BY MICHAEL P. RETHMAN – On Dec. 3rd, Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle vociferously rejected the Lingle-commissioned independent study of Honolulu rail finances calling it an “appalling waste” of state dollars.
Carlisle also impugned the report’s writers as if they, unlike some of Carlisle’s campaign contributors, would somehow profit from revealing inconvenient facts about the plan.
Carlisle further ranted that “…GET collections is (sic) at 99% on track.” This last Carlisle claim is fanciful insofar as in March 2009, rail collections were 13+% below expectations, according to a Honolulu Advertiser article by investigative reporter Sean Hao. In May 2010 another Advertiser report described revenues as flat instead of ever-rising as the rail plan projected.
A new mayor willing to make such fanciful claims should leave Oahu voters appalled at the waste of our votes on yet another truth-challenged politician. I’m already embarrassed that he got my vote.
Michael P Rethman is a resident of Kaneohe, Hawaii