The three leading candidates for Honolulu mayor last night traded sharp questions and personal attacks while engaging in a contentious debate on issues ranging from the proposed commuter rail project to public safety and the fiscal condition of the city during difficult economic times.

In their only scheduled debate before the Sept. 20 primary election, Mayor Mufi Hannemann, Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi and University of Hawai'i engineering professor Panos Prevedouros met onstage at the Hawai'i Theatre before more than 250 supporters and others.

The televised debate was sponsored by the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs, The Honolulu Advertiser and KGMB-TV.

The candidates answered questions first from panelists, then the audience before responding to viewers' e-mails. Each candidate was then allowed to ask questions of the others.

The debate took a contentious tone early when Kobayashi accused Hannemann of "bullying" and Prevedouros called Kobayashi and Hannemann career politicians not offering plausible change. Hannemann was peppered with accusations of cronyism, theft of campaign signs and wasteful spending.

Hannemann, for the most part, took the high road and ignored the attacks.

Supporters for each candidate filled various sections of the theater and their raucous cheers and boos lent the debate the air of a professional sporting event.

In her opening statement, Kobayashi, dressed in a blue sport coat and a green blouse, and sporting a new hairstyle, cited her experience in the state Senate and on the City Council and said there is a need for the city to better manage its money.

"I know fiscal responsibility, and I don't see that in the way Mufi runs the city. Four years ago, I supported Mufi but began to see that Mufi was taking us down the path of wasteful spending," she said. "I don't see courage, I don't see integrity, I don't see leadership. I see blame, bullying and excuses."

'TAKE THE HEAT'

Hannemann, dressed in a black suit and blue shirt, flashed two shaka signs to supporters as he took the stage, and initially ignored Kobayashi's accusations.

He thanked his team of city employees for successfully fulfilling the promises he made while running for office in 2004.

"Four years ago, the people of Honolulu gave me the honor and privilege of serving them. I always said the easiest thing about that job is identifying the problem. The challenge is getting people together to get things done. The proof in the poi is we've done it," he said. "We're getting the job done. The roads are being fixed, the roads are being repaved. We are the safest big city in America."

Prevedouros, dressed in a blue shirt and black sport coat, chose to distance himself from the politicians on stage by emphasizing his engineering experience and his desire to repeal the general excise tax increase implemented to help pay for mass transit.

"You can vote for politicians who have loaded O'ahu's people with the largest excise tax increase in Hawai'i history or you can vote for an engineer," Prevedouros said. "O'ahu's problems are significant, but as a civil engineer, I can address these tough issues in the right way."

Later in the evening, Hannemann calmly fired back at Kobayashi's accusation of bullying.

"It saddens me," he told her, that she used that term. "You bring dishonor to my parents when you do that. My parents raised me to be honorable and respectful. That is really something that you should be careful in how you use that word and describe it."

The debate became heated as Prevedouros accused Hannemann of misleading the public about the true cost of the transit project, while Kobayashi accused Hannemann of stealing campaign signs and running a negative campaign behind the scenes.

Speaking after the debate, Hannemann said he felt no need to respond to the attacks in a negative manner because he felt it distracted from discussion of issues.

"I didn't want to go over the top," Hannemann said. "I think it was clear who showed leadership and judgment, to stand in the kitchen and take the heat."

Kobayashi said she was aggressive because she has been hearing from supporters that Hannemann has been attacking her campaign and defending his territory in a negative fashion.

"People have told me worse, but bully seems to be the overall community sense," she said.

A SPLIT ON TRANSIT

Hannemann and Kobayashi both said they support mass transit to alleviate traffic and congestion for O'ahu residents while Prevedouros maintained his position that mass transit is too expensive and will not solve congestion problems.

Prevedouros said a mixture of high-occupancy lanes and toll roads is a far better solution to the proposed system.

"They are far superior in capacity and in performance cost options than the light rail: HOT (high-occupancy toll) lanes and a high-occupancy expressway," Prevedouros said. "Rail doesn't do anything to address our No. 1 problem, which is congestion.

"Congestion with rail will be far worse than it is today. What is the point of spending $6 billion for a nonsolution?"

Hannemann said the rail system has been needed for years, and that it is vital to the future development of O'ahu as well as a means to alleviate stifling traffic congestion.

"We need to build a light-rail system. The alternative analysis report we spent millions of dollars on, done by engineers who know the subject, says HOT lanes are not the answer," he said.

"We need to do this sooner rather than later. Working families are going to have to pay a toll, $12 coming in, $12 going out, on top of higher gas prices? Uh-uh."

ALTERNATIVES TO RAIL

Kobayashi, who favors the mass-transit technology of rubber tires on concrete, said she is a longtime supporter of mass transit and would like some form of the project move forward.

"We do need mass transit. However, a train going through our city is not the answer. There are so many other answers," she said. "There are so many systems that are half the cost of rail and will accomplish the same thing. Let's look at the alternatives."

All candidates promised to support whatever decision the voters make when they vote on the rail transit ballot amendment in November.

Playing off of the transit debate, Kobayashi asked Hannemann how he could award more than a dozen non-bid contracts worth more than $20 million for transit-related projects.

"Ann, you're on the City Council, you should know the rules," Hannemann said. "There is a system in place. To suggest I somehow hand-picked these companies is a distortion of the truth."