Mayor-elect Bernard Carvalho Jr. announced yesterday that Alfred Castillo Jr. will be his nomination for the post of county attorney. “Al has extensive experience — including 11 years with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office — and I believe he will be
Mayor-elect Bernard Carvalho Jr. announced yesterday that Alfred Castillo Jr. will be his nomination for the post of county attorney.
“Al has extensive experience — including 11 years with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office — and I believe he will be a great asset to both the administration and the council,” Carvalho said in a statement.
The mayor-elect is expected to transmit Castillo’s name to the Kaua‘i County Council for confirmation at its noon meeting, Dec. 10, at the Historic County Building.
If confirmed, Castillo will replace current County Attorney Matthew Pyun.
Running a county attorney’s office successfully is not just about the one person in charge. It’s about putting together an effective team, and then guiding that team in such a way that things get done. It’s a little like being a basketball coach, Castillo said in an interview yesterday.
“My priority is serving the entire county in the best possible way I can,” he said. “And for that to happen, you need to treat everybody with dignity and respect.”
Castillo said he hopes to create confidence in the County Attorney’s Office and to encourage open dialog between the many government entities the office works with in the course of operations.
Castillo said he will bring the experience needed to do well in his new role.
He started working with the state Legislature while in law school. He interned with the County Prosecutor’s Office, then started as deputy prosecutor in 1982.
His experience as a trial attorney, as well as a solid knowledge in civil and criminal law, should prove useful as county attorney, he said.
“Litigation is my area. And my almost 30 years experience in the legal field, as well as knowing all about Kaua’i, will help me meet whatever challenges may come my way,” Castillo said.
He pointed out that, though some may think the one person entering the county attorney’s lead position can make whatever changes people might want to see, it does not quite work like that.
“You start with the winning team,” he said. “If you want to win a basketball game, and you get Kobe and Michael Jordan on your team, then you’ve got a good chance.”
A graduate of Waimea High School, Castillo earned his bachelor of arts in political science and his law degree from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. He has been in private practice in Lihu‘e since leaving the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in 1996.
Castillo is also extensively involved in community service, a news release states. He has been active in the Court Annexed Arbitration program since 1994, is an active member of the West Kaua‘i Lion’s Club and serves as legal advisor to Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity.
He is currently on the Board of Directors for the McBryde Federal Credit Union and the Kekaula O Ni‘ihau Charter School, and was formerly a board member of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association.
