Chuck Totto, executive director of the Honolulu Ethics Commission, resigned effective immediately.

Totto acknowledged some commissioners do not trust him to make important decisions. He blamed his resignation, in part, on his longstanding adversarial relationship with the administration of Mayor Kirk Caldwell.

Through a spokesperson, Caldwell thanked Totto for his service to the city. Caldwell will face off against Totto’s attorney, former Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle, in this year’s mayoral race.

Totto has not decided what he will do next, but confirmed he will not seek the vacant position leading the State Ethics Commission.

In an ongoing battle for independence, the Honolulu Ethics Commission sent a letter to Mayor Kirk Caldwell highlighting the latest affront by corporation counsel and asking the administration to demonstrate its commitment to a strong ethics program.

The letter mentioned commission plans to investigate city employees suspected of getting paid for work they did not do. The suspected fraud is estimated to cost the city a quarter of a million dollars per year, and the commission requested authority to purchase a $600 GPS tracking device to use as part of its investigation. Donna Leong, the city’s corporation counsel, took five weeks to conditionally approve the purchase, by which time the investigative window had closed.

The Caldwell administration did not respond or comment on the letter; it will likely be discussed at the June 26 Ethics Commission meeting.