Rail vote should focus on city needs, not politics
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Surely he can't be serious.
Councilman Romy Cachola, who seems to enjoy being at the center of the mass-transit discussions at the City Council, is stirring the pot again. If only a multibillion-dollar system weren't at stake, the drama might be something worth watching.
But there is that much at stake, so watching the shenanigans is an exercise in sheer frustration.
Today the council is due to make the final selection of the transit technology that will best serve the needs of O'ahu residents. A panel of experts — which the council had a hand in selecting — has made its recommendation. Steel wheels on steel rails, it said, offered the best deal for taxpayers on reliability, performance and ongoing costs.
The recommendation was overwhelming, and it should be endorsed by the council today.
However, Cachola is now muddying the waters by casting doubt on whether he'd support the project at all. He raises various objections:
First, the panel was perhaps clearest of all on that point, that steel on steel is the best-established technology with the most vendors, all of which keeps down costs of acquisition and repairs. Far less data have been compiled on the competing technologies, it's true, but that simply underscores why steel on steel has the edge on this score.
Even if there's room to debate where the buildout should begin, that's not the question on the table. It's irresponsible to hold the process hostage on that narrow basis.
Cachola's constituents elected him, but all the taxpayers of O'ahu are paying his salary and the costs of building the transit system. His job goes beyond the parochial concerns of his district and should encompass the needs of the city.
Failure to see the big picture is going to do damage, that's almost certain. If the council can't move past today's vote, the planning and engineering timetable is held up. Such a snag will communicate a message to the federal funders of this project that won't do Honolulu any good.
Rail financing has caused friction between city and state officials, whose misgivings about the project surely won't be eased by this latest hitch.
Councilman Cachola needs to remember this when he votes today. He's on the record in favor of mass transit, and unwillingness to move the process ahead logically won't reflect well on him, nor will it sit well with voters.
All of this political writhing brings back bad memories of the last go-around over rail, when Rene Mansho cast the 11th-hour swing vote against the project.
Cachola may say that he doesn't want to follow in her footsteps, but he's walking a parallel path.
