Hawaii mayor fights delay in rail tax
The mayor of Honolulu is taking immediate action to squash a bill that would delay implementation of a tax to support a new rail system that he says a majority of people on Oahu island want. Citing a recent survey showing support for a rail system over road expansion and increased bus service, Mayor Mufi Hannemann is trying to kill a city councilman’s proposed bill to delay the rail tax before the bill’s first reading, according to the Honolulu Star Bulletin. Councilman Charles Djou says the mayor’s effort to kill the bill so quickly is “nonsensical,” adding that he’s worried that the city won’t have enough federal funding to complete the rail project and that the city did not give enough consideration to the option of building an elevated toll road.
http://starbulletin.com/2006/11/15/news/story05.html