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As City Council members work on amending the mayor’s spending plan, companies that lost in their bid for a lucrative rail contract are putting up a fight. Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.

Todd Apo Says He Is On Board for HART

12:44 p.m.
Former City Council member Todd Apo says he doesn’t know if he’s officially one of Mayor Peter Carlisle‘s three nominees for HART, but he’s up for the job.

“I can say that I have been approached by various people at the city about serving in the authority,” Apo told Civil Beat Monday afternoon. “The rail project was a large part of my six years on the council. I am interested in serving in that capacity.”

Carlisle has not yet returned Civil Beat’s request for comment.

Another name that’s surfaced as a potential pick by the mayor is Don Horner, who Gov. Neil Abercrombie last week named chairman of the Hawaii Board of Education. Reached by email to request comment on the possibility of serving on the HART board, Horner wrote: “Sorry. have no comment.”

Health Department Rules Out Some Dengue, Awaits More Results

11:23 a.m.
The Hawaii Department of Health has now ruled out 12 additional cases of dengue fever, but they’re awaiting results on 23 possible new cases. Here’s the update we got from spokeswoman Janice Okubo:

“As of today, April 4, 2011, we are waiting for lab results from CDC or still investigating a total of 23 reports of suspected dengue fever from Oahu physicians. Since March 24, a total of 12 reports from physicians have ruled out (determined negative).

As of April 4, results from the Pearl City survey are four (4) positive cases. These include the two (2) original (index) cases and two suspected cases (related to the original cases). The four samples were confirmed positive by lab results received from the CDC.”

Berg Wants Prevedouros on Transit Agency Board

9:57 a.m.
Today’s the deadline day for City Council members to nominate their picks for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit board. One nominee we’re willing to bet won’t make the final cut? Rail critic Panos Prevedouros.

Prevedouros confirmed to Civil Beat that Tom Berg planned to nominate him to the board. Prevedouros said other city council members called him about the position, too, but he wouldn’t reveal which ones. The two-time mayoral candidate and UH professor said he’s up for the gig if he gets it.

“I don’t think the project really has legs but considering what the requirements are for the board, I believe I have the qualifications,” Prevedouros said. “That’s what really propelled me to accept. I said, sure, I will help as much as I can.”

Asked what he thinks the mayor would do if Prevedouros made it onto the transit agency’s board, he let out a long laugh.

“He will go ballistic,” Prevedouros said. “And just imagine (chief rail planner) Toru Hamayasu reporting to me, essentially! Carlisle likes good comedy so maybe part of him will like it.”

City Council Chairman Nestor Garcia and Vice Chair Breene Harimoto will ultimately decide which three of the nine council members’ nominees advance to the 10-member board.

Bombardier, Sumitomo Set for City Debriefs Monday and Tuesday

8:46 a.m.
Two companies that lost in their bids for the city’s Design Build Operate and Maintain — or DBOM — contract will partake in debriefs about the decision with Honolulu officials today and tomorrow¹. A contract valued at more than $1 billion ultimately went to Ansaldo Honolulu.

Top representatives of both Bombardier and Sumitomo have complained about what they say was an unfair selection by the city. Both companies have five days after their respective debriefs to launch a formal protest.

Sumitomo Vice President Gino Antoniello told Civil Beat his company will protest the decision. Bombardier Vice President Andrew Robbins, whose company not only lost the bid but was disqualified in the process, would not confirm whether Bombardier plans to protest.

Deadline Day for Council HART Nominees

City Council members are due to submit nominees for members of a new transit agency’s board of directors.

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit, or HART, will be made up of 10 board members — nine voting members and one non-voting member — as follows:

• State Department of Transportation director
• City Department of Transportation Services director
• City Department of Planning and Permitting director (non-voting member)
• Board member appointed by mayor
• Board member appointed by mayor
• Board member appointed by mayor
• Board member appointed by City Council
• Board member appointed by City Council
• Board member appointed by City Council
• A tenth board member will be appointed by the eight voting board members already in place

City Council members have raised concerns about what some of them see as an erosion of their oversight of the agency. Council members have debated with the administration of Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle over whether the City Council will get to approve HART’s first budget. The agency will be launched with the start of the fiscal year on July 1.

Previous Editions of Inside Honolulu

April 1, 2011: Gov. Neil Abercrombie taps former City Council candidate; GOP wants Nestor Garcia ethics investigation; Budget Chairman Ernie Martin schedules two special budget meetings.