Who oversaw costs of a rising Tide?

Nobody spends $40 million overnight, and it certainly shouldn't be done under cover of darkness.

The fact that Norfolk City Council and Hampton Roads Transit board members didn't know that Norfolk's light rail project was running that much over its revised budget argues that somebody wasn't doing his job.

The fact that the $232 million project will cost at least $96 million more argues that the people estimating the total, the people minding the money and the people managing the project weren't doing their jobs.

If The Tide is to have any credibility left, the people who have demonstrated a consistent inability to competently manage the most significant transportation project in a generation must be replaced by people who can.

Those changes must come swiftly, and they must come decisively. Already, there is evidence that something will happen soon, according to a story by The Virginian-Pilot's Debbie Messina, who first reported HRT's financial trouble.

"I'm very disturbed by the quality of information received from HRT's senior staff and the lack of accurate information received from HRT senior staff," said Virginia Beach Councilman Jim Wood, who is chairman of the transit agency's board. "When every single meeting we have we're told we're on budget and on schedule when we're not, that's a major issue."

Wood is right. Michael Townes, HRT's president, has said he didn't tell the board about the trouble because the numbers weren't definite and because he was waiting for the state to approve an extra $20 million.

Neither excuse is anywhere close to a good enough reason for keeping the project's governing board in the dark, especially since it was only a year ago that HRT announced the project was already $56 million over budget.

Norfolk Councilman Paul R. Riddick reacted this way: "We can't afford to have that kind of leadership. For them to go this far down the road and this much over budget, we've got to do some things over there to make a difference."

Councilman Randy Wright, who as much as anyone is responsible for The Tide's approval, was equally frank: "I think people need to be held accountable for what has transpired, and I won't go any further than that."

HRT's executive board is due to meet Wednesday. By the end of that meeting, major changes must be made.

The city of Norfolk has already brought in former Virginia Department of Transportation Commissioner Phil Shucet as a consultant to try to get spending and the project under control and to restore credibility to the effort. Given Shucet's track record, that's a decision that can only help.

But The Tide will not succeed if changes stop there.

In the end, this rail line will be built, even over budget, even if it doesn't start running until 2011. But The Tide has always been considered a starter project. To reach its goal to make a difference in the region, the line must be extended.

Mismanagement of light rail in Norfolk threatens that future. Changes must begin immediately to protect the potential of The Tide, both for Norfolk and for the entire region.