Have you checked out The Hot Seat? It's our opinion-page blog that brings in your elected leaders and people in the news and lets you ask the questions during a live online chat.

On The Hot Seat last week was Honolulu City Council Chairwoman Barbara Marshall. Below is an excerpt from that Hot Seat session. (Names of questioners are screen names given during our online chat.)

J.M: Why doesn't Councilwoman Marshall support transit? When the H-3 was built, the whole Island of O'ahu paid for the construction even though they did not benefit from the construction! Does she think that the MOS should have gone to the airport rather than Salt Lake? The airport route would have benefited the workers at Pearl Harbor, Hickam and the airport. Also, the tourists would also ride the transit system. What does she think about the city ferry system due to commence in July '07 that will benefit the residents of the 'Ewa/Kapolei/Makakilo? The system will have three daily trips from Barbers Point to Aloha Tower and return. City buses will support the system on both ends.

What does she see as her most important priority now (that) she is chair of the City Council?

Barbara Marshall: I don't support transit because I think the costs are underestimated and the ultimate project may well bankrupt the city. Further, I believe if we are to have transit it is madness not to take it from Kapolei and 'ewa to Waikiki and UH. Re: the ferry — it's very expensive — too expensive to continue if the city has to pay for it — but I'm open to the "experiment" to see if it is wildly popular and we can bring the costs down per person.

Chris: Longtime Hawai'i residents can remember numerous times when there have been interruptions of our food supply from the Mainland and food has been rationed or difficult to obtain.

With this in mind, can't the council be more proactive to stop our agriculture lands from being rezoned for golf courses and luxury condos?

Marshall: This council — including myself — is firmly in support of maintaining our ag lands. I do not recall, since I've been on the council, any rezones of agriculture to permit golf courses or luxury condos.

Steve Doyle: During the past few years you have been examining the illegal B&B's and "vacation rentals" proliferating throughout our communities. Am I correct in assuming that your position on this issue is that B&B's and vacation rentals be permitted after the following criteria have been met: the Department of Planning and Permitting Code Compliance branch issues a permit, the Department of Health verifies that the wastewater management system of the property can handle the proposed occupancy(s) and that the majority of the immediate neighbors approve of the property owner's usage of the property for short-term vacation rentals?

If this is so, I would draw your attention to current situation where there is lax or virtually no enforcement of current regulations, and Web sites such as www.vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals by Owner) openly offer over a thousand nightly stays or short-term rentals on O'ahu.

So how would any new proposed regulations be enforced, and by whom, when our residential communities' experiences to date don't seem to hold out much hope that changed regulations and ordinances will be any more vigorously enforced than they are now?

Marshall: Our proposed changes to the Land Use Ordinance have been with the Department of Planning and Permitting since October 2005. Those proposals would make advertising a transient vacation unit (TVU) or a bed and breakfast (B&B) without a permit number illegal. There are few existing rentals which could conform, as there are not many nonconforming use permits still in existence. There are a couple of issues with our proposal, however, as both types of vacation rentals ARE legal in resort districts — and they have no number to publish right now, so that system would need to be set up. Additionally, the council proposes that in neighborhoods which want them, additional B&Bs (but not TVU's) could be permitted. Under current law, which the council has been unsuccessful in changing, DPP has no deadline on which to act on these proposals. If they choose to act, they can send the proposals as made to the planning commission — or they can send their own proposals along with the council's proposals — or they can do nothing. If they do send proposals to the Planning Commission, the Commission would then vote to approve or reject and send their recommendations to the council. Once back at the council, the bills would go through another full round of Committee (2) and full council (3) readings before final determination is made. The advantage to the cccouncil proposals is they make enforcement easier for the limited number of city building inspectors available to work on this issue.

Coffee: You were named chairwoman shortly after a controversial rail issue; what's behind the restructuring?

Marshall: You'd have to ask the other councilmembers for a truly accurate answer to this one. But I'm honored — and very proud of the councilmembers who chose me to lead the council despite my opposition to the transit project most of them favor.

Tina: With this ridiculous rail alignment through Salt Lake, do you think it's possible to have it re-aligned to pass the airport? I just don't see how the Salt Lake rail will benefit the majority of the island. Salt Lake residents are only 15 minutes away from town.

Marshall: I know many people are unhappy with the Salt Lake alignment. Personally — as I indicated in an earlier response, my feeling is if we are going to build rail, airport and Waikiki are mandatory — in fact should be the first segment!

Koauka: Where did the city get the money for the demonstration ferry transfer between Kalaeloa and Pier 9 — Honolulu Harbor. Saw the discussion on 'Olelo; do you think funds can be spent on a better transportation mode?

Secondly, was the City Council aware of 45 to 47 civil service jobs needed for startup of the fixed rail? What positions are needed initially?

Marshall: The ferry startup money is coming mostly ($5 million) from the federal government.

No, we were not aware of the number of new positions that would be needed "immediately" for transit — and one wonders how those are paid after the transit fund is needed for the project itself!

Jo: Because of the limited amount of space on this island and instead of this multibillion-dollar rail project, wouldn't it be cheaper and more efficient to put in bus lanes?

Marshall: You're on the same page as former Mayor Harris — who attempted to begin "BRT" — bus rapid transit. What began was ended by the current administration. But honestly — we would need many more lanes to make bus transit effective. I think that should have been studied more thoroughly in the Alternatives Analysis.

Lisa: Since you were against (the mayor's) pilot recycling program on the Windward side, what would you suggest to be a better alternative?

Marshall: I'm not "against" Mayor Hannemann's recycling program on the Windward side — or anywhere. What I'm against is charging people for trash pickup. And I still have a serious internal squabble over whether we aren't better off "recycling" through H-Power — which gives us vital energy — since we have NO plants on the Island to recycle products here. We are looking forward to the release of the first information comparing "burn" to sending recyclables off to other places.

Garry Smith: First off, I have to say that I am opposed to rail because of the unbelievable cost and the fact that it won't do anything to relieve traffic congestion. Having said that, why is it that since the purpose of rail is to give commuters on the leeward side an alternative to their cars, why is it that it bypasses 'Ewa Beach, the most congested area in the state? Salt Lake has their own station, and they can walk to work; rail is being built for us to get to work, and we don't even have a station? Why, why not?

Marshall: You make an excellent point and ask questions I've asked myself. It makes no sense to bypass 'Ewa — just like it makes no sense to bypass Waikiki or UH — although at least UH is on the list for eventual development of rail. So far, no one is even talking about Waikiki because the Waikiki community doesn't want rail in the center of (it).

David K.: We know that the mayor is trying to fix the sewer system, but we are still having raw sewage dumped into the canals and ocean. What is the long-term plan to get this fixed, and how is the council helping the mayor?

Marshall: Thanks for being aware of what is probably the city's greatest problem. Our sewer system is, unfortunately, long overdue for repair, replacement and maintenance — and as much as the council hates to raise fees, we have no choice but to acknowledge this very critical need. As for the long-term fix — rest assured that in this area the council is working closely with the mayor to fix a problem that began decades and at least two administrations ago. The fix will be painful, but it must be done.