PAHOA » State Rep. Faye Hanohano’s recent remarks and actions have roiled the state Capitol, but in her home district of Puna her constituents remain divided about the alleged misconduct.

In Pahoa, a once-sleepy town that has mushroomed into a bustling gathering place for people living in the region’s many sprawling subdivisions, there are those who still support Hanohano and those who shake their heads at the mention of her name.

Leilani Estates resident Bob Medeiros said government officials often forget why they are there.

"They should be humble to the will of the people," he said as he searched the Pahoa Ace Hardware store for solutions to his fire-ant problem.

"When you’re in a position of leadership or authority, you have to show respect for everyone," said Medeiros, a 76-year-old retired roofer. "I don’t care if it’s a little child coming in and asking you questions, or a senior citizen. Because your job is to serve the people."

But Black Rock Cafe owner Paul Utes, like others in the region, said the accounts he has seen about their state representative have been sketchy on details and out of character with the Hanohano they know personally.

"She doesn’t strike me as the angry type that lashes out like that," he said.

"Was it provoked? I don’t know. I would like to know a little more information," said Utes, 49, of Leilani Estates, as he stepped outside his eatery for a cigarette. "As I read the article, I felt like it was something out of context."

Leaders in the state House have begun discussing what, if any, sanctions should be placed on Hanohano following two separate complaints: one by Land Board Chairman William Aila Jr., who said she has been abusive and "racially discriminatory" to his staff; and the second by a Hawaii Pacific University student who accused her of being insulting and dismissive of his remarks and his mainland background when he testified before the House Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources and Hawaiian Affairs, which she heads as chairwoman.

The most recent complaints come on top of an incident last year in which Hanohano used racial epithets while berating art specialists over what she said was a lack of Native Hawaiian artwork in public places. Hanohano later apologized for that incident.

Hanohano, a Democrat and a former prison guard, was elected to the House in 2006 and has been an advocate for Native Hawaiian causes.

"Uncle" Robert Kelii­hoomalu, 74, among lower Puna’s best-known residents and a regent in a group called the Reinstated Hawaiian Government, said he encouraged Hanohano to run for office. He said her comments are not surprising to him and that he supports them.

"You tell (state House leaders considering punishment against Hanohano): Think twice, because if they really look into her heart, she’s telling the truth," Kelii­hoomalu said. "She talks straight. She don’t talk curves."

Government officials, including Aila, who don’t have the mettle to handle criticism should not be there, Keliihoomalu said as he rested on the porch of his Kalapana home. "What she is speaking is true, and if they no can take it, eh, get out. Leave your office."

As for the HPU student from Oregon who testified in favor of a bill creating penalties for harming sharks and rays, Keliihoomalu said some Hawaiians choose to eat shark while others do not.

"You no can come over here and tell us what we can eat and what we cannot eat, what we can do and cannot do," he said. "I go over there to where he’s from, and tell him no can eat deer?"

Not all Native Hawaiians in the area support Hanohano’s latest actions.

Pahoa resident Gabe Hawelu, 36, said the 21st century is not a time when people can speak in an insulting and disrespectful manner.

"The world is closing in, and in order for us to move ahead, we have to embrace other cultures, different views and opinions," Hawelu said as he waited to get a haircut at Jan’s Barber and Beauty Shop. "Whether a guy’s opinion is right or wrong, to me it doesn’t make a difference. No one should be spoken down to."

Hawelu, who grew up in Seattle but decided after his service with the Army more than a decade ago to move to where his father and grandfather were born and raised, said he feels badly for the HPU student.

"How she addressed, how she belittled him, no one deserves to be treated like that," he said. "We are all part of the community and who we are here. More opinions are better, no matter what race, creed or color you are."

Hawaiian Beaches resident Scott Cabreira, a 45-year-old meat cutter, said he hasn’t voted in recent years but may re-register after the reports of Hanohano’s behavior.

"She came off pretty cocky in interviews and I don’t think there’s any place for that," Cabreira said. "She’s representing us and the people who put her there in that position."

Eric Cockcroft, a Pahoa charter school teacher, said he doesn’t condone the actions that have put Hanohano in hot water, but said he and others in the community can understand the background behind it.

"She’s probably a little bit racist, but I’m going to say that I support her," said Cockcroft, 50, as he stood in line for coffee at Sirius Coffee Connection.

"She has resentment about whites, obviously," Cockcroft said. Many Native Hawaiians feel they have been disenfranchised by Western influence.

"But we cannot expect these people to just let it go," said Cockcroft, who described himself as a Jew who lost many of his relatives in the Holocaust. "We have to be willing to understand that if there’s resentment about white people with the Hawaiian representatives or whoever they are, it’s not hard to understand why they would have resentment."

He added: "I’m not saying racism is right, but we need to open up our hearts and forgive people for their mistakes. Who out there has never said a prejudiced remark or gotten excited when an issue was important to them and had a slip of the tongue?"

Cockcroft, who is from New York but has been in Hawaii more than half his life, said he also roots for Hanohano’s defiant attitude because it comes from frustration with needing to deal with a government that is "Honolulu-centric."

"She’s from the Big Island, she represents us, and you know what? We don’t get a lot of respect from Honolulu over here," he said. "So if she’s angry about that, and the Honolulu-centric attitude over there, and she has some slip-ups, I understand."

Cockcroft said he’s voted for Hanohano previously and will vote for her again this fall.

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