A University of Hawai'i-Manoa engineering professor who's been a leading critic of the city's $3.7 billion mass transit project declared his intent to run against Mayor Mufi Hannemann this fall.

"Honolulu needs a change in politics," said Panos D. Prevedouros, a 47-year-old tenured professor and president of the Hawai'i Highway Users Alliance.

Hannemann "is focused on a single, massive, unaffordable project, and that has taken a lot of energy and focus away from important infrastructure issues," said Prevedouros, surrounded by more than a dozen supporters in front of Honolulu Hale yesterday. Prevedouros said waste management, sewage treatment, tourism and road repair are the issues he will run on.

"Anyone is free to run," Hannemann said. "If you're going to jump into the arena with the big boys, you better know about public safety, the economy, tourism. We have stuck to our promises and we have delivered on our promises."

Hannemann has raised more than $2.5 million in campaign funds so far while his opponents have raised little or nothing.

Prevedouros said the contest was not a "money campaign" but a people's campaign.

ANTI-RAIL BACKERS

Prevedouros is backed by retired businessman Cliff Slater, Charley's Taxi President Dale Evans, state Sen. Sam Slom, R-8th (Kahala, Hawai'i Kai) and other organizers of the anti-rail effort. Slater said he will help fund Prevedouros' campaign and will encourage his friends and other anti-rail followers to contribute.

Surrounded by people wearing white "Panos for Mayor, Let's Fix Oahu" T-shirts featuring a yellow caution sign and a hard hat, Prevedouros said the city cannot afford rail transit. He touted his civil and traffic engineering experience as proof that he can attend to O'ahu's aging infrastructure and congested roadways.

"O'ahu needs fixing, a lot of fixing," Prevedouros said. "We have huge infrastructure issues. There is a lot of fixing to do, and that is what I can do as a civil engineer."

Eight candidates have signaled their intent to run for mayor, including Hannemann. Three — James R. Brewer, Daniel H. Cunningham and Donovan D. Kambel — have formally filed.

Candidates have until July 22 to file to run for office. The state primary election is scheduled for Sept. 20 and the general election will be Nov. 4.

Prevedouros said that recent advertisements by Hannemann in both of Honolulu's daily newspapers targeted him and other members of the group Stop Rail Now and motivated him to run.

"The ads really upset me," he said.

Prevedouros said he is in the process of applying for an un-paid leave of absence from his 18-year UH career.

In addition to his position at UH, Prevedouros specializes in transportation engineering and has consulted for firms including The IBI Group Inc. and The R.M. Towill Corp., according to his resume.

He was born in Patras, Greece, in 1961, and is expecting a baby boy with his fiancee. They rent a house near Triangle Park in Kahala.

'TALK STRAIGHT'

Speaking after a news conference announcing the creation of the Honolulu Forever Young awards honoring working professionals over 65, Hannemann said this is a democracy where anyone can run and urged Prevedouros to "talk straight" about his anti-rail stance.

"This is all about stopping rail. I'm looking forward to this race, and I plan to use my double-A game," Hannemann said. "That ad was very factual. They (the anti-rail supporters) have always been planning to run somebody."

He said the majority of O'ahu residents, state legislators and the state's congressional delegation support the rail plan. He also maintained that "ultra-conservative, libertarian-leaning organizations on the Mainland" are coaching the anti-rail supporters.

Hannemann said Prevedouros' claims that he has been inattentive to infrastructure are "preposterous."

Hannemann supporters said since the mayor took office, the city has spent more than $1 billion on sewer infrastructure and pledged another $1.5 billion over the next six years. His administration has spent more than $125 million on road repairs, filling more than 176,000 potholes and resurfacing 111 lane miles in the process, they said.

Rail opponents are trying to collect enough signatures to put the issue on the November ballot. The city says they need at least 44,525 signatures. As of Sunday, the Stop Rail Now group said, it had collected about 30,000 signatures.