Background, visions of Carvalho, Rapozo, Yukimura shared

Improving Kaua’i in the midst of an economic downturn is a common theme for Kaua’i’s mayoral candidates.

Expanding the Garden Island’s bus service, recycling more rubbish and curbing the conversion of farmlands to upscale house lots are some issues on which the candidates appear to agree.

Kaua’i County Council members JoAnn Yukimura, Mel Rapozo and county parks director Bernard Carvalho Jr. “all care deeply about the island and they have different approaches” to addressing Kaua’i’s challenges, said Diane Zachary, president of the nonprofit Kaua’i Planning and Action Alliance.

“The passion they each bring to their candidacy is commendable,” Zachary said. Like many on this “small-town” island with a population of 63,000, Zachary won’t say who she thinks would make the best mayor, since she’ll have to work with whomever is elected.

“These are three people with experience in government. We’ve had a chance to see all three in the public eye,” Zachary said.

Though the election is non-partisan, all three identify themselves as Democrats.

Each of the major candidates had planned on running for mayor in 2010, when former Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s second four-year term would have expired. But Baptiste’s untimely June 22 death triggered a special mayor’s election to fill the final two years of his term.

A candidate must get more than 50 percent of votes cast to be elected in the primary election on Sept. 20. If no one achieves that, the top two vote-getters will be in a run-off election on Nov. 4.

Rolf Bieber, a 42-year-old middle school computer technician who moved here from California, also is running. His promise to donate the mayor’s $107,000 salary to charity if elected has drawn some attention, but he is a long shot against three born-and-raised Kauaians who’ve been active in the community.

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(Source: Diana Leone, Honolulu Advertiser)