Randall Iwase, a former Ho-nolulu City Councilman and Mililani state senator, said yesterday he will decide in the next few weeks whether to run for governor as a Democrat.

"It's not a step that one takes lightly, but every fiber of my being wants to run for governor," said Iwase, chairman of the state Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board.

Democrats have been unable to coax a candidate to go up against Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, who has high approval ratings and a campaign fundraising target of $6 million.

Iwase's name has surfaced among Democratic activists over the past several weeks and he has spoken to past supporters and several leading Democrats about a campaign. He said yesterday he wants to talk with a few others before making a final decision.

Without personal wealth or solid commitments of state or national fundraising, a candidate with no statewide name recognition, like Iwase, would have to build an extensive grass-roots network of support to be competitive against Lingle.

Iwase was a city councilman in the 1980s and finished a distant third in the Democratic primary for mayor in 1988. He represented Central O'ahu in the Senate from 1990 until he stepped down in 2000.

Iwase said issues such as public education, the environment, affordable housing and crime prevention would likely be featured in the governor's race.

"For me, what I believe a governor must do is govern. The governor must set an agenda. The governor must lead. The governor must give people a sense of hope that there is someone you can go to to address the concerns that you have," Iwase said. "And I don't think that has been happening over the last four years."

Brickwood Galuteria, chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i, said the reaction to Iwase's possible candidacy has been supportive. He also said the party has not written off a campaign by Big Island Mayor Harry Kim.

"The one thing about Randy is that he's been there and he understands the process," Galuteria said.

Dan Boylan, a history professor at the University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu, described Iwase as smart and effective on the City Council and in the Senate. "He's not what I would call long on charisma," he said. "He sees himself more as a visionary."

"I think he's been out of the public eye for a long time. I think that's Randy's biggest weakness," Boylan said.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.