Rail project’s leader angrily denounces auditor’s findings
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARADVERTISER.COM
Dan Grabauskas, executive director and chief executive of HART, railed on the upcoming city audit criticizing HART during a news conference Thursday.
Amid growing uncertainty and upheaval over rail, the transit project’s embattled executive director took the unusual step Thursday of going on the offensive against a critical audit report before its public release Saturday.
Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation Executive Director Dan Grabauskas excoriated city Auditor Edwin Young during a news conference, saying most of the rail audit’s findings are flawed and that Young rushed to complete it under pressure from the City Council.
Grabauskas further questioned the integrity of Young’s office, saying it leaked some of the confidential report’s findings to some City Council and local media members.
HART RESPONSES TO AUDIT
>> The city auditor’s team checked hundreds of HART documents. None of the documents showed any money misspent. All money was present and accounted for.
>> HART regularly and accurately reports general excise tax receipts and forecasts.
>> HART regularly updates its financial plans based on the most current information and in conjunction with the Federal Transportation Administration.
>> HART has filled key vacancies.
>> The audit’s release was rushed and its confidentiality was compromised.
“I’d say that this so-called audit is a joke, but it hasn’t been funny. It’s a mess,” a strident Grabauskas said during the press conference, held shortly after HART submitted its official response to the auditor. He said the rail agency agreed with only some of the auditor’s 21 findings, and that it was rushed to get those responses in early.
Grabauskas has faced his own harsh criticisms in recent weeks from the city’s top elected officials over the project’s management. Those criticisms include a call to resign last week from Council Chairman Ernie Martin.
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Martin is considering a mayoral run against Mayor Kirk Caldwell later this year, and he mentioned the audit’s findings in his April 7 letter calling on Grabauskas and former HART board Chairman Don Horner to resign.
“Preliminary information indicates that HART’s financial and subsidiary plans are unreliable and outdated and additional cost overruns and shortfalls are likely,” Martin wrote of the audit. The letter helped spur Horner, a retired First Hawaiian Bank executive, to resign earlier this week after serving about eight months as the volunteer board’s chairman.
On Thursday, Grabauskas, who’s led HART for the past four years, deflected questions on whether he would resign as well, saying he would address the issue today. He instead spent the news conference defending HART against criticisms in the yet-to-be-released audit, including some already leaked to the media.
The auditor’s office, Grabauskas said, found no misspent or unaccounted funds.
He acknowledged that the project’s operations and maintenance budget, as well as rail’s overall financial plan (both of which date from 2012), need to be updated.
Grabauskas said HART is now working on those new numbers. The agency had to wait for city leaders to approve the five-year rail tax extension, he said, in order to show that the cash-strapped project would have more revenue coming in.
Nonetheless, questions have persisted for years over how exactly the city will cover operating costs once rail is built. On Thursday, Grabauskas said it’s the city’s kuleana (responsibility) to work out those details, not HART’s.
HART has filled some key vacancies but agrees with the auditor that it still has more to fill, Grabauskas said.
He further defended HART’s decision to repackage station construction contracts last year, saying the move saved $38 million compared with the initial bids for that work.
But Grabauskas also took aim at how the audit came together.
He said that Young pulled him aside just before a March 31 meeting on the audit and told him he needed to speed up the report’s response process and then release it by April 15 because he was “under tremendous pressure from members of the City Council to get this out.”
In June, Grabauskas said, Young had told him his office would have until this July to finish the audit.
“I have people who have almost been living at this office for the last five days in order to try to put this response together,” Grabauskas said. “There’s a real sense of frustration and unfairness that that’s not the way that the auditor is supposed to conduct themselves.”
Young fired back at Grabauskas on Thursday following the HART event.
“I am disappointed that Mr. Grabauskas chose to misrepresent and mischaracterize our discussions and the history of this audit,” Young wrote in an email. “The City Council Chair has been briefed on what actually transpired and I will defer to his comments. Our office will continue to maintain our professionalism and will not respond to the HART Executive Director’s unprofessional conduct.”
In February the Association of Government Accountants, a national organization for financial professionals in government, gave Young its Distinguished Local Government Leadership Award. He has 40 years’ experience in government financial management, according to an AGA news release.
Martin declined to comment Thursday — his staff members said via email he wanted to see the final audit first, along with HART’s responses.
“This project has been dealt some pretty terrible cards, (including) lawsuits … things that are beyond the control of the people who work here,” Grabauskas said of HART on Thursday. “I think they’re doing the best job that they can to navigate what’s happening.
The auditor’s office is slated to release the report to the City Council today, and then release it online to the public Saturday on the city’s website.
213 responses to “Rail project’s leader angrily denounces auditor’s findings”
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Grabauskas always said the project was OK, never cast light on rail’s true state. That’s how you spell incompetence. The same as he always was, same as the way he handled the infamous “Big Dig” project, famous for being colossally over-budget and past-schedule. A typical rail project cost a family of taxpayers less than $5000, but not in Honolulu, we are already in the $30,000 to $40,000 ball park, and it’s only just begun. Bend over Oahu, this is only the tip of the
This project is all about theft. There are those who get to dip their beaks, and there are those of us who pay for it. “Tar and Feathers” time. Listening to Colleen Hanabusa spin the story of how the people just want it done was truly absurd. The folks want it to just STOP now. Stop the stealing. Stop the bleeding. Time for our incompetent prosecutors office to spin their wheels.
wait until this mess hits more populated areas. They have virtually ruined Pearl City and Waipahu for business. I predict most will relocate in the next few years because of the unexplainable stupidity of routing this thing down the main drags of the two areas. The politicians have gotten their payoffs. The people are not happy. So they will either continue to sacrifice a few of the leaders to keep this alive or begin to talk trash after all this time praising the rail. Don’t expect any local reporting to uncover anything significant. They all end up working government jobs or running for office themselves after years of “playing ball”. This thing needs a real federal investigation and if their has been any Illegal behavior the parties must fund the tearing down of this mess and replace everything to it’s original state. I have a dream
Now we see the true side of an angry, utterly incompetent, old man. Had he done his job from day one he would not be in this situation. Only has himself to blame for the ongoing rail debacle.
Grabby should man up to what we all already know, he just can’t do rail on time, on budget. Needs to back his bags, take the Wiki Wiki bus to the airport, go far, far, far away.
Would you like some cheese with your whine Grabby?
agreed.
Dear Mr. Grabauskas,
The audit is a joke? And the joke is on the taxpayers right? I don’t know of any project manager who goes more than a billion dollars over budget and doesn’t get fired. Tender your resignation now and save yourself from further criticism.
You left out “contemptuous”. He also shows disdain for anyone who dares to question him or ask the tough questions. He managed to get the Board to “back off” all these years instead of cutting his cards.
Get out of town Grabby! Did you not learn from your first firing? Just what does this clown do all day for his pay? Either way the results have been poor. Don’t make a fool of yourself any longer as it will only get worse. Just resign and disappear.
Look’s like Ernie put pressure on Young to rush a bad audit. It’s CYA time for Young.
He’s seems to have a lot of this kind of experience. Fire Ernie.
localguy,
You must be some kind of great expert, with a lot of education and experience in development, financing, urban and transit planning, design, construction, for you to make those statements.
@Vector Perhaps if Hart’s initial sales pitch were, “Heavy rail. Yesterdays technology at tomorrow’s prices,” than perhaps those sold on this idea would not have been as disappointed with the latest audit.
I agree!
Grabourmoneycuz looks like a spoiled baby who has had his favorite toy – that toy being the ability to bleed taxpayers dry with a blank check for whatever rail needs – taken away. He is hilariously incompetent. He needs to be fired.
But it’s too late.
All the King’s horses and All the King’s men won’t be able to put Humpty Dumpty rail back together again.
Rail will certainly bankrupt this city. As we have said for years, rail is going to run out of money. They are already another $800 million behind after they said the last GET extension would cover all the costs. They knew this was not true and they looked us all straight in the eye and lied to us.
And they have no plan for operation and maintenance and no plan for electrical power. We haven’t even built one station yet folks.
Leaders need to find a way to cap this project’s spending or Honolulu is going to go broke for a rail to nowhere that no one will ride and will not solve the traffic problem one bit.
Rail. You wanted it. You got it. Next time pay attention when Moofi and his ace Cadwell are trying to shove something down your throats.
How can something that is so good for all of us, or at least that’s what PRP was saying, be so contentious?
It’s all politics – a good reason that the council should never manage the rail project. Fire Ernie.
Because many people are against everything, and have a knee jerk reaction. Remember Superferry, H-3 freeway, TMT Observatory, Convention Center, now rail, etc., etc. Instead of progressive thinking here, we have regressive reactionary thinking. People here are not bold visionaries, Like New York, where they had subways at the beginning of the 1900s, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Empire State Building,World Tade Center, and Central Park. That’s why New York is the financial and cultural capitol of the world. People here want to remain blissfully ignorant and backward looking
Vector and wiliki – you are out of touch. Yes, we need to improve our transportation infrastructure but is heavy rail the best option? For the cost, no. Not just the build out cost but the future maintenance and operation cost. The island population cannot handle that! Besides, how can a choo choo train be referred to as forward looking or progressing thinking? You can make yourself look smart by your statements, but if they’re not smart statements to begin with…
start by getting your facts right. We have light rail.
The peaks,the peaks. Hitchcock said.
agree. The monopoly party out here is growing fearful that the public will begin to see what a failure they are. Kenoi’s corruption was just the tip of the iceberg. This audit exposes more. I hope HUGE political changes are coming for Hawaii. It is long overdue.
Only if THE CITIZENS of Hawaii become pro-active and stop being COMPLICIT… The laissez-faire modus operandi of the “Local” populous is a carryover of oppressions stemming from Hawaii’s “Plantation” culture and additionally a result of immigration of those persons who sustained the tyrannies of Third-World dictatorships, who are still afraid that by speaking-out and exposing Government’s malfeasances and suppressions–they will somehow be punished. “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever”. Thomas Jefferson
Agreed. Talked to a shop-keeper who would be directly affected by the construction about Rail in passing conversation and his quote said it all: “It is what it is”.
And who would be better than the “monopoly party”? Certainly not the republicans who have abandoned republican values and today stand for little more than Voodoo economics which transfers wealth from the middle class to the very rich.
As for failure, that is all relative now isn’t it? The democrats are far from perfect but sadly the republicans offer nothing.
Just like your comments offer nothing Boots. You have no positive contributions, you just blast republicans.
irt: Boots—stuff a sock in it
Having nothing would be better than tax and waste/spend liberal democrats. Even in a strong economy and with strong tourism, the governor wanted to raise the gas tax and the vehicle weight tax. And that’s after they already extended the GE tax increase until 2027.
Booty, are you more concerned with your political orientation than the good of all?
Oh, sounds like you are attempting to blame this on Republicans. _ HOW? We are all talking about this Rail System, what are you rambling about?
Give Boots the Boot ! LOL!
The democrats can be as you say “far from perfect” because their political opposition is non existent. They get re-elected every election cycle no matter what. It’s to the point where they think they can get away with just about anything because they repeatedly get re-elected. Hawaii would be better served if both parties were equally represented in the legislature. Term limits are desperately needed but will never happen because it would take the democrats to approve it. They aren’t going to end their own taxpayer funded gravy train.
Annie,stick to Honolulu politics. Bet you never been to Big Island brah..
Wishful thinking! At the caucauses, the people voted for Bernie of the monopoly party
Grabauskas bankrupted Boston’s famous MTA and was fired. Then he spotted a sucker, us, and pitched his b.s. (The non rusting stadium, companies fixing the tax system, the Hawaii health care website et al we can remember. ) Hawaii is known for a sucker state for mainland thieves. Grabauskas has been deceiving us from day one, with the politicians help. (Hannemann et al)
In defense of Grabauskus, however slight. Planning for the Boston Big Dig project began in 1982. Construction began in 1991 and was completed in December 2007. Grabauskus did not become General Manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Agency (MBTA) until 2005 when the Big Dig project was almost completed and after all the cost overruns had occurred. He might have some problems during his four-year tenure at MBTA, but it is unfair to blame him for the poor planning, design flaws, scheduling delays, use of substandard materials and multi-billion dollar cost overruns, all of which occurred before he became the GM. Grabauskus may be responsible for some of HART’s problems, but it is unfair to blame him for everything. Most of the blame for the HART mess should be cast on former Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who resurrected the rail project for the mass transit grave yard, and on his Managing Director Kirk Caldwell (our current Mayor), who conspired to obtain public approval of the rail project through lies and deception and who oversaw the project during the first three years. The HART Board of Directors also shares some responsibility for the mess.
Totally agree with you. Those that actually did the initial planning and pushed it through with all the lies should be blamed.
Interesting information, thanks for the info.
Did everyone forget, Frank Fasi was the first to promote rail. Since then many others supported rail. Mayor Mufi Hanneman, Governor Neil Abercrombie, Senator Dan Inouye. I find it interesting, most of the commentators, know nothing about city and transportation planning, design and construction, project financing and development, yet are so quick to give their ill-informed opinions and cast blame and denigrate the people who are working on the rail project.
Ronin006: You are confusing all the naysayers with facts. Thanks for the cronology of the Big Dig project. Anyone reading Engineeing News Record during that project would understand……maybe…..why that project came in so far over budget. There was no way to predict the obstacles that were encountered during construction especially tunnel boring. Who knew the rail project would be tied up in court years before it would actually start. No, I am not a paid blogger and could have written this while sitting in traffic.
So what if grabby wasn’t solely to blame for the big dig? He’s been in charge of Oahu’s big dig from the start and it’s a boondoggle of Biblical proportions.
I find it funny that the biggest critics of rail and those that cry foul, are the biggest reasons why the costs are above estimates. Crying and petty lawsuits made the project have substantial delays that cost precious time and money to overcome.
The people voted for rail and the majority wanted it. Live with it from the start, shut your mouth, and we wouldnt be in half the mess we’re in.
Rail will happen, whether we all like it or not.
This isnt about whether you want something or not and complain. If you dont have a better alternative to the crazy traffic that has gotten 10-fold worse in the last 10 years, then too bad.
This dispute is about Ernie forcing Young to produce a bad report. Young knew what he was doing. We should take away his accountants license.
His replies are a classic case of attacking the messenger. Don’t like the facts? Then dispute them to the death. Nevermind that Honolulu county is heading toward bankruptcy.
Failure on his part to prove the audit wrong only shows that he still believes he can continue to obscure facts with smoke and mirrors.
You guys never read the paper. Yesterday, there was an article in SA about employment increasing in the next couple of years, especially construction jobs up 12.5% by 2017. The economy is booming according to Dept. of Planning and Economic Development. Tax revenues are up. Rail has not bankrupted the State. We have one of the best economies in the country and one of the lowest unemployment rates. Rail construction is contributing to our improving economic growth. Affordable housing and affordable rentals are in the planning stages or are being built now near the rail stations (3)in Kakaako, one on Dillingham by HCC, another in Pearlridge, another near UH West Oahu station. After years of neglect, we are finally building affordable housing and rentals, and providing more homes for people. The rail stations will also attract businesses, shops, markets, and will revitalize old decaying communities and neighborhoods. Many of the utilities along the rail line are being realigned, upgraded, and modernized, another adjunct benefit of rail.
So rail was never about helping out the traffic mess from the West Side coming into town? All shibai!
Vector, did you notice despite the booming economy, the Governor was still proposing to raise taxes this year? It was only tabled for now because it’s an election year.
Yes rail was to relieve the traffic on the leeward side of the island. But, it is much more. It was directing the urban growth to the leeward side, not having urban sprawl over the entire island and over our sgricultural and conservation lands. Remember, “Keep the country, country”. Rail is also a means to provide affordable housing and rental housing around the rail stations, and along the rail guideway. Allowing more dense high rise housing, instead of sprawling unaffordable single family housing over the entire island.
Transit oriented housing can be built with fewer parking stalls, thereby lowering the cost of housing units, and making them affordable rentals and dwelling units. The rail stations will also be a catalyst for business, retail, and commercial development, around the rail stations. All the development around the rail stations will create more employment, more income, and more revenue for the City and State, to provide everyone with more government services, such as dealing with homelessness, air conditioning the schools, etc.
Caldwell must fire Grabby now if he wants to win the upcoming mayoral election.
Instead of attacking the audit, tell us how you will fix the problem you helped create!
Grabauskas has been doing an outstanding job.
Save billions. Put the train on hold and put BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) on the guideway. Express buses on the guideway bypass traffic and does everything a train would, at a micro fraction of the price. With on of ramps in key places, the buses will serve a wider area without passengers having to transfer. With express buses, you don’t need train stations, you don’t need added electricity infrastructure, you don’t need Ansaldo train cars, you don’t need tracks, you don’t need more union workers.
Express buses can never achieve the same benefits as rail rapid transit. In major cities rail provides the core public transportation infrastructure to move large volumes of people efficiently and effectively. Express buses are generally supplementary service. Rail is proven to be superior to buses.
ub ub boo, the hart shill.
ukuleleblue is like wiliki. They make a lot of unsubstantiated claims that are designed to make rail look good. But it’s lipstick on a pig.
ukuleleblue = BS
uku=BS !!!!!!!!!
Keolu ⇐⇒ gas bag.
“Rail is proven to be superior to buses.”
You know who disagrees with you? Peter Rogoff, former Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy in the U.S. Department of Transportation. And, prior to that, he served as President Barack Obama’s Federal Transit Administrator.
“A little honesty about the differences between bus and rail can have some profound effects.
Earlier I pointed out that our new estimate for the deferred maintenance backlog for the entire transit universe is roughly $78 billion. But you should know that fully 75 percent of that figure is to replace rail assets.
Now let’s remember that the majority of transit trips in this country are still done by bus. When it comes to delivering actual transit service, Americans take 21 percent more transit trips every year than rail trips. That said, fully three quarters of the funding backlog we face in achieving a state of good repair is associated with underfunded rail assets.
Communities deciding between bus and rail investments need to stare those numbers in the face. Some communities might be tempted to pay the extra cost for shiny new rails now. But they need to be mindful of the costs they are teeing up for future generations. ”
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/rappaport/events-and-news/research-in-the-news/administrator-rogoff-remarks
seriously, you think rail is superior to a bus system? delusional. what Honolulu needs is a really beefy bus system, a carpool system (like casual commute in the bay area), a robust bike system, a ferry (yes!), and staggered start hours to begin with. We have to do everything and scrap this idiot rail plan.
Time to step outside THE MATRIX…
uku – The taxpayers of the California would disagree with your shibai comment. BART has become the biggest money pit to taxpayers.
In 2013, “Workers from the two unions, which represent more than 2,300 mechanics, custodians, station agents, train operators and clerical staff, now average about $71,000 in base salary and $11,000 in overtime annually, the transit agency said. BART workers currently pay $92 a month for health care and contribute nothing toward their pensions.”
Expect the same to happen to the Nei. O&M will be $10-20 million per month. Then pack in workers pay, pensions, medical, just another Nei money pit.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/BART-Strike-Still-Looming-227894611.html
California is getting reamed bigger than Hawaii with their high speed rail project. They claim it will be self sustaining and won’t need any subsidies. Eight hundred miles of rail they will be dealing with and they are already running into trouble when they haven’t even completed the first leg. Their proposed budget is $20B. We can’t even get 20 miles for $20B in Hawaii. Useless council keeps voting yes with reservations and we end up with an even bigger mess. We’re right on track to bankrupt the state. Better build the rail station at the bankruptcy office first before the whole project goes belly up.
EOD9 – Need to update your post. When first proposed back in 2008, the budget was for $33 billion. Following the failing path of Nei rail, cost is now set around $68 billion with final estimates of $100 billion. Already out of control.
The fact no private enterprise wanted to build it shows there is no demand for it. It is nothing more than a money pit dreamed up and supported by Gov Moonbeam.
At these prices there is no way it can be self sufficient. Will have to be subsidized by state taxpayers. Exactly why so many groups are trying to kill it. Not needed. Can’t afford it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/california-high-speed-rail-cost/
@ localguy – I did a quick search because I was running late. The problem increases in magitude by using updated numbers. Folks in California deserve what they get for electing that loser twice. I already told my relatives living there to move before they get taken to the cleaners paying for it.
@E0D9 Not to sound too cliched, but the expression, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,” comes to mind.
@tiger – I would like to think my relatives are smarter than the herd. Unfortunately, the herd in California outnumbers the folks with common sense.
Major city? Not quite and best addressed by a efficient Bus System.
“Express buses can never achieve the same benefits as rail rapid transit,” says the person that has never ridden a westside Express bus. I lived in Kapolei and commuted to downtown via express for 18 years. The average commute took about 45-50 minutes. For the last four years, I have ridden the Mililani Express. My average commute is around 45 minutes. From both cities, it’s 35 minutes to downtown when UH is out.
Here’s the recent projected rail commute: 15 minutes from Mililani to Waipahu rail station, wait 5 minutes for rail, 15 minutes via rail to Aloha Stadium, wait 10 minutes for downtown feeder bus, and 30 minutes via bus from Aloha Tower to downtown. Total AM commute time: 75 minutes.
For someone that’s never ridden Hawaii public transit, you obviously don’t have a clue on the headache of making transfers. Rail necessitates 4 per day for nearly every user. Just one transfer can affect your estimated arrive time by 30 minutes. Imagine making 4 transfers EVERY SINGLE WORKING DAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. So not only does rail take longer, you have to leave and hour earlier to account for the fluctuations in transfer times. In high school and college I commuted via express from Waialua to Honolulu with two transfers each way so I know how terrible it is. The standard deviation for transfer wait time was +/- 45 minutes every day. Don’t need to relive that again.
If HART and County takes our express buses away, current bus riders will drive in and add to traffic. It’s not a threat or even speculation but a foregone conclusion due to the negative effect rail will have on the westside public transit commute times.
Doesn’t matter if UH is on break, rail will take hella long. At least, express bus riders enjoy an expedited commute around four months a year. Four daily transfers will add unnecessary stress and inconvience to public transit users. Rail takes longer, fares will double or triple for everyone, property taxes will increase to cover the operations and maintenance, current riders will drive in worsening traffic… Rail proponents have yet to conjure up ONE legitimate benefit rail will provide current public transit users (aka the 90% of the projected rail ridership).
Also, why would any tourists use it? Can you imagine packing and carrying all your shopping bags or luggage and having to transfer from the rail and the final walk to your destination? Hmm maybe taxi stands along the way? But why?
Proponents of rail always seem to conveniently forget the time transfers add to the total commute time. Whenever I catch the bus to work, I need to take 3 different buses/transfer 2 times. If every bus I intend on catching comes as scheduled, I can get to my place of employment within 45 minutes. If one of the first two buses I intend on catching comes late, I’ll miss the third bus. The third bus only comes once every hour so if I miss the third bus, my commute will take 1 hour and 45 minutes. In the real world, things often don’t go as smoothly as planned–especially here on Oahu when slightly more traffic can alter the time a bus is scheduled to arrive. Another example is, one person boarding/exiting a bus on a wheelchair can extend the commute time by around 4 minutes. Since the rail is likewise ADA-compliant, a 15 minute commute time will increase whenever someone on a wheelchair boards a rail car. I’ve said all along that riding rail will save you time if you live within walking distance of a rail station and your destination is within walking distance of a rail station. For everyone else, the commute time can be much longer.
IRT UKU: FACTS:
(1) Save billions. Put the train on hold and put BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) on the guide way converted to a reversible freeway will carry 18,000 commuters (200 buses and 3800 HOV(2) vehicles compared with 3000 commuters by rail. Feds pay 80% for buses.
(2) Express buses on the guide way bypass traffic and does everything a train would, at a micro fraction of the price. With on of ramps in key places, the buses and vehicles will serve a wider area without passengers having to transfer.
(3) With express buses, you don’t need train stations, you don’t need added electricity infrastructure, you don’t need Ansaldo train cars, you don’t need tracks, you don’t need more union workers.
Honolulu is not a major city. We have insufficient population to pay for the train or to make it pay once completed. Use a little common sense please.
Not necessarily true. Depends on population size and density. We are much below the optimum population for the amount rail costs. About 10x higher. That gets worse if you limit the population to areas served.
To what….you are spot on!
“America’s Best Transit System”
Since its inception, TheBus has been the only mass transit system to be recognized twice by the American Public Transportation Association as America’s Best Transit System for 1994–1995 and 2000–2001, beating other transit systems.”
How many people would forgo catching a bus close to their home to get to work or school, even if it might mean requiring a transfer; to instead find a ride (maybe drive to the train station or take TheBus) to the train station, ride the train then get off only to have to find another ride (TheBus?) to their final destination?
They will still get stuck at Middle Street!
What,
How are you going to save billions if you stop rail. All of our taxpayer, Federal, GET monies already contracted out and already spent would be thrown away, and we would have nothing to show for it. Do you have the ability to reason?
That’s the scam. That we are too far invested to stop. We are seeing the tip of the iceberg. The power plant needed to power the rail hasn’t been addressed. The downtown area will drive the cost up even more as the narrow roads and having to purchase land. The cost to relocate power lines and waht not. We built rail in open plains and in the outward portions and we doubled the original budget.
Oahu has only about 400,000 actual taxpayers plus the tourists (senior citizen, kids and babies don’t pay much taxes). We cannot support a project that may cost 12 – 16 billion.
RUSTY THE SCREECHING HATED RAIL REARS ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN & AGAIN. Built on a foundation of lies, deception and backroom cash laden deals
the pieces are now FALLING APART . We need to have our useless RAIL PUPPET MAYOR Mr. Caldwell RESIGN IN SHAME and the City Council members like Brandon Elephante who have accepted tons of RAIL CONTRACTOR MONIES ALSO NEED TO RESIGN IN SHAME. Stop the Monster choo choo at the Aloha Stadium and call it a learning experience for the Democrats who rule this city. Even more so we now need a Federal Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute those who have shoved this GIANT CEMENT STATIONED ELEVATED IN THE SKY SCREECHING VIBRATING STEEL ON STEEL BOONDOGGLE RUSTING RAIL down our throats.
all true and we were warned by Cayetano and others. A lot of people have dirty hands in this failed project
“Panos Prevedouros” warned “Cayetano” and then in turn…
Panos warned cayetano about running for mayor on the NO campaign. And then in turn they both lost their arzes.
Rail should have been built decades ago and it is unfortunate that there has been so much adversity and opposition to the project. It’s a shame that all the stakeholders could not have gotten together to embrace this needed transportation infrastructure that will benefit our community for the long term future. Traffic congestion is horrendous and average locals on the west side are suffering in their long daily commutes to downtown for their livelihoods. Rail will provide an alternative ride with less hassle and also alleviate the heavy traffic by reducing cars on the road. We have come far in constructing this amazing project and cannot afford to let these continued wranglings hinder the progress. Before considering any drastic changes in the management of the rail, stakeholders should realize that there are very few in the transit industry that have the experience and expertise to oversee a project of this magnitude and complexity. We are in a booming economy where competition for contractors has escalated construction costs. We all need to stay positive and focus on financial solutions to make rail successful.
Up early with the damage control, eh UkuBS?
ukuleleblue should put a sock in it. Whether rail should have been built long ago is not relevant as to whether it should be built now.
The reason for so much opposition is because we were told 3.7 billion Kapolei to UH Manoa. Now we’re at 7 billion from Ewa to Ala Moana and 2 years behind schedule. If the project was on time and on budget like we were promised, there would be nothing to talk about.
What ticks people off even more is having our tax dollars pay for a gasbag like you to post rosy comments on this forum.
uku, I have a present for you, BEND OVER and don’t forget to pull down your pants.
Be careful, this person might enjoy it.
You guys are sick.
HART should begin to contain costs by first and foremost stop paying Bagdad Bob ukusboy to feed us crap and tell us its brownies.
Same old, same old. Never an acknowledgment that grabby is being accused of same shenanigans that led to his firing by the city of Boston. Deja vu time for grabby.
Don’t worry, just like in Boston, grabby covered his okole by building a buy out of one year’s salary into his HART contract. Does ub the HART shill have something similar in his (hers?)?
This is the most important issue right now. Did City legal counsel protect the public with the appropriate clauses to deal with the inept HART leader? Will they bring in another and be forced to demote Grabs to a non leadership position because they cant afford politically to face the public anger? Or will they have enough grounds to terminate outright. Nevermind, Fire Ukeleleblue now!
Only in Hawaii can you fail miserably and still collect a fat paycheck. These are the same people that wrote the contracts for all the other losers at UH and the cancer research center.
ukuleleblue says: “Rail should have been built decades ago and it is unfortunate that there has been so much adversity and opposition to the project.”
If rail had been built “decades ago,” it was slated to connect Kahala Mall to Aloha Tower, the only route I can think of more nonsensical than this one, that ignore it’s stated purpose for being and avoids Ewa, Kapolei, and Waianae, and UH. Instead it connects a new developer’s sprawl that was previously deemed undeveopable over prime ag land and ends at the luxury upscale mall.
Meanwhile, your beloved HART suffers “adversity” while ensconced in luxury high-rise office space costing millions and getting every single promise and projection wrong while burning through literally BILLIONS of dollars and shooting billions more over budget.
HART has gotten every single tax increase they have asked for while our Mayor Caldwell consistently looks the other way and goes before legislature telling all sorts of whoppers to get them even more money. We weren’t the ones who linked Mayor Caldwell’s politically to this disaster of a rail project, that was Kirk Caldwell himself.
Now, you are still refusing to tell us where on the mainland you live and what your connection is to this rail project. Instead of cutting and pasting the same years old nonsense, why don’t you explain yourself?
N
Uku, I asked you last year what you meant by “average locals”. Are you saying we have below average, average and above average locals? Not matter the social status (rich to poor), aren’t we all who live here “locals”? If I recall, about 4 years ago, the pro-rail people said traffic on the H1 would be reduced by 1.5%. Now, not using common core math, take 1000 cars and reduce them 1.5 per%. What reduction do you get? My math tells me 10.5 cars. So estimate 100,000 cars travel H1 each way, we would see a reduction of 1,500 cars. With those numbers, I don’t see justification for the billions to be spent on rail.
Oh, BTW, HART did not hire anyone with the experience and expertise to oversee the project. They hired Grabby who totally screwed up the Big Dig. You want to try again??
For the 1000th time, rail is not an alternative if you eliminate the current mode of westside public transit (express buses). It’s a replacement. Big difference. But pro-railers don’t want “replacement” to be used because it necessitates a comparison between the systems and rail will lose hands down. They can’t even think of ONE rail benefit after all these years.
Sadly, I’m one of the few local people I know of that has rail and other infrastructure background, so it’s a game of political contacts, not really experience as uku said. My reception by the powers that be was rather cold.
From then on, I decided to shut up at hearings and stay retired. No way to fix things when too many political types are trying to look good.
“Grabauskas further questioned the integrity of Young’s office, saying it leaked some of the confidential report’s findings to some City Council and local media members.”
Yeah, because leaking the contents of a confidential report ahead of it’s presentation is a reprehensible act, right Mr Grabauskas?
The only one I see leaking the contents of a confidential report is Dan Grabauskas.
Old tactic: When you don’t like the truth of the message then attack the messenger.
Why should the report be confidential? Grabby, can you tell us what you do all day everyday? Are you actually uku-ele’ele or we-licky wasting your time posting comments for pro rail?
You can archive the comments from 2014 and see its still the same NO whine being posted word for word, cut and paste. Check back in 2018 and see these same ballhash comments minus some commentors. The NO ballhash are a 60+ age group. Some will actually pass without seeing rail completed. Bless their souls.
NanakuliBoss says: “You can archive the comments from 2014 and see its still the same NO whine being posted word for word, cut and paste.”
I will give you $1,000 if you can find an instance of me ever writing “Yeah, because leaking the contents of a confidential report ahead of it’s presentation is a reprehensible act, right Mr Grabauskas? The only one I see leaking the contents of a confidential report is Dan Grabauskas” before.
However, how about you give me $1,000 for every instance of spammed comments like “Rail should have been built decades ago,” “build a spur to Ko’alina!” “without rail, our grandchildren have no future” and “Fire Ernie, he’s delaying rail.” Fair enough?
Rail as drawn up will never be completed. They do not have the funding.
Auditors do not LIE, everything is scrutinized. How do I know? I got audited every year for 2 weeks and often did not like the findings but it was all true no matter how much the truth hurts. If they did lie, take them to court. This is the same man who said before the project that there was more than enough money to complete and millions in reserve which would not even be touched. So who is lying? Auwe!
Auditors do not lie … it’s just whether they can sift through everything and come out with a correct analysis. If they can do a correct report in two weeks … without much of any help from the people that work there … then they are as unbelievable as the bill they end up sending to these companies. I know because I’m an accountant also.
Exactly! Why would an auditor be biased on a subject matter such as the rail which should be transparent? The auditors job is based on accuracy while the project managers job was based on false estimates amounting to lies which were biased to get the project initiated. Classic bait and switch.
This Rail Project comes down to: Lies, Deceit, Corruption, Theft, Bribery, Incompetence, Self Service and Greed…..ALL OF THIS ADMINISTERED BY POLITICIANS. This is all paid by the beloved taxpayer for years to come.
Auditors do not lie. Do they make mistakes? No one is calling anyone a liar. Where do these accusers come from?
“Rail project’s leader angrily denounces auditor’s findings”
Mr Grabauskas ,
If anyone should be angry about the auditor’s findings regarding HART’s mismanagement, inaccurate projections and broken promises, it should be the tax payers and citizens of Oahu, not you.
But let’s wait and see what this CONFIDENTIAL report actually says instead of relying on your leaking cherry picked details and biased analysis of an as yet unreleased, confidential report.
Who ever told you to “get ahead of this and go on the offensive” gave you terrible advice.
all true. I am so sorry for Honolulu for what has happened to it. It will haunt the City for many decades to come. Please don’t forget Mufi’s lies. He hopes you will forget what he did to you as the years go by.
“HE” continues to do that which he did (“Psychopaths” have no conscience…)
And let’s not forget that Caldwell was City Manager during Mufi’s tenure and also his cheerleader for rail. Lest we forget Caldwell Election promise, “on time and on budget”.
Caldwell is one & done and should be as Mr. Trump used to put it “YOUR FIRED KIRKY”. The 3 Mayors who had a hand in shoving this down our throats, MUFEE DA BULLY, Peter Carlyle (CARLIER) & of course the RAIL cheerleader from day one (Old snake eyes himself) Kirk Caldwell should all be lined up and have MUD
& FEATHERS poured over them & ran naked down the King street bike lanes . SHAME ON THEM & OUR CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVING THIS MONSTER
You can listen to the old windbag on FM 107.9 on the weekend spouting his continued support for rail. I don’t listen to that station on the weekend anymore.
Uku blue is a mouthpiece and thats all. The tax payers need to stop the bleeding and vote everyone who had a hand in this fiasco out of office and run out of town on a rusty rail. We have heard uku blues diatribe over and over. Who cares were he lives all he does is babble the same BS. It is ridiculous to think your going to save time when your stopping every mile to load or unload riders. I would rather see a monorail take its place but the bottom line is with the planned developments there will never be a smooth commute to downtown. The city should require the developers to build the infrastructure; roads, highways, ect. there the ones making all the money.
wiliki is another irritant who posts the same drivel on these forums.
Does he really believe that the rail is “already paid for”? That’s the biggest lie I’ve seen on this forum. Well that and his claim that 500,000 people will ride the rail daily.
We-licky is smokin some good stuff. Horny himself gave these figures in Pacific Business News. In its first year rail will cost $127 million to operate. $11 million will come from Federal subsidies, an ESTIMATED $45 million will come from fares, and there will be a DEFICIT of $71 million.
The best defense is a good offense. Blame the auditor. Whenever I failed tests in school it was the teachers fault. Time for Grabby to resign. This is not the first time he has failed and should not have been hired for the job with a past like his.
…this malahini (Mr. Grabauskas) just no get ’em! Save face already and just leave, you’ve done enough damage!
I have conducted a scientific study that depicts a direct and indisputable correlation with IQ level and support for Oahu’s rail. The study concludes that people with low IQ support Oahu’s rail and those with high IQ vehemently disapprove of Oahu’s rail. The results of that study can be found on this commenting forum.
Here we go people. The finger pointing begins. Yet, among all this mismanagement, cost overruns, regressive 25% tax increase (a 1% increase on an existing 4% tax is a 25% increase), and political posturing, NONE of the idiot politicians are saying lets cut our losses and stop the rail. Ben Cayetano where are you? Please run for mayor again. We need to stop the bleeding.
Grabby should be angry at himself for running Hart so poorly and the joke is Caldwell, not the auditor’s report and definitely the taxpayers don’t think it’s funny because we’re the ones who will pay for this mess.
The truth is coming out. Grabby is sweating it now under pressure…..
FIRE GRABBY AND DISBAND HART AND THEIR OVERPAID STAFF. MAKE FORMBY DO HIS JOB OR HAVE HIM QUIT TOO. THERE NEEDS TO BE A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MESS AND PEOPLE NEED TO BE IN JAIL.
IRT: 78R8R –Agree– its time
Good idea. HART answers to no one beholden to the public.
poor dan grabasscus! the proverbial “stuff” has certainly hit the fan of public criticism. he has tried to swim through the mire via the “don’t make waves” breast-stroke. but alas, the tactic has rendered null and void by the “paddle-boat” of the auditor’s office. now, grabby is being regaled by the “wash and wake”, publicly – WITHOUT A FACE MASK OR SCUBA TANK! and the “taste” and “smell” is certainly not pleasant, is it, grabby?
please go away grabass
Typical rail brilliance and totally expected from Grabby: Shoot the messenger because you don’t like the message…..Instead, the entire rail project that should be shot!!
The mayor must fire Grabby now if he wants to win the next election!
I would rather the mayor fire himself. Although grabby seems incompetent, the mayor is incompetent and a shameless liar. “On time and on budget”,
“Soap is every park” etc etc. Been to a City
Park lately? No soap, no working toilet. It’s awful. At
least the people can fire Caldwell in a few months.
This company is just ripping off the taxpayers. Stop the rail now. It is never too late. This is the biggest joke ever. Caldwell is just as in the wrong as HART. When push comes to shove the truth all comes out and everyone goes against each other. This is like watching a major soap opera. The people of Oahu, sit back and enjoy the movie called ” The creation of the Concrete Monster”. Get you popcorn, soda, peanuts and hot dogs kick back and relax.
It would be funny except that it has destroyed many business people in Waipahu & is now on track to destroy Pearl City businesses as well. its a BOONDOGGLE and needs to be stopped at the stadium or the guide way used as a bike, skate, roller or hiking path from almost Kapolei to almost Honolulu
The pictures they painted of this thing during the sale and what it actually looks like in Waipahu and Pearl City is night and day. I pity the homes along the route as I imagine what it will sound like. I no longer travel on Kam Hwy unless necessary since it looks absolutely disgusting.
Going turn it into slums. Look at Amtrak or any metro what the ‘hood turned into.
Going turn it into slums. Look at Amtrak or any metro what the ‘hood turned into. 198 comments, mostly negative towards Rail does not bode well for its continuation.
Question for HART, when will the bleeding stop? First the mayor said, this project will not exceed $3.5 billion. Well Kirk, rail has exceeded almost double that amount and this project hasn’t even reached town. I can’t wait for the audits report today. Let’s see where the BS is.
I’ll honestly be shocked if the rail is not 3-4 times more than the original moofi budget.
IT’S TIME TO FIRE THIS GUY!
When are these guys going to get it? We do not want rail. What is fiasco these knuckelheads are doing. Kill rail and fire everybody.
Fire ukuleleblue and wiliki!
“But Grabauskas also took aim at how the audit came together. He said that Young pulled him aside just before a March 31 meeting on the audit and told him he needed to speed up the report’s response process and then release it by April 15 because he was “under tremendous pressure from members of the City Council to get this out.”
It sounds like the difference between HART and this auditor is that the auditor can get the work done when give a timetable, while HART and Mr Grabauskas are unfamiliar with such a concept.
Sounds like the party’s over. This canoe is floundering in the water!
The best defense is a good offense and it’s apparent that Grabauskas has chosen this tactic. Unfortunately, it’s a tactic not a strategy to solve this financial mess we now find ourselves facing.
The construction industry and developers have millions of dollars invested in seeing that the rail is completed. After all, what’s going to happen to all of the residents living in the new high-density high rises jam-packed along the rail line who have been promised the rail for their daily transportation?
They can commute like the rest of us peons?
Mr. Grabauskas should embrace the audit findings and try to fix and improve. Instead he went on the total offense. Rail is a mess and he is most responsible. He needs to resign or be replaced ASAP. Two questions though…a good audit will discuss findings with the entity being audited ahead of time. This is to fact check and get buy in. Also, no audit should be leaked in advance. Would like to know what happened here?
Being contrite and showing some deference is not is M.O. Contempt and disdain or more like it.
Grabby and Kirky need to GO
Deny (a continuation of same), Deflect (all others…including those in our Community) and Demean (opposition). The Triple D Defense.
Bingo!
I love it! Hope he gives everybody both barrels! Thats the way, go down swinging!
He will now use this as part of his exit strategy. I’m sure his intention from the start is to “milk” this job for as long as he can.
The audit will shed a real world light on rail, it’s budget and it’s leadership…not the fairy tale stories conjured up by rail and it’s supporters.
“Flawed and rushed” is the description of Honolulu’s rail.
I’m really glad that they decorated some of the pillars with designs. In the future, when aliens visit our island, they’ll look at the structures and say … “They must have built these structures to please their gods.” “Wonder why they didn’t put the structures closer together and in a circle?”
I guess Grabauskas isn’t planning to go away quietly like Don Horner.
He wants to get fired so he can collect his one year severance.
perceptive. Yes, he is nearly done. No question.
When he goes down, I want him to take some with him, including Ernie Martin!
Agreed!
Ernie boy is remaining silent in the shadows.
City council members should have followed the RAIL costs on a more frequent basis rather than wait one and a half years later only to discover that there has been cost overruns.
He make $450,000 a year. Why would he want to quit? The other guy worked for free.
Sounds like Edwin Young is in Ernie ( I got ONE issue to be Mayor) Martin’s back pocket. Did Ernie promise Edwin he would get a choice position in the Martin Administration, if elected ??? Sure SMELLS like it !!
Ernie Martin has one issue he’s running on: Anti-Rail !! What else does Mr. Martin have to say about how HE would run the city ?? Absolutely NOTHING !! It’s easy to criticize the Rail Project, but from the beginning, the City has bungled it’s presentations. EVERY Mass Transit Project in the US of A has gone obscenely OVER budget!!! But upon completion of EVERY SINGLE MASS TRANSIT PROJECT, ridership EXCEEDS all projections. Just look at BART & the Los Angeles Rail Systems for verification. Are they still subsidized – YES !!! But, traffic is not as bad as it would be, carbon footprint has been reduced, but most of all, communities are SCREAMING to be included in any expansion plans !!
Most anti-rail proponents are short sighted, backwards looking people. They are the ones still moaning about H-3 “ruining” the view of the Koolaus, instead of realizing what a beautiful DRIVE it is !!!
Ernie is not anti rail. Not sure how you got that.
And the H3, unlike rail, actually helped make a huge difference in traffic and made it easier to access the windward side of the island.
The rail is an out of control boondoggle being run by an incompetent project manager.
Agreed. Anyone who compares rail to H-3 is a dunce. Highways are the king of infrastructure, and an extension of H-3 would be welcome instead of a low benefit unwanted money pit like rail.
Ahhhh, wasn’t the H-3 paid by 80% Federal Funds? Not like this boondoggle whereby the federal share keeps shrinking the more the total costs GO UP?
Amazing the ways you guys try and “stretch” the truth.
Irt Waokanaka: Excellent perspective on having foresight.
ukuleleblue = paid rail propagandist.
“Sight”? More like “skin”.
Rail needs to be looked at from a different perspective. It is almost impossible to estimate and budget project costs over a many year construction timetable in a highly inflationary environment. No one predicted our fantastic recovery of our local economy and the current construction boom that has escalated contractor prices and land costs. The cost of rail unfortunately has increased but this is in line with inflation. Instead we should weigh long range benefits against future replacement cost instead of current cost. Decades from now we will look back and the cost of rail will look cheap. While our economy is booming, we can afford $7 billion and that’s why we need to get rail built now. If we were to start building rail 15 years from now it would be $20 billion. We absolutely need rail to alleviate our horrendous traffic problems and better to build now even if we are struggling to afford it. Good things generally are not easy to accomplish but we persevere and get rewarded in the end. People who want a home in Hawaii can’t afford it but they bite the bullet to make the payments and then inflation is on their side. Ten years ago when houses were $400,000, people couldn’t afford it but went ahead and bought and now it’s worth $700,000 and with interest rates low for refinancing and their increased salaries, they are now comfortable. If they didn’t buy before, they could not own at today’s prices. The same is for rail. We need to focus on our long term future for our children and grandchildren an build rail now while we can afford it in a strong economy and GE tax that we hardly feel. The future benefits of rail far outweigh the present cost. We cannot afford not to finish rail now.
Pardon me while I puke …
ukuleleblue = b.u.lls.h.i.t
Are you seriously comparing houses that can appreciate in value to the rail that is a bottomless pit for our tax dollars?
And yes, people who are knowledgeable about construction projects can give you a good idea of what things will cost. moofi said his 3.7 billion dollar budget for rail took into account the increased costs of labor and building materials, and factored in inflation.
Well, moofi lied and ukuleleblue is lying. The entire rail was founded on lies and sugar coated estimates to fool the gullible into thinking that rail was a good idea.
Rail did not provide the jobs that were promised. It is nearly double of the original budget and is likely to be tripe or quadruple if we build it to Ala Moana. Rail did not go to UH Manoa as originally stated. Rail is causing traffic problems and hurting local businesses. There is no accountability. The rail will make commutes longer and like someone said, for the express bus riders, rail is not an option, but an inconvenient requirement for commuting.
And to make it worse, HART pays a gasbag like ukuleleblue to post rosy comments about this boondoggle.
I don’t know where to start on this one from uku. It’s so filled with distortions on how these projects go in reality. I doubt he’s seen one rail built efficiently. There is really not that much variability in costs in a well planned project. The contract structure we have only works to saving money if those doing the planning did it well, or have sufficient prior experience. I’ve done it before. I doubt anyone involved in initial planning did. So we got the downside risk hitting us again and again. Not good.
With your experience, any suggestions on how to go forward now and get rail finished the right way?
I’ve wrote them down before in response to your numerous defenses to adverse news. But this is different: If you really do have pull at the top, tell the powers that be the best thing to do at senior levels is to co-opt opposed persons and avoid group think. What would happen if Cayetano and Panos were a minority on a board? Probably frank and open discussions to resolve issues and better public communication. Both of which would wonders to blunt public criticisms. I doubt they could kill the project as a minority.
Boards tend to function better afterwards, as opposed to becoming more entrenched and face more public ire. I know this works. I was a lone voice in opposition on a few occasions, but when things went wrong (as predicted) my bosses were wise enough to put me into a position where my opposing views actually sharpened the project or would kill my influence. Yes, sometimes hardball happens, especially at listed company board levels. That’s how some of the successful projects I worked were helped at senior political levels. The downside is Cayetano and Panos share blame if things keep going wrong. What more can political types want? Ready made scapegoats. Nothing to fear but the truth and that’s not scary. It’s factual.
This is all working according to plan. Martin puts pressure on rushing the results so he can grandstand, critique, and win emotional votes way before its time. Cayetano already planted the seed and made headway in casting doubt. This report will make what we all suspect public. More public cries for change. Martin becomes Mayor and does pretty much the same thing that the City Counsel has done. “Say yes to higher taxes to fund rail.” I agree with everyone in regards to stopping the bleeding, but I don’t trust the doctor who is prescribing the treatment. Keep an eye on Martin…he is not necessarily the good guy in this whole show.
I’m a skeptic and I think you are absolutely correct!
Missing or improperly allocated HART funds is not the problem that HART may be guilty of. The problem is proper and reasonable costs associated with the contract modifications some of which could have been mitigated by proper planning and/or construction management. An example is the utility conflicts mentioned in past articles. Why is this a show stopper when the alignment was set after the archaeological digs completed? The locations of the rail support columns would indicate where possible utility conflicts would occur and had that been fleshed out earlier, this would be a non-factor. Re-design and lost time as a result of these conflicts will definitely drive the cost of rail up.
One detail is all that is important. The thing isn’t even halfway done nor in any way operational, and it is projected to be at least a BILLION over budget. Gimme (back, or don’t take) a pro-rata share of a Billion plus, and I’ll sit in traffic all you want. Stop the bleeding, please. Don’t just get rid of Grabauskus, get rid of the entire thing. STOP! Seems like it might just be cost effective to re-pay the Feds, cancel current contracts and pay whatever penalties, and just STOP!
That makes too much sense. @ Uku and Wiliki etal, you guys still don’t get it. All your drivel is getting ripped apart by everyone here as we’re a little more akamai then the masses who PRP conned and can see through all your lies.
Go spew your trash to “Aunty”….you know, the one who says that the sun will power the train.
Kudos to this guy for fighting back. And I can’t believe that whishy-washy Kobayashi is still around to drag things down. I don’t know the specifics of the problem facing this massive endeavor, all I know is that this guy gets continuously bashed from all sides. He should tell Hawaii to take this job and shove it.
Absolutely. Give it back to the council, not worth the headaches.
Are you expecting different results when council members keep voting yes with reservations? They are the root of the problem. If they had the gonads to say no in the first place, this wouldn’t be happening. Vote out all the incumbents that went along with this pack of lies and deceit.
Good point. “With reservations”. Herd mentality.
There is a valuable campaign lesson and public relations lesson from Governor Cayetano’s failed run for Honolulu Mayor: he was repeatedly accused of being a “one issue” candidate. Rather than deny this I would have embraced it.
“You better believe I am a one issue candidate! You better believe it to the core! Why? Because no single issue facing Honolulu taxpayers is more important than the rail issue.”
Then, I would have created a powerpoint presentation or drawn a huge web with the rail system at the very center and then have lines branching out showing how rail would impact every facet of life for Honolulu: vehicle weight tax increases, vehicle safety check fee increases, property tax increases, the “temporary” rail tax, the lack of funds (due to the rail) to repair our surface streets, highways, freeways, sewers, infrastructure. I would then go point by point into the “unknowns.” How would we power the rail? How much would it cost? How much to place overhead power lines underground? How many businesses and private properties would have to be paid via Eminent Domain? How much would that cost? The web would probably reach three stories before the press conference was over. Am I a “one issue” candidate? You better believe it!
Grabby, bro, you are in denial and acting like a common criminal when caught and confronted. You need to provide facts to contradict the numbers or simply just resign and save face before facing the humiliation of being fired…again. Disappear dude before you get prosecuted.
Voting time is slowly approaching and STOPPING THE RAIL should be put on the ballot for the citizens to vote.
The rail project is being built at a fairly fast rate. This is obvious by looking at the traffic webcams which show the construction ( such as Waipahu ).
If I was Grabby, I would have said: yes, poor initial planning. But we didn’t loose the money. It’s all accounted for. But no. Attacking auditor? Shoot the messenger as Horner used.
Looks like Ernie got to the auditor. He needs “proof” for his grandstanding. fire Ernie.
You are such an i-d-i-o-t. Freaking Small Wili.
It’s Noon with 123 comments so far and many more will be added before this day is done.
Yes, this Rail is a hot mess and more drama to come!!!!!
I hope the Boston paper is taking an interest in our Rail challenges.
Truth will prevail?…….time wounds all heels.
Thank God for an election year……change is gonna come!!!
Mr. Grabauskas should have been relieved of his duties after the first year, the entire rail project should have been stopped. I say this because the entire project has been a lie and it is all coming to a head right now. City Government lied to the people, Mr Grabauskas was right in there, poor planning, costly oversights and this coming from people like myself who have no experience other than seeing it was a horrible idea. Not to forget the fact that Mr. Grabauskas is drawing a very handsome salary. He is a poor leader, please mr. Grabauskas resign, do not state a distraction by saying people failed and leaked the report. Please you have insulted the people of Hawaii with all of your lies. resign and move on
Grabaldi is grasping for straws in a desperate attempt to save his cushy gig. He’s way overpaid for what he does. Horner is gone, Grabaldi should be next.
Time for Grabauskas to be run out of town on a rail. Tar and feathers optional.
Everyone should remember that the guy behind the rail and the hiring of Grabauskas was Mufi. He deserves to get full credit for this fiasco of a project.
Carlisle and Caldwell also deserve credit in addition to past and present City Council members many of whom received huge political contributions
from rail proponents and developers. The rail project should be ended at either Aloha Stadium or Middle Street and the number of stations should be
cut. Even if that was done, the future financial drain on the City to maintain the rail project is going to be a disaster. There is still time but the Titanic is
rapidly approaching the iceberg. I guess all those who are making money hand over fist are enjoying the band playing even as disaster looms.
I angrily denounce, his angry denouncement, and his attitude. Have never liked his manor. My personal belief that he has not been completely open in his management.
Grabauskas is doing an outstanding job.
wiliki says: “Grabauskas is doing an outstanding job.”
Yes, but at what and for who?
Only in wiliki’s bizarre world.
Staying within the (still unpublished) budget of $6.57 billion, the (8 or 10 miles of, whatever is done before the change) steel wheels on steel rails guideway can be converted for use by an urban magnetic levitation (maglev) system, maglev-only guideway can be extended to provide service into Honolulu and on to UH-Manoa, Waikiki, and West Kapolei, and the savings for future costs (30 years) of operations and maintenance will be in the billions of dollars. We need a two-day “all-comers” public meeting to hear presentations, voice opinions, and make some real decisions. Is there a potential candidate for mayor (or even the City Council) willing to support a change? At the moment, I have not heard anything other than “staying the course” on steel wheels or killing the project or truncating the alignment. All are bad ideas. Maglev offers a solution but lacks a (political) champion.
Stop construction and let the bikers use what they’ve built.
Fire Ernie. He’s doing rail.
He’s delaying rail.
Grabby is delaying rail more than Ernie.
Baloney, Grabauskas is doing an outstanding job.
Look at that face, how could you not trust a guy like that.
“Association of Government Accountants, a national organization for financial professionals in government,
gave Auditor Edwin Young its Distinguished Local Government Leadership Award. He has 40 years’ experience
in government financial management, according to an AGA news release.”
There’s a proverb: “Corner a dog in a dead-end street and it will turn and bite”. (Grabauskas)
So who has the best reputation ? Who will the people TRUST ?
Young doesn’t deserve the award. He let Ernie bully him into turning out a bad report.
We got what we paid for 🙁
Actually, we don’t even have anything yet to show for “it”
Have D. Trump run the rail
He will fix the rail like he going fix the Great Wall
First job offer he’d better Grab it.
I heard everyone working for the rail is getting a big salary. All the construction workers are getting paid a big money and good benefits. Even the office workers are getting big money. Everyone is laughing all the way to the bank.
Pretty obvious that Ernie is behind this bad report. Fire Ernie.