Carvalho, Yukimura to face off for mayor’s seat

September 21st, 2008 · No Comments

kauai_politics_2008 Carvalho, Yukimura to face off for mayors seat

Top 14 vote-getters of 22 council candidates also head to general

Kaua’i County Parks Director Bernard Carvalho Jr. and Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura appear headed for a Nov. 4 runoff.

Carvalho was safely in front after partial results yesterday for the Kaua’i mayor’s race, while Yukimura, who was mayor of Kaua’i 1988-1994 and has served 14 years on the Council, had a strong lead over the third-place finisher, county councilman Mel Rapozo.

The top two candidates will face off in the general election.

“Our biggest difference is leadership style,” Carvalho said of himself and Yukimura.

“We bring a more collaborative type of leadership,” Carvalho said. “We continue to promote that and that’s what the people want.”

“We want to keep our campaign clean, safe and healthy as we move toward the general against Ms. Yukimura,” he said.

Yukimura said she was “full of gratitude to the people who support me and the people who share my dream for a better Kaua’i, even in the midst of uncertainty.”

Looking at the economic downturn and other negative news, Yukimura said, “There’s always opportunity in crisis. Our job is to look for that.”

Both Yukimura and Carvalho said they will seek Rapozo’s endorsement.

“I think it’s over. I concede,” Rapozo said. “I’m pleased with what we did and pleased with what we accomplished. We fell short and I congratulate the victorious candidates. We all ran clean campaigns.”

Meanwhile, the top 14 vote-getters among 22 Kaua’i County Council candidates proceed to the Nov. 4 election, when the top seven will be elected.

Incumbents Bill “Kaipo” Asing, Tim Bynum, Jay Furfaro, Ron Kouchi and Daryl Kaneshiro were among the top vote-getters.

Others to likely appear on the Nov. 4 ballot are: Dickie Chang, Lani Kawahara, Derek Kawakami, KipuKai Kuali’i, Christobel Kealoha, Ron Agor, George Thronas Jr., Rhoda Libre and Bruce Pleas. John Hoff and Linda Pasadava ranked 15th and 16th in preliminary vote totals.

Each of the three front-runners for mayor had planned to run in 2010. But former Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s June 22 death triggered a special election to fill the final two years of his term.