One need only look at the heavy hitters showing up to hold signs in the Makiki area to see the amount of interest being paid to the battle for the state House seat in the 25th District (Makiki, Tantalus).

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye has come out publicly for Democratic colleague Della Au Belatti, while Gov. Linda Lingle and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona have been supporting GOP candidate Tracy Okubo.

Belatti and Okubo are considered among the rising stars in their respective parties, and the 25th District is viewed as a key battleground in the Nov. 7 general election.

Brian Schatz, the Democrat who has held the seat since 1998, decided against a re-election bid in favor of a run for the 2nd Congressional District opening, leaving the House race without an incumbent.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 55.2 percent of people in the district counted themselves as Asians, 20.6 percent as Caucasians. Statewide, 41.6 percent characterized themselves as Asians, 24.3 percent as Caucasians.

The Census also showed a median age of 40.5 for the district, higher than the 36.2 median age statewide. Median household income in 2000 for the district was $40,015, less than the O'ahu median of $52,280.

John Steelquist, chairman of the Makiki/Lower Punchbowl /Tantalus Neighborhood Board for nearly 20 years, said the district is "still recovering from bad zoning decisions that were made in the '60s" that have left the district with parking and traffic concerns.

Steelquist, who finished second to Belatti in last month's Democratic primary, said the district representative needs to work with the city on traffic concerns, as well as needed improvements at Makiki District Park.

The representative will also need to support anti-drug legislation at the state Capitol, Steelquist said.

Both candidates view fighting crime as a top priority and have similar strategies.

Belatti said that while increasing sentences for criminals is important, she wants to put more police officers on the street, perhaps by establishing a state traffic patrol team that would free up city officers for patrol duty.

"Another part of the solution to crime is more funding for treatment and drug addiction programs," she said. "To simply throw these drug addicts into prisons is not the entire solution."

Okubo said she wants to see tougher laws against drug crimes but will also push for more preventive measures designed to keep youths away from drugs.

"One lady told me she sees kids in the building across from hers do drugs and they shoot BB guns at her," she said. "I don't think that's acceptable for Makiki residents."

Like Belatti, Okubo wants to see if state money can be earmarked for the hiring of more police officers at the city level.

Okubo said another big issue for her is ensuring that quality healthcare, including prescription drugs, is available for those who cannot afford it.

She noted that her job at the Department of Human Services has included lobbying for healthcare services at the Legislature. "I'd like to see expansion of healthcare and options so that those who don't get coverage can get coverage," she said.

Belatti, a former teacher, said education is a second top priority for her. She said she will work with other lawmakers to ensure area public schools get the resources they need, from textbooks to technology. "It's atrocious that we have students that don't have their own sets of textbooks," she said.

She also wants to see more money devoted to teacher recruitment and retention efforts.

Okubo's first attempt at elected office was an unsuccessful challenge to Schatz two years ago when she lost by 2,300 votes. This is Belatti's first foray into politics.

In last month's primary, Belatti beat Steelquist by 500 votes in a three-way Democratic contest that also included Joy Turbeville. Okubo ran unopposed.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.