Honolulu transit agency names Kim chair

[Editor's note: This post was updated on Nov. 18.]

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) board late last week named Damien Kim chair.

He succeeds Colleen Hanabusa, who last week was elected to represent Hawaii in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was first elected to the House in 2010 and won re-election in 2012. She left the seat to run for U.S. Senate in 2014, but lost.

Kim has been on the HART board since its creation and most recently served as vice chair, the Honolulu Civil Beat reported.

Kim said he's committed to increasing transparency for the project to build the 20-mile passenger-rail system in Honolulu, according to the news website. HART officials in 2012 estimated the project would cost $5.2 billion, but costs have since ballooned to $8.6 billion.