Putting the Waianae harbor master in charge of half the state’s land is a brave and unexpected move.

But William Aila, Jr., brings unusual assets to the job, especially his understanding of the Hawaiian culture and people. Here’s one reporter’s perspective.

The first time I wrote about William Aila, Jr., I spelled his name wrong — Alla.

I was an editor at Honolulu Weekly and it was in a time before Google, but still, I should have double-checked. Problem was, I was too intimidated to go up to him and ask for a business card. (I ran a correction the following week.)

Not that Aila would have been carrying a business card. He was wearing slippers, shorts and a T-shirt with (if I recall correctly) a fish on it — pretty much what I would see him wearing nearly every time I ran into him after that first encounter. (Hey, he works on boats.)

But the intimidation came not from his appearance but what he had to say that day — specifically, to a military contingent from Alabama that was shopping around a new sea-based radar system. Hawaii was a candidate.

Aila, speaking at a public hearing near the airport, rose, introduced himself — and then proceeded to completely blow the minds of the folks from Alabama.

“You didn’t offer a pule!” Aila said, scolding the defense personnel for not arranging for the Hawaiian prayer that customarily opens important events.

Aila, a Native Hawaiian, then gave the pule himself, as the folks from Alabama — pasty white folks in need of weight loss (I can say this, because I was born in Alabama and am related to pasty white folks in need of weight loss) — looked on, stunned.

Then it began to rain, and it was as if the gods themselves had rendered their judgment on the radar project.

The project ended up going to Alaska; every once in a while it sails back to Honolulu for repair (you’ve seen it: that giant white golf ball sitting atop a floating platform).

From Waianae Harbormaster to Land Board Chairman

Aila, 52, has worked for the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources for nearly a quarter of a century.

But he’s no bureaucrat. As the harbor master for Waianae Boar Harbor, his kuleana has been managing 31 acres of “fast and submerged lands.” He has sat on advisory boards, working with various stakeholders on issues involving land and water and other natural resources.

Now, Neil Abercrombie wants Aila — a graduate of Waianae High School with a B.A. in tropical ag from UH Manoa — to run a department with a $100 million budget and 2 million acres of conservation land.

If he can make it past his Senate confirmation hearing, he will replace Laura Thielen in one of the most high-profile, and difficult, jobs in the state. It’s underfunded, understaffed and the target of angry people — lawmakers, boaters, hunters, environmentalists, developers — from Hanalei to Hawi.

Aila himself is mum on his priorities, referring press inquiries to Abercrombie’s deputy chief of staff for now. He does allow that he needs to bring himself up to speed on the myriad rules and regulations of the department.

But if past experience is any guide, Aila could make an effective, even transformative DLNR chief and land board chairman.

Another Pule

Which brings me to the second time I met William Aila, Jr.

I was a reporter at Hawaii Public Radio and I joined a group of interested folks at the mouth of Makua Valley on a cold morning. Aila, actively involved in negotiations with the U.S. Army over the use of Makua, was our guide.

Makua has been at the center of lawsuits from environmentalists and Hawaiians like Aila over the Army’s use of the valley for live-fire training. It is a beautiful and sacred site, home to heiau and endangered plants and animals. The name Makua can literally be translated as “parents.”

Aila had everyone hold hands in a circle as he led a pule, and then he showed us around the areas of the valley he had authorization for. It was an amazing tour.

The Waianae Coast’s attitude toward the military is split, with some wanting them gone and others, veterans or people related to veterans, who believe the training is essential to combat preparedness.

Aila, it seems, walks a fine line, recognizing both sides are legitimate and deserve respect. Those are great qualities for a DLNR boss.

But it’s clear that Aila would also be quite happy to see the Army leave and Makua return to Hawaiian hands — a bountiful land that could sustain Hawaiians once again (once it’s cleared of all that ordnance, of course). In that regard, having someone like Aila is a radical decision on the part of Abercrombie — himself a former war protester who went on to foster close relationships with the military while in Congress.

Abercrombie seems aware of the unusual nature of his pick, and completely sure he’s got the right guy.

“What I like about William Aila, aside from his rock-hard integrity, is his calmness of spirit, his demeanor”, Abercrombie said Monday. “In the judiciary, the thing you look for in a judge is temperament, and if anyone has that it’s William Aila, whether he is with you or against you or agrees or disagrees. You can count on someone who respects the process and is self-sufficient. The word for him in the Hawaiian language is pono.”

Running for Governor

The last time I saw William Aila, Jr., was a week before this year’s general election.

I was under a tent at McKinley High School with hundreds of Democrats as they awaited Abercrombie and other party leaders. Sitting on the ground, as I often do for Civil Beat, I was banging away at my MacBook Pro. Aila came up and offered me candy.

I had come to know Aila much better by then, calling him frequently as a source. I learned that he preferred not to be called Bill, honoring his father’s name.

I had met his wife, too, almost always at his side. (I’m sorry, I can’t remember her name right now — even with Google’s help.) I saw him run, unsuccessfully, for governor against Randy Iwase four years ago. He was mostly running because he was disappointed in having supported Linda Lingle in 2002.

(“There was no ‘new beginning,'” he told the Democratic Party that year, mocking Lingle’s ’02 campaign theme.)

Aila squatted to be at my level, wearing his slippers, shorts and T-shirt. I knew he was active in Abercrombie’s campaign. Impulsively, I told him he would be a good pick for DLNR.

Aila just smiled and was noncommittal. He and I then sat silently as the rain continued to come down.