Gov defends taxes
for transit planAn increase is the only way
to pay for the project, Lingle says
Increased taxes are the only way to pay for a $2.8 billion mass transit proposal on Oahu, says Gov. Linda Lingle.
In reaction to criticism from Republican state senators, Lingle defended the proposal yesterday, saying Oahu residents need help in easing traffic jams.
"I am not surprised by others disagreeing, but I just think it is important to be honest with the public in this matter," Lingle told reporters yesterday.
"The honest statement I made is that if Hawaii is to have any large transit plan, it will require some sort of a tax increase," Lingle added.
Senate GOP leader Fred Hemmings, a member of a committee formed by Lingle to explore ways of dealing with the traffic-clogged Oahu freeways, said he supported transit but not a tax increase.
Lingle's committee of city and state leaders recommended on Monday that the state build a $200 million, two-lane elevated Nimitz highway addition and a 22-mile light-rail line from Kapolei to downtown.
Hemmings said the five-person GOP caucus in the Senate was also in opposition to the tax increase.
But Lingle said yesterday that Oahu residents cannot have one without the other.
"I want to make the point again that you can't be for mass transit and be against a tax hike of some kind," Lingle said.
Lingle was buoyed by calls of encouragement from Hawaii senior U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Democrat, who called the Republican governor yesterday.
"His challenge to me was that if we are going to do anything, it is going to take consensus, and as a leader, it is my responsibility to bring people together," the governor said.
Lingle said that while she may not be able to persuade all legislators to support a tax increase, "we will try to get the key decision-makers in the county, state and federal level to reach some sort of consensus."
