Friday Afternoon Update: Mayor Carlisle Calls Rail Financial Study a ‘Shoddy Biased Analysis’

Mayor Peter Carlisle waited about 24 hours to comment on the $350,000 study of Honolulu rail’s finances, release of which apparently was Governor Lingle’s last official act.

Carlisle held a mid-afternoon press conference to let fly:

“It is no surprise the report is a pre-determined anti-rail rant. Spending a third of a million dollars for this shoddy, biased analysis is an appalling waste of our tax dollars.”

That much was on the 5 o’clock news, and we’ll include additional details from later newscasts and newspaper coverage.

The Mayor was reacting to yesterday’s revelation that one of the study’s authors, Tom Rubin, is an ardent rail opponent who sometimes begins his presentations “Bus is good. Rail is Bad.”