LIHUE — As Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. stood in front of about 1,500 supporters in October during a fundraiser at Kilohana Plantation, he vowed to defend his seat in this year’s election and continue his vision for Kauai and
LIHUE — As Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. stood in front of about 1,500 supporters in October during a fundraiser at Kilohana Plantation, he vowed to defend his seat in this year’s election and continue his vision for Kauai and Niihau.
The two-term incumbent, who was first installed in 2008, made good on that promise Thursday, when he filed his nomination papers with the Office of the County Clerk’s Elections Division as his father, Bernard Sr.; wife, Regina; and daughter, Brittney, stood by his side.
“This is a chance to continue the work we started back in 2008,” Carvalho said on Thursday shortly after filing his papers. “I think we’ve laid a good, solid foundation for a lot of the projects from the North Shore all the way to Kokee — I can pretty much speak to every part of our island in terms of things that we started and I want to finish. I look forward to this opportunity to serve once again.”
The 52-year-old Kapaa resident was elected into office more than five years ago following the death of former Mayor Bryan Baptiste.
He served out the remaining two years of Baptiste’s term before running for his first full-term in 2010.
Carvalho easily defeated mayoral contender Diana LaBedz in that year’s general election, garnering 17,744 of the 23,009 votes cast.
This year, Carvalho is running under the campaign slogan, “Action with Aloha,” and cites completing additional portions of Ke Ala Hele Makalae, the island’s coastal path, moving forward on siting a new landfill, and executing the island’s first cultural stewardship agreement for Kaneiolouma Heiau in Poipu as some of the strides made during his time in office.
“If we take time to talk story, listen to concerns and new ideas, and incorporate those things into our action plans, we end up with a much better outcome,” Carvalho said in a statement released by Friends of Bernard Carvalho for Mayor. “We’ve proven that we can get things done, but always in a way that is thoughtful and respectful.”
The job also has its challenges, Carvalho said, but those difficult issues, he added, must be dealt with in a thoughtful way.
“Being in the position as mayor, it comes with a lot of good, a lot of not so good and then you’ve got the area that is kind of gray and people need more information,” Carvalho said. “All of it has to do with how you relay your message. Difficult issues will arise and we need to deal with those issues and address them accordingly, but to me, the more difficult the issue, the more important it is to base our decisions on good, solid data and information. But, I can tell you this much, for all of the difficult situations there are many more good ones.”
If he is re-elected to four more years, Carvalho will be the first mayor to serve 10 years to hold the island’s top executive office.
• Darin Moriki, county government reporter, can be reached at 245-0428 or dmoriki@thegardenisland.com. Follow him on Twitter at @darinmoriki.
