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In this morning’s Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Mayor Mufi Hannemann claimed that he still prefers the City Council’s route for the proposed mass transit system - “in the short-term”. I discussed the upcoming environmental impact study, which will include the council’s route and two alternatives that would serve the airport, on June 19. The mayor went on to say that if an airport loop was necessary, the state could pay for that extension from its airport funds.

The mayor’s request is a clever one

Hannemann hasn’t given up on including the airport in the city’s train/bus/whatever plans. The state will be closely involved in any mass transit proposal, because some of the lines would have torun on state roads. Why not get the airport, which collects a few billion dollars in taxes and fees each year, to help pay for the line if it goes through the airport?

The ever-helpful Charles Djou now claims that the mayor’s statement indicates the city doesn’t have enough money to build a mass transit line.

It’s easy to say no in City Council, and Djou has said “no” many times over the last few years. Does Djou realize that lieutenant governors don’t get to say “no” very often? If Djou does follow through on his announcement, and he wins the lieutenant governor’s seat as a Republican, he’ll be in a different set of circumstances.