All nine members of the new Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board met for the first time Saturday.
The authority does not officially form until July 1, but an orientation session marked the public’s first opportunity to see HART in action. Still, board members were careful to refer to themselves as “future board members,” and some were reluctant to talk to Civil Beat after the meeting, citing their not-yet-official status.
Over the course of about four hours in a city conference room near Honolulu Hale, the board had its first opportunity to ask in-depth questions about the $5.3 billion project, and clear — if unofficial — leadership emerged.
The semi-autonomous authority, created by a charter question put to voters in November 2010, will manage the elevated rail line running from Kapolei to Ala Moana. HART’s board is made up of three board members selected by Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle, three tapped by the Honolulu City Council, and three ex-officio members. Those nine members will pick a tenth voting board member.
Here’s the board make-up so far:
- Don Horner, appointed by the mayor
- William “Buzzy” Hong, appointed by the mayor
- Carrie Okinaga, appointed by the mayor
- Keslie Hui, appointed by the City Council
- Damien Kim, appointed by the City Council
- Ivan Lui-Kwan, appointed by the City Council
- Glen Okimoto, Hawaii Department of Transportation director
- Wayne Yoshioka, Honolulu Transportation Services director
- David Tanoue, Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting director (non-voting member)
City rail planners led the meeting before fewer than two dozen people (most appeared to be current and former city workers, or those otherwise involved with the transit project). No city council members were present, even though they’re at odds with the administration over what authority the new board should have.
The presentation included overviews of:
- The rail project and its status
- The project’s financial plan
- The federal government’s role in the project
- Public relations and community outreach efforts
- How HART was created, and what the board’s duties will be
- HART’s budget
- What to expect in the HART board’s first official meeting on July 1
Board members each received a large binder containing the HART business plan, drafts of possible board bylaws and policies, a draft of HART’s procurement process and the latest financial plan for the rail line.
When rail general manager Toru Hamayasu outlined the HART budget, he mentioned that it was different in some “minor” ways from the one approved Friday by the City Council. Hamayasu didn’t discuss what the council characterized as critical differences in its version of the budget, such as restricting HART’s authority to borrow money until after the federal government commits to providing $1.5 billion for the project.
Asked after the meeting why he didn’t mention that condition to the board, Hamayasu told Civil Beat: “That’s not the HART budget, that’s part of the City Council’s budget for HART.”
Throughout the morning, HART board members asked questions, focusing largely on the financial status of the project, safety concerns and how the new rail line will integrate with the current bus system.
Horner, Lui-Kwan Most Vocal Board Members
In addition to selecting a new member, the board will soon appoint a chairperson and vice-chair. Already, board leadership seemed to emerge.
Horner sat at the head of a U-shaped table and largely led discussion, asking many questions about a variety of topics, and often framing them from the “community standpoint.”
“Don has always been like that,” Kim said. “Smart guy. Can’t say anything bad about about him.”
Horner has certainly had plenty of experience serving as a board member: He is the chairman and CEO of First Hawaiian Bank, chairman of the state Board of Education, chairman of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and serves as an executive committee member or adviser to many other organizations.
Lui-Kwan, a former city budget director, also spoke frequently during the meeting. He and Horner leaned toward one another and made remarks during the presentation, at least once laughing.
Zipped Lips Until July 1
During the meeting, Horner was often the first to ask questions. But he was tight-lipped when he was asked about the meeting afterward.
“All the issues interest me,” Horner said. “I don’t have any specifics because I’m not a board person yet. I don’t feel comfortable commenting on anything. I’m still a private citizen at this point.”
Hong, a retired union leader, gave the same reason for not wanting to talk about the meeting but promised to be “very open, very transparent” come July 1. Okinaga, who is still serving as the city’s top lawyer until June 30, says it’s not appropriate for her to begin discussing her HART duties until her city work is complete. (Okinaga has told Civil Beat in the past that she recused herself from any legal work pertaining to the rail project as soon as she agreed to serve on the HART board.)
Facilitating most of the discussion was Hamayasu. He runs the city’s Rapid Transit Division, which will split off from the Transportation Services Department to become HART. Hamayasu, too, was reluctant to give his reaction to the meeting, or his opinion on the new board.
“This is our orientation meeting, right? OK?” Hamayasu said. “We expected to give a presentation and that’s what we did. … The transition will be smooth, because that’s what we’re trying to do.”
There are signs of trouble ahead for HART. For months, Carlisle and the council have argued over whether the council has authority over HART’s budget, and both sides have threatened to sue each other.
Sunshine Coming for HART in July
Come July 1, the board will be “sunshined,” subject to Hawaii open government laws. Such laws require HART to hold its meeting in public places, and to notify the public six days before a meeting. Even though the board isn’t subject to the laws today, it held its meeting in a public place.
While some board members said they aren’t ready to speak to the public until HART officially begins work, others readily gave feedback about the orientation.
Yoshioka, one of the most prominent figures in rail planning, said he tried to keep quiet during the meeting so that fellow board members could get acclimated.
“I deliberately held back because it wouldn’t have helped if I jumped in all that often,” Yoshioka said. “It was important for the board to get some of the background. The future board members asked some very, very good questions.”
Kim, financial secretary for the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said it was a positive first step.
“This was helpful, and really interesting,” he said. “What will be really interesting is trying to figure out how to put everything together. Getting a grasp of the budget is the biggest thing. Trying to spin some wheels, and think out of the box on how we can save some money.”
Tanoue echoed Kim’s take on the meeting.
“I thought it went well,” he said. “It was a good flow of information, and nice to have the opportunity to ask some questions.”
Tanoue is the board’s only nonvoting member. HART board members learned Saturday that although only nine of them will vote, city law still requires six votes instead of five for a majority.
“It’s kind of unusual but that’s OK,” Tanoue said. “I’ll participate in the discussions and provide any help that I can to the board as they make a decision.”
Present at the meeting was Ron Tober, a transportation management consultant hired to help with the HART transition. (Tober has been working with the city since at least March, and says he’ll finish working with HART on July 15.)
Tober, who has helped set up transit agencies in cities across the country, told Civil Beat he was impressed with how much the board members already knew about the project and the quality of their questions.
Asked what advice he would offer the new board members, Tober says they need to remain engaged with their role.
“It’s a problem if they don’t show up to meetings, if there’s discussion and they never ask questions, if they stop paying attention because they trust management,” Tober said. “It’s natural for people to do that. I’ve seen that before. I’ve seen places where the board goes to sleep because they have a lot of trust and confidence, then — if you’ll excuse the expression — when the shit hits the fan, bam. The next 12 to 18 months are going to be very important.”
