HART board takes no action on Grabauskas
GEORGE F. LEE / APRIL 14
Dan Grabauskas, executive director and CEO of Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation
The board overseeing Honolulu’s rail project spent another two and a half hours today discussing its CEO’s job performance behind closed doors but didn’t have anything to report publicly afterward.
Dan Grabauskas, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s executive director, has already agreed to two 60-day extensions dating back to April for the board to weigh his annual job evaluation. The latest extension expires Aug. 21. So far, board members have spent nearly 10 hours discussing the matter in private, HART records show. That’s far more time than they dedicated to any of Grabauskas’ prior three evaluations.
“There is no indication that we’ll seek another extension after that,” board Chairwoman Colleen Hanabusa said of the Aug. 21 deadline after adjourning Thursday’s meeting. “Other than that time limit that we do have, it is a personnel matter and we’re not at liberty to discuss,” Hanabusa added.
The board’s closed-door discussion on Grabauskas was its only agenda item for the meeting. Grabauskas did not attend because he’s out of state, according to a HART spokesman.
In years past, Grabauskas has received high marks in his evaluations and received $35,000 bonuses in 2013 and 2014 for meeting predetermined job objectives. This year’s evaluation coincides with the rail project’s second major budget crisis, which could dramatically change the size, scope and functionality of the transit system.
It also follows a shakeup in the board that’s seen several key Grabauskas supporters — such as Ivan Lui Kwan, Carrie Okinaga and former First Hawaiian Bank Chairman Don Horner — leave in the past year or so.
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64 responses to “HART board takes no action on Grabauskas”
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So much for transparency, when tax dollars are being spent.
The only agenda item for the HART board and no action taken?
Basically they get nothing done quite well. LOL
He should be giving $70,000 back!
Doesn’t he get closer to $400,000 a year. If they fire grabby they still have to pay him a year’s salary to end the contract.
What? No free lunches?
why would they say anything now if they have until Aug 21?
You were expecting otherwise?
Give him the $35,000. Bet they do.
It’s time for Grabauskas and the entire HART board and the mayor to be shown the door.
Yes Vote for Charles Djou !
I am!
Djou, another rail saboteur, like Cayetano, Kobayashi, Slater. The will not be happy under they put the construction industry out of work, and send our economy back into a recession.
You’re saying that our economy depends on the handful of laborers from Hawaii that are working on the rail? Just what percentage of our construction industry are employed by the rail project anyway? I guess Hawaii was in a recession before rail construction began.
There no bigger saboteur than Codwell. He’s stopping the rail at Middle street because they blew all the money.
Before the rail project began, almost half 50% of people in the construction industry were unemployed, and we were in a deep recession, with Lingle cutting back on teaching, furlough Fridays, social and public services cutbacks. Not only construction workers are working on rail, there are the planners, designers, engineers, government agencies, contractors, material and equipment suppliers, attorneys dealing with all the litigation. All these people are now employed and have incomes, and they are spending and consuming in our economy, and are spreading their incomes to other businesses and throughout our island and State economy. It is the reason we have the lowest u employment rate in the country, and we have one of the best performing economies in the country
I do not think that it would affect the locals as much as the numerous “haole’s” from the mainland that Kewitt has on the job for rail. As you drive by rail that is under construction, notice the absence of “local boys” working on the job. All I see is yellow hair workers.
Other rail saboteurs: Ernie Martin and some of the City Councilmen who are cutting back on the funding for HART and the HART staffing.
The complex rail project needs educated, skilled, and experienced people to work on the project. The construction industry on Oahu has a lot of job openings, however, there are not enough people here without those backgrounds and experience, so the Contractors are recruiting on the mainland
Looks like the crooked politicians are at least considering whether to “sacrifice” Grabby and place responsiblity for billions in cost overruns on him.
Caldwell will be watching the polls before calling Evilyn with instructions for the Hart board. If it looks like he’s going to lose, my bet is he cuts Grabby like a cancer just before the primary. He knows Grabby is a lightning rod for public criticism, it’s probably a big part of why they hired him. They’ve known from the start this project would cost 10+ billion. Sooner or later they were going to need a fall guy to take the blame. Grabby will fill this role quite well.
A union toad and shill. Just like ub ub boo and wee willie.
What Vector, part of the anonymous PRP attack squad that has to use fake names so PRP does not get hit with another lawsuit that required them to formally publish an apology to Cayetano on the newspaper. You guys should have been required to pay a multi-million dollar fine when found guilty of libel.
IRT Keolu: show the mayor the door but don’t let Grabauskas off the hook.
You’ve got that right. He is turning this into a disaster just like he did in Boston and the board is useless!
The Big Dig in Boston, has turned into an economically booming Boston, where development on both sides of the river has attracted corporate headquarters, other businesses, and people to live and locate there.
Because they got rid of grabby and so he came and with his claque of local lgbt supporters who crowed his wonderous feats in Boston brought their brother love to nest in backwater Honolulu where Moofi, cladwell, Martin and friends never heard that he was forced out of Boston — with a year’s salary, of course!
Clearly Grabby Boy does not deserve any bonus or pay raise as long as it can be done in compliance with the contract. We do not want another UH Manoa style contract debacle costing taxpayers 10’s of thousands of dollars.
Why do I think our elected bureaucrats and HART members will all vote to give Grabby Boy an undeserved bonus and pay raise “With Reservations.” Really?
We need Grabauskas. He is the only person who has the knowledge an experience to complete this project. Your attacks on him are disgusting. We need the rail project to continue so the people involved in its design and construction remain employed. If you stop rail at Middle Street, it would be like building a bridge 75% across the river, it would be useless. We need the affordable housing and rentals that are being planned and being built around the rail stations and along the guide way. Without the affordable housing and rentals more people will be forced to move off island or out of state, or become homeless because they cannot afford any shelter here. We need to complete the rail project as soon as possible, so the affordable housing and rentals can be built. All the opposition to rail is only create more delays to the rail project and drive the cost for rail even higher. The rail stations will be a catalyst for more business, commercial and residential development around the rail stations, generating more jobs and incomes for people, and more State and City tax revenues, and continue our booming economy way into the future.
LOL. If you stil rail at Middle street, its like building a bridge 75%. ROFL. Sorry, that’s exactly what your by Codwell has done.
I agree it would be useless. So stop building it now. Stop wasting money.
Do not throw or waste my taxpayer money that has already been invested in the rail project. Build the rail guide way all the way to Ala Moana Center, and all 22 rail metro stations, where affordable housing and rentals can be built, and we can finally deal with housing and rental affordability, and reduce our growing homeless problem
irt vector, evidently a City worker— GET REAL!!!!! Who does not see the DAMAGE THAT RUSTY THE HATED SCREECHING RAIL HAS ALREADY DONE . The people have lost faith in the entire CITY & CITY COUNCIL . From 2.8 Billion and 36 miles down to 15 miles and UP TO 10 BILLION DOLLARS AND GRWWING EVERY DAY. Perhaps the worlds biggest folly ever to hit the shores of Hawaii. The RAIL GUIDEWAY SHOULD BE STOPPED AT THE ALOHA STADIUM AND THE EXISATING GUIDE WAY TURNED INTO A REVERSABLE 2 LANE HIGHWAY SO ALL THE LEEWARD SIDE CAN BENIFIT. Think of the positives that would occur. NO NEED TO RAISE TAXES. NO NEED TO BUILD ANOTHER POWER PLANT JUST TO RUN DA CHOO CHOO, NO FUTURE OVERHEAD AND MAINANANCE. NO NEED TO BNUY THE OTHER RUSTING RAIL CARS, NO NEED FOR GRABASKAS, NO NEED FOR CALDWELL, NO NEED FOR HANABUSA OR ELEPAHANTE. SEE THE ENTIRE ISLAND WINS
Vector is a smart citizen. We need Rail completed. All the way to the convention center. Yes, a overhead walkway from Kaheka St. Kona st.right over Atkinson. If Djou runs on NO, this will be strike 3 for the obstructionists.
Most likely PRP backed.
It is time for the entire Oahu rail project to END. Just leave the unfinished rail track and columns. There might be some use for it in the future but not under the managment of Kirk, Grabby, HART and the rest of these greedy, clueless clowns.
Finally someone with common sense. Cut your losses, and figure out something to do with it in the future. We all have absolutely no idea how completely messed up town traffic is going to be once they start barreling down Dillingham. It is going have a major impact all day and night on Nimitz, King and H1. Good luck to anyone trying to get in or out of town.
Grabourmoneyandrun is another cruel joke on Honolulu!!!!!
the City could build a proper system if their life depended on it. NOT ONE MEMBER ON HART HAS ANY IDEA OF HOW TO BUILD A CHOO CHOO SO THEY KISS GRABBYS BUTT.
NOT
GRABALLYOUCANSKI WEN GRABALLHECOOD HERE; HE HAS MOVED ON…OUTA TOWN BCOZ HE IS PROBLY SCOUTING/FINDING ANODDA LIONEL PROJECT SUM UDDA PLACE TO SCAM.
How can you not love a face like that.
The face of a perpetual carpetbagger
#simpsonsmonorail
CRAZY ANTI NOW CAPPING AND RANTING ON LIKE A PACK OF AMPED OUT OLD PEOPLE ON ASPIRINS.THAT PICTURE WITH DJOU AND THE 3 DEMOCRATS REPRESENTS AN AVERAGE AGE OF 77. YES FOLKS THE YOUNG PEOPLE WILL VOTE FOR RAIL. OLD FOLKS DON’T WALK OR ENJOY PUBLIC TRANS. SO SAD SELLING OUT THE YOUNG…
Gruberspeak not going to work this time around
Stalling!!!
Just fire him.
Yup,nothing to see here. Move along just the rehash thinga here.
well of course no action was taken. status quo as always.
The Government in Honolulu is a joke. And the biggest joker is Caldwell
The biggest jokers, are the people posting here. Nothing but smears, slurs, insults, lies, falsehoods against the Mayor, Grabauskas, HART, the currency of scoundrels
First of all, look in the mirror.
And then tell us what falsegoods have been told.
B.s. Everyone in that meeting probably just let time by and ate Manapua and pastries and said nothing about the crook.
The bigger crooks, are those who have half-baked, two cent worth, and uninformed opinions
Who’s casting as-s-persions now?
That is the obvious decision. Firing Grabauskas would put the exclamation point on this failed and grossly overpriced project. It would also mean that all those who backed this project have also failed the people of Oahu. There was no way they were going to do this. And finally, there would be a loud shout out to the voters who decided not to think first and just gave their vote of “yes”. The Aloha State is surely morphing into the Ainokea State.
No decision until after the Primary. Anyone disagree?
Do. If cladwell the naked emperor needs to deflect and the polls so reflect, he will dump grabby via his surrogates in the HART board. No ifs or buts. He needs to survive so he can either achieve the guv position or go back to Congress where he once served under the one-armed bandit of pork. Now if the HART board is so inclined, they can still point fingers at moofi and cladwell. You’ve heard the tale of the scorpion and the frog. Yup, because it’s their nature.
Wimps! Just gutless, spineless jellyfish. Get a pair.
Did anyone really think there would be?
“The board overseeing Honolulu’s rail project spent another two and a half hours today discussing its CEO’s job performance behind closed doors but didn’t have anything to report publicly afterwards.”>>> And there ya have it.
What a farce of a HART board meeting to keep him employed!
HART Board, Caldwell, Formby, City Council, HART, and especially useless Grabby need to get the boot. Can’t stand the Caldwell ads probably funded by some PRP entity to promote their puppet.
It’s too late to give him a bad evaluation. The damage is done and it is irreversible. All the Board members who gave him bonuses in past years should be thrown off the Board and disgraced.
According to article, they are all mostly gone. Horner was torpedoed by Martin, who also demanded grabby resign. But Horner, the then-HART chair whimpered he was only the messenger and being made a scapegoat, which leads to the question of who was pulling his strings?
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