The top three candidates for Honolulu Mayor include current Mayor Peter Carlisle, former city managing director Kirk Caldwell and former Governor of the state of Hawaii Ben Cayetano. While there are many campaign issues being discussed during this election year, the city’s $5.2 billion rail transit system is by far the largest and most important topic of debate by the three individuals. Both Carlisle and Caldwell support the Honolulu Rail Project while Cayetano strongly opposes the system and has vowed that if elected he would do everything in his power to stop the process.
As campaigning becomes more intense, the three candidates have begun to accuse one another for spreading misinformation about the rail project to potential voters. Cayetano questions what would happen if the federal government does not provide the $1.55 billion in federal funding that the city needs to complete the rail project. Cayetano stated, “The fact is they don’t have a backup. They don’t have one. They should have one.” Meanwhile, Carlisle and Caldwell argue that Cayetano is “cherry picking” facts about traffic and costs in an effort to increase anti-rail support.
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 7-6-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
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