The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has notched up its government transparency efforts by engaging the services of a 30-year-veteran investigative reporter and producer. Don Ray, a multimedia journalist, public records specialist and author has joined the Institute to monitor and write about waste, fraud, and abuse in Hawaii state and local government.

“For us, it’s all about ensuring that there’s openness and accountability in government,” Grassroot Institute President Jamie Story said, “so it’s only fitting that we call on someone with decades of investigative experience to lend us a hand. We put out a national search for the most-qualified candidate and we’re confident that Don Ray will help us do an even better job shedding light on government practices here in Hawaii."

Ray began his investigative career with the United States Postal Inspection Service as a mail fraud analyst in the early 1970s. In 1978, he left government service and became part of the investigative news team at the NBC-owned television station in Burbank, California. Next, he worked as an investigative producer/reporter for the Public Broadcasting station in Phoenix, Arizona, before returning to produce investigative segments for KCBS, KNBC and KCAL television stations in Los Angeles. For a decade, Ray ran his own investigative news service whose clients included “60 Minutes”, “20/20”, “Dateline NBC” and dozens of other television, radio stations, wire services and newspapers. He has won awards for his work in both print and broadcast.

“I’m eager to roll up my pant legs and wade into the oceans of government records here in Hawaii,” Ray said. “I’m already impressed with the state government's pledge to allow everyone easy access to its records. The staff and volunteers at Grassroot Institute have done a great job of ferreting out examples of waste, and I’m looking forward to helping them take it to the next level!"

Earlier this year, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii embarked on a new initiative to bring transparency and accountability to Hawaii state and local government. The goal of this initiative is to throw open the doors of government, so that citizens have the information they need to hold elected officials accountable for their actions.

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