CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Councilmen Rod Tam, left, and Romy Cachola listened to testimony during Wednesday's marathon Council session on the mass-transit system.

Mayor’s backers get big rail jobs

Hannemann defends millions doled out so far to his campaign donors

Nearly one in every three companies working on the city's $3.7 billion mass transit system has contributed to Mayor Mufi Hannemann's campaign.

In reviewing a list released by the city this week of subcontractors involved in this project, the Star-Bulletin found at least 19 of the 62 firms have given money to Hannemann's campaign since 2000.

Three contractors were awarded a total of $107 million to work on the beginning phases of the project, including the preliminary engineering, environmental impact statement and public outreach. Those three companies enlisted the help of several dozen companies, some of which were awarded multiple contracts lasting several years.

Hannemann defended the firms, saying they are doing good work and that contributing to his campaign is legal.

"There's nothing that prevents consultants who work with the city who happen to be supporters of mine," he told reporters yesterday. "As long as the contribution is legal, we'll accept the campaign contribution."

Three subcontractors working on public involvement have ties to Hannemann's campaign or administration. They have more than $1.8 million in subcontracts: Elisa Yadao and Laura Pennington, who worked on Hannemann's mayoral campaign, and Gary Omori, married to Clarice Hashimoto, who works in the Mayor's Office.

Meanwhile, the City Council is expected to make a final decision on the technology for the elevated system from Kapolei to Ala Moana. That vote is a mere "formality," said Hannemann, as the city moves forward with steel wheel on steel rail as its technology.

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A list of companies and individuals working with the city on the $3.7 billion mass-transit project shows that some are close allies of Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

Hannemann has also received donations to his campaign since 2000 from at least 19 of the 62 subcontractors who were hired by three main contractors.

Of the contracts, the city awarded $86 million to PB Americas, an engineering firm, and $11.5 million to InfraConsult, a transportation consulting firm. These firms then hired the subcontractors.

Nearly a third of the subcontractors have at some point contributed to Hannemann's campaign since 2000, campaign records show. Among the highest total contributions include $9,900 from Belt Collins, a design firm doing landscape architecture work for the project, and $8,000 from the National Group, a lobbying group based out of Washington, D.C.

Five companies or individuals -- Dahl Consulting, Gary Omori LLC, former City Councilman John DeSoto, Lychee Productions and Pat Lee & Associates -- working on public involvement are getting paid $1.5 million of an $86 million contract. The mayor's office points out that comes out to a small fraction -- 1.8 percent -- of the total contract.

Elisa Yadao and Laura Pennington, who worked on Hannemann's mayoral campaign, are helping with the public involvement work of the project. Gary Omori, also contracted for public involvement work, is married to former state Rep. Clarice Hashimoto, who now works in the mayor's office.

Several City Council members said they were "alarmed," and criticized the spending on the mass-transit project, particularly the amount budgeted for public involvement.

Councilman Charles Djou had criticized Hannemann for accepting campaign contributions from companies involved with the mass-transit project. Hannemann shot back, saying it was a "double standard" since Djou had solicited funding from these same companies after a recent announcement to run for Congress in 2010.

"Don't criticize others when you're doing it through the back door," Hannemann said yesterday at a news conference. "He's being hypocritical."

Djou said he did not know the subcontractors working with the city until this week. He said he is willing to introduce legislation banning elected city officials from accepting campaign contributions from all companies working with the city if Hannemann would support it.

Hannemann said it is legal to accept contributions from companies working with the city.

"There's nothing that prevents consultants who work with the city who happen to be supporters of mine," Hannemann said. "As long as the contribution is legal, we'll accept the campaign contribution."

Hannemann said he is not involved with the hiring of his supporters. That decision is left up to the city's contractors, though the city administration does give the final approval.

"Just because they're friends of mine and just because they supported me does not mean we should exclude them from being involved," Hannemann said. "The money that people talk about is such a manini (small) part of this $86 million contract."

Yadao, who will receive $504,662 for a four-year contract, stands by her qualifications.

"I think public involvement is a really important part of the project," said Yadao, who is responsible for creating a newsletter, contacting the media and conducting community meetings. "It's a large, significant project that the community should know about."

The city also points out that the Federal Transit Administration requires transportation agencies to actively involve the public when it comes to mass-transit issues.