While the city has made a good-faith effort to reach out to the public through community forums, the Internet and advertisements to address these issues, and anti-rail proponents have embarked on an aggressive grass-roots campaign, an escalation of rhetoric, personal attacks and pressure tactics by both sides has clouded the pertinent issues that the public needs to make informed opinions of the benefits and/or drawbacks of rail.

The passionate convictions of proponents on both sides of the issue are admirable, but they have created a deep division in our community and an information gap filled with uncertainty on the part of the public.

To address these issues in a rational manner, the governor recommends that an outside, neutral third party provide an assessment of the proposed plan and give the public a clearer picture of the facts. This will allow the public to decide for themselves the merits or drawbacks of moving forward on this project.

Gov. Lingle's comment that she is "likely to sign" a petition to allow O'ahu residents to vote on whether or not to allow rail transit is not an "expression of opposition" as The Advertiser assumes. Furthermore, their suggestion that "she make her exit from the ballot issue" is undemocratic.

The governor did not say that people should vote "yes" or "no" on the ballot issue; she simply wants to give the people of O'ahu the chance to be part of the process to decide for themselves. This is consistent with her long-standing position of letting the people decide on major public policy decisions, such as putting the issue of local school boards on the ballot and advocating for residents to vote this November on whether or not to hold a Constitutional Convention.

Gov. Lingle's past support of rail transit has not changed. She believes a rail system could be a viable transportation alternative for the island. However, she has not weighed in on the city's current rail-transit plan up until this point, other than to express her opinion that a rail system should include a route to the airport, which the mayor has since proposed adding to the plan.

Given that the rail-transit system would be the largest construction project ever undertaken in the state's history, every citizen has a long-term stake. It is therefore critical that the public have an opportunity to take part in what is arguably one of the most important issues that will shape O'ahu's future for generations and have long-term fiscal implications for the entire state.

Whether or not enough signatures can be gathered to put the issue before the voters, Gov. Lingle believes everyone — pro- and anti-rail proponents and those in between — should take a step back and look at this rail issue with objectivity.

The highly charged attacks and accusations on both sides of the issue have taken the focus away from the task at hand — finding a long-term solution to O'ahu's traffic congestion.

The future of transportation on O'ahu — whether rail or some other form — is too important to base decisions on a lack of objective information, and too important to deny the public the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process.

Lenny Klompus is senior adviser for communications in the Office of the Governor. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.