ISLAND VOICES
He's no prop for Lingle's photo op

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie is a Hawai'i representative in Congress and a Democrat.

Gov. Linda Lingle unveiled a so-called "plan" for rail transit on Oct. 27. Transportation systems are complex things. They require highly specific planning and well-researched ridership, cost and revenue projections. Most importantly, they need a dedicated source of local revenue to match federal money. The airy nothings presented by Lingle didn't even come close to meeting the criteria.

Subsequently, the governor backpedaled away from the most important requirement for transit — revenue for the local funding share. Her transit plan, it turns out, was nothing more than a political photo op.

Now I'm in trouble for saying so. In a recent Advertiser story the governor's spokesman, Lenny Klompus, boils over with quotes denouncing me for not playing my assigned role as a prop in the Lingle photo op. Let's look at some of these quotes from Klompus:

"When was the last time the congressman issued a plan to deal with congestion in his district?"

When it comes to transportation, we in Congress are servants of the state and city. These local jurisdictions have the planners, engineers and other professionals to develop the proposals. The congressional delegation's job is to secure federal money for plans that meet the minimum requirements of credibility and local share financing.

My comments "lack bipartisanship."

Former Mayor Frank Fasi was a Republican, and I fought hard for federal money for his rail transit proposal. Our party differences had no effect on my willingness to do it.

If anyone thinks I'm anti-rail, they should look at the record. I fought hard in the early '90s for federal money for Honolulu Rapid Transit. We secured congressional approval for more than $600 million, only to see it disappear when the local share commitment melted away.

I have a file bulging with requests for help from Lingle and her appointees. I'm happy to cooperate with a serious transit request from Lingle, but I won't be a prop for a stage-managed photo op.