The state Senate yesterday rejected Iwalani White as director of the state Department of Public Safety, the first of Gov. Linda Lingle's Cabinet nominees to lose a confirmation vote since the governor took office in 2002.

Senators described White, a former Honolulu deputy prosecutor and Family Court judge, as experienced and committed to public service. But a majority found White's leadership and management skills lacking in her eight months as interim director of the department.

"Iwalani White has made mistakes and has shown bad judgment as interim director," state Sen. Will Espero, D-20th ('Ewa Beach, Waipahu), the chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee, said before the 16-9 vote.

Lingle said she would talk in the coming days about naming another interim director for a department that has been largely rudderless for several years. The department has also been under federal investigation over its treatment of prisoners, so the next leader will have the task of ensuring the state makes enough progress in improving prison conditions to avoid federal intervention.

Lingle said after the vote that she believed White was the right person for the job and that the Senate gave too much weight to her critics. "We felt we had found the exact right person for this job, so I'm really disappointed about this," the governor said.

White, after speaking with Lingle privately, said she was grateful so many people had talked with senators over the past few days on her behalf. Lingle; her chief of staff, Bob Awana; Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle; and Dayton Nakanelua, United Public Workers state director, were among those who tried to help her confirmation.

"So one thing I learned from this is, I know who my friends are," White said.

White said she believes the opposition in the Senate stemmed from disagreement over some of the personnel decisions she made as interim director, which she maintains were proper. Senators had questioned her decisions in several internal investigations and cited her restriction of a psychologist who had been hired to improve the state's treatment of mentally ill inmates in response to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation.

White temporarily banned the psychologist from O'ahu Community Correctional Center last fall and has prohibited her from entering Halawa Correctional Facility, reportedly over the psychologist's response to an inmate who had attacked a guard.

The Justice Department has found that the state has violated the constitutional rights of mentally ill inmates through harmful methods of isolation and restraint. But the state is expected to reach an agreement with the department and avoid a federal lawsuit.

White said she was hopeful Lingle would find someone with the strength and courage to work with dedicated staff inside the department who want improvements.

"It's a seriously troubled department, and the reason it's like that, is because there has been no leadership for so long," White said.

The department has not had a permanent director since November 2004 but it has long been known as among the most poorly managed in state government.

Senators acknowledged yesterday that it is a difficult assignment for any director, given the danger and complexity of overseeing the state's jails and prisons.

Espero and other senators said that while White was qualified, her performance as interim director since August had caused enough complaints at the department to raise doubts about her capabilities. Espero also said that her lack of experience in corrections may have been a weakness.

But several Republican senators said White, who earned the nickname "The Hammer," had the necessary toughness for the job.

"Ms. White has been doing an excellent job in trying to right that ship," said state Sen. Paul Whalen, R-3rd (Kohala, Kona, Ka'u).

State Senate Minority Leader Fred Hemmings, R-25th (Kailua, Waimanalo, Hawai'i Kai), said someone asked him: "Who the hell would want this job anyway?"

Hemmings said White's experience during the confirmation process, and the treatment of other Lingle nominees, may discourage people from thinking about public service.

"Maybe good people are not going to step forward because it just ain't worth it," Hemmings said.

But Espero said that White had been treated with fairness and respect and that the Senate had engaged in its rightful advise and consent role over the governor's top appointments.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.