AFTER a disgraceful sequence of political maneuvering, the City Council is drifting toward a change in the route of the planned Kapolei-to-Ala Moana rail transit to include Honolulu Airport instead of Salt Lake. The fact that the Council and Mayor Mufi Hannemann are leaning toward a preferable route provides no rationale for the squalid path that is taking them there.

The Salt Lake route was included in February of last year following a deal—hinted at, contrived, real or imagined—between Mayor Mufi Hannemann and Councilman Romy Cachola, who represents that neighborhood. Hannemann favored the airport route but agreed to the Salt Lake route after gaining Cachola's support.

According to a memorandum written by a Cachola aide, the mayor asked the Councilman in a meeting that included Salt Lake neighborhood leaders if he would vote in favor of rail transit if it were to “;go through Salt Lake,”; and Cachola, who had pleaded with the mayor to run it through his neighborhood, responded that he would. The City Council approved the Salt Lake route two days later by a 5-4 vote and affirmed it a week later.

Cachola told the Star-Bulletin editorial board yesterday that he regarded Hannemann's statement as a “;commitment”; but not in return for Cachola's favorable vote, since he would have voted for the transit even if it were to bypass Salt Lake. “;The exact words of the mayor were, 'If you want Salt Lake, I will give it to you.' He said at the time we need a fifth vote, and it's me.'”;

“;There was no deal,”; Cachola said yesterday. “;I did not threaten to vote against it.”; His account essentially lets Hannemann off the hook for reneging on a quid pro quo, even if he thought there was one.

Councilman Todd Apo, an early supporter of the rail line, has been joined by Councilman Charles Djou, a rail opponent, in sponsoring a rerouting to the airport. The lone dissenting vote in last week's 7-1 vote was Cachola.

A draft environmental impact statement about the transit system found the two routes to be equal in cost-effectiveness, a key criterion that the Federal Transit Administration uses to evaluate projects proposed for federal funding. The federal agency has agreed to consider the city's funding request of $1.2 billion for the project.

While adding $200 million to the $3.9 billion construction, the airport route would average an estimated 95,000 passengers a day, while the Salt Lake route would carry 88,000. The airport route would be useful to employees commuting to the airport and Pearl Harbor Naval Base.

“;The higher cost of the airport alternative would be offset by the higher ridership and user benefits for that alternative,”; the environmental statement says. It also notes that the airport route would require less land conversion and fewer properties affected by its placement.