http://www.civilbeat.org/2015/06/did-kirk-caldwell-mislead-the-legislature-on-rail-taxes/  

"Internal emails from Honolulu’s rapid transit agency raise questions about whether Mayor Kirk Caldwell was being honest with Hawaii lawmakers when pleading for an extension of a 0.5 percent general excise tax surcharge that pays for rail.

The project faces a nearly $1 billion deficit, and in January Caldwell told legislators that if he didn’t get a GET surcharge extension he would have to raise Honolulu property taxes 30 percent to 43 percent to build and maintain the system. Construction costs are now estimated to be about $6 billion.

But emails obtained by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser through a public records request indicate Caldwell overstated the severity of the situation."