David Shapiro: Administrations change, but never Honolulu rail authority’s malfeasance

Any hope the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation is changing its degenerate ways was diminished by news that the flat-broke rail agency had awarded a consultancy worth up to $924,000 over six years to Colleen Hanabusa, former U.S. congresswoman, state Senate president and ultimate political insider.

Some in HART defended it by noting Hanabusa was a legislative architect of the law that set up the original funding mechanism for rail.

“If there was anybody in the world who could resurrect and reprieve Act 1, it would be Colleen,” said board member Joe Uno. “We need someone to help figure out the political landscape.”

Unmentioned was that this act Hanabusa figured in was the start of the stinking heap of corruption, mismanagement, incompetence and disinformation rail has come to represent as it morphed from a $5.2 billion commuter line that was supposed to run from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center by 2019 to a $12.5 billion sinkhole that will be lucky to make it to Middle Street by decade’s end.

Rewarding her with nearly $1 million for helping to kick it all off is the cherry on top of this steaming mound of malfeasance.

It’s mindless for HART to think its biggest need is someone who knows politics.

Hawaii’s pay-to-play politics and cronyism are the biggest causes of this ruinous failure that will cripple our city’s finances for a generation; what HART needs is someone who knows how to build a railroad — or dismantle one.

New interim HART CEO Lori Kahikina introduced herself by firing nearly half the agency’s staff, which may have been justified given HART’s miserable performance.

But replacing them with political retreads who got us in this mess like Hanabusa and former Councilman Joey Manahan, gifted with a $120,000 post as HART spokesman, offers little hope of a better future.

The specs for Hanabusa’s contract were written so she was virtually the only person who could qualify, and unsurprisingly, she was the only applicant.

Hanabusa’s most recent accomplishment is the rare political trifecta of losing elections for U.S. Senate, governor and Honolulu mayor.

The attacking nature of her campaigns left her on shaky terms with two of the people she lost to and is now supposed to lobby for more money for HART to misspend: Gov. David Ige and U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, who’s already said no federal bailout.

She also lost to Mayor Rick Blangiardi in last year’s primary election, but she’s good with him after endorsing him over Keith Amemiya in the general election.

There’s little chance Blangiardi, who promised to end such cronyism, was unaware of this deal. His managing director, Mike Formby, was Hanabusa’s chief of staff in Congress.

The hauna of this appointment needs a thorough public airing, and the only potential honest broker that could provide it is the City Council, which oversees HART’s budget.

The Council should immediately hold public hearings to scrutinize this contract and, if warranted, knock at least the last two years from the budget.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.