessment. "Right down the middle" is exactly the way I'd describe the write-ups. And yes, good piece.

Yep. Gotta give kudos to the Advertiser for publicizing a story that has been downplayed, if not hushed up, by our other media outlets.

KITV, being an ABC affiliate, well, I can understand the position their news dept. is in. But as Ian Lind pointed out in his website a few days ago, a possible conflict could also exist in the realm of KHON, as Keiki O Ka Aina is a charitable partner with KHON's Lokahi Giving Project.

http://www.khon2.com/news/local/6284627.html

So the question is, will this partnership (started a few months before the Extreme Makeover fiasco) affect KHON's handling of this news story?