Panos Prevedouros, a rail transit opponent who finished third in the Sept. 20 Honolulu mayoral election, will endorse City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi today in an effort to marshal his supporters behind her mayoral bid.

Kobayashi is running against Mayor Mufi Hannemann in the Nov. 4 runoff election.

Prevedouros, a University of Hawai'i engineering professor, yesterday confirmed his endorsement but declined further comment before a news conference scheduled for today at 3 p.m.

Prevedouros' fiancee, Katie O'Donnell, gave birth to the couple's first child yesterday.

Prevedouros, a first-time candidate, took 17.7 percent of the vote on Sept. 20, while Kobayashi took 30.2 percent. Hannemann took 49.4 percent of the vote, but the race went to a runoff when no candidate got more than half the vote.

Kobayashi yesterday said she was excited at the chance to work with Prevedouros to form a comprehensive transportation policy.

"I think the main thing is that it brings our ideas for alternative transportation together. That's the most important part of all of this," said Kobayashi. "We're looking forward to that, and we hope that will happen. We've been quite similar on this. We're both against a train."

Kobayashi said she and her campaign staff will work closely with Prevedouros and his supporters on transportation policy and on mobilizing his supporters behind her.

Prevedouros has said previously that he will vote for Kobayashi in the general election.

Prevedouros based his campaign on his opposition to Hannemann's plan for a $3.7 billion steel-on-steel rail project.

Kobayashi has supported a rubber-tire-on-concrete option for mass transit but said she also is open to high-occupancy toll lanes and other alternatives to help reduce traffic congestion.

She said that first and foremost, she will support whatever the voters decide Nov. 4 when they vote on whether or not to build the steel-on-steel system proposed by the Hannemann administration. Kobayashi said she wants to have a coherent, comprehensive plan in place in the event that voters kill the project.

Prevedouros said he believes high-occupancy toll lanes and other options can be mixed to help alleviate traffic congestion.