LIHUE — Kauai County Council Chairman Mel Rapozo announced Friday his bid for mayor of Kauai, kicking off the campaign season for the 2018 election for the island’s top job. Rapozo, 52, made his announcement at the Kauai Museum alongside
LIHUE — Kauai County Council Chairman Mel Rapozo announced Friday his bid for mayor of Kauai, kicking off the campaign season for the 2018 election for the island’s top job.
Rapozo, 52, made his announcement at the Kauai Museum alongside his wife Patsy and with more than 70 family, friends and supporters present.
“We are in challenging times, not just here on Kauai but throughout our nation, and it will take leadership that listens and strength of character to move the County of Kauai and Niihau forward,” said Rapozo, who was first elected to the Kauai County Council in 2002. “Together, we will respect the unique character of our island home while building a better future for our county,”
Rapozo has served on seven of the last eight councils and currently leads the body as council chair and as chair of the council’s Committee of the Whole.
Rapozo is a graduate of Kauai High School, Florida Metropolitan University and Everest University. He is the owner and operator of M&P Legal Support Services and runs a private investigation agency. Rapozo is a 21-year veteran of the Hawaii Air National Guard, worked for 12 years as on officer at Kauai Police Department and spent five years in Kauai’s hotel industry.
Rapozo and wife Patsy, both Kauai natives, live in Kapaa, where they raised their two children Baron and Nickey.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. can’t run for the office again due to term limits.
