Mayor Mufi Hannemann defended the city's $3.7 billion mass-transit project last night during a live televised debate while his challenger, City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, characterized the project as too risky given the economic uncertainty facing the nation.

The debate was the final opportunity for voters to compare Hannemann and Kobayashi side-by-side before Tuesday's election.

Hannemann has a substantial lead over Kobayashi for re-election to a second four-year term, according to the Hawai'i Poll by The Advertiser and KGMB9. But a ballot question on the mass-transit project has caused some concern within the mayor's campaign.

Hannemann has been the primary advocate for the project, an elevated, 20-mile steel wheel-on-steel rail line linking East Kapolei and Ala Moana. Kobayashi released a competing $2.5 billion EzWay proposal this month that involves a 15-mile, three-lane elevated highway for a rubber tire-on-concrete bus rapid transit system and Zipper lanes.

The ballot question is likely to have some influence on how voters break in the mayor's race and, at last night's debate, the issue of mass transit led to some of the most barbed exchanges.

Kobayashi accused Hannemann and the city of delaying the draft environmental impact statement for the rail project, creating a situation in which voters will likely not know the true financial costs and visual impact before the election.

"Why would you keep delaying this process and keep such vital information from the public?" Kobayashi asked.

"You know, Ann, you're mixing manapua and malassada here," the mayor shot back.

Hannemann said the timing of the release is up to the Federal Transit Administration, which is reviewing the draft, and insisted the city has not hidden any information about the project. He said people have had the opportunity to discuss rail at community meetings and will have the chance to vote on the project's future on Tuesday.

RARE JOINT APPEARANCE

Hannemann asked Kobayashi whether anyone but University of Hawai'i-Manoa engineering professor Panos Prevedouros helped her with cost estimates for her EzWay proposal, which he described as "ridiculously low."

Kobayashi said the plan was discussed by Prevedouros and his students over four years and they consulted with transit vendors on the potential amount. The mayor said he doubted that Prevedouros or his students could calculate the costs of such a proposal without relying on transportation experts in the field.

Hannemann said his rail project had been vetted by four former state transportation directors. "They've studied it since 1963 to early 2000," he said. "They keep coming back to the same conclusion."

The one-hour debate at the Hawaii Theatre, sponsored by the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs and conducted by The Advertiser and KGMB9, was one of the few chances for voters to see Hannemann and Kobayashi together since the September primary. The candidates appeared separately last week at a lunchtime forum at Leeward Community College and appeared together and answered audience questions earlier this month at an "Eye on Hawai'i" forum sponsored by The Advertiser at the Plaza Club.

Hannemann, Kobayashi and Prevedouros met in one televised debate before the primary, which was at times more testy and free-flowing than last night's encounter.

The format last night involved questions from a panel of reporters, the audience and viewers via e-mail. The candidates also had the opportunity to quiz each other.

Hannemann said he has fulfilled the promises he made when he ran in 2004: restoring the city's fiscal accountability, improving city infrastructure and addressing quality of life issues such as traffic gridlock.

Kobayashi said, given the downturn in the nation's economy, the city needs someone with her background in government financial management with the courage to question city spending on projects such as rail transit.

"As mayor, I want to address issues that affect our pocketbooks," she said. "We must keep the people of O'ahu employed. We can do this by creating an environment where existing businesses can be successful. We need to treat everyone who engages with the city with respect, integrity and fairness. This takes truly working in partnership with the governor and Legislature to stimulate our economy.

"Mufi wants us to spend billions of dollars on a rail system during these uncertain times. The citizens of O'ahu are already paying increased taxes for it, yet we have absolutely no commitment from the FTA that we will get federal funding for the train."

POLITICAL OPTIONS OPEN

Stacy Loe, a KGMB9 reporter on the panel, asked Hannemann how he could expect voters to commit to the rail project when he would not commit to serving out the full four years of a second term. Hannemann, a potential candidate for governor or Congress in 2010, has said he wanted to keep his future political options open.

"I do not want to make the mistake that others have made and make a promise that I won't keep," Hannemann said. "I've always been a person who says what he means and means what he says. And all I'm saying is that I'd like the option to at least entertain that notion. It doesn't mean that I'm going to go."

Hannemann contrasted his public deliberations with Kobayashi, who gave up re-election to her council seat and entered the mayor's race at the filing deadline in July. "I won't do what Ann Kobayashi did and wait to the last day to file and then leave residents of her district no choice. That's not right. That's not pono. And I won't do that," he said.

Kobayashi responded that she decided late after determining that "I couldn't leave the people of our city, and of my district, because I worried about continued leadership under Mufi's watch."

Under questioning from KGMB9 anchor Keahi Tucker, Hannemann and Kobayashi both said they opposed a state Constitutional Convention, which is on the ballot Tuesday. Asked to grade the performance of Gov. Linda Lingle, Kobayashi gave Lingle an "A" while Hannemann gave the governor a "B."

Kobayashi would not say whether she would run for mayor again if she loses but she promised to serve the full four years if elected. Hannemann declined to answer a question of whether he would try to avoid U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, in a hypothetical matchup for governor.

NO CLEAR WINNER?

Hannemann and Kobayashi clashed over the history of the Waimanalo Gulch landfill on the Leeward Coast. Kobayashi said residents were led to believe the city would close the landfill, and said she has favored waste-to-energy technology as an alternative, but Hannemann countered that Kobayashi herself has voted to keep the landfill open.

Dan Boylan, a University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu history professor and political analyst, said there was no clear winner. He said, however, that it would have been better for the candidates to have more debates so voters would have further opportunities for comparison.

City Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz, Kobayashi's campaign manager, said Kobayashi is at a fundraising disadvantage and her campaign would have to rely on personal outreach in the final days. Hannemann raised more than $3.2 million through the primary while Kobayashi raised more than $405,000.

"It's going to be a lot of volunteers and the campaign having to make a lot of personal phone calls, personal letters," he said. "The more personal interaction, I think, people get a better feeling about Ann and what she stands for."

Dela Cruz said the campaign would stress Kobayashi's mass-transit proposal along with issues such as improving public safety, preserving parks, and increasing government transparency. He also said the campaign would argue that Kobayashi as mayor would have a better relationship with state government. Hannemann has had an occasionally contentious relationship with Lingle.

"Ann is an honest, open leader," he said. "She can work with others collaboratively."

A.J. Halagao, Hannemann's campaign coordinator, said the emphasis during the next several days will be on encouraging voters to cast ballots through early voting and to increase voter turnout on Tuesday. Analysts believe that lower voter turnout in the primary, particularly in Central and Leeward districts where Hannemann did well, likely cost the mayor an outright victory.

"At this point, we want to make sure voters see the differences between Mayor Hannemann and Council member Kobayashi," Halagao said. "We do feel that the mayor is more experienced, more qualified, more energized and more ready for the job."