Kaua'i mayor hopefuls diverge on styles more than issues

By T. Ilihia Gionson / Ka Wai Ola

On Nov. 4, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau residents will choose between an experienced policy-making elective official and a political newcomer with county administrative experience to fill the remaining two years in the term of the late Mayor Bryan Baptiste, who died in June. Both are lifetime Kaua'i residents, and both share many positions and ideas to mālama the county.

Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura has been serving Kaua'i since she was in her 20s, and is looking to return to the mayor's office she held from 1988 to 1994. Yukimura is currently serving her fourth nonconsecutive term on the Kaua'i County Council.

Bernard Carvalho, the county Department of Parks and Recreation director and a former pro football player for the Miami Dolphins, has been employed by the county since 1985 in various capacities.

The salt ponds at Hanapēpē and the lo'i kalo of Hanalei are just two sites of cultural practices in the county that are constantly threatened by encroaching development and a growing population. Both candidates agree that preservation of the salt ponds is crucial. Carvalho says that this is best done through the planning commission. Yukimura says that her administration would work with those developing the resource management plan for the ponds. For the lo'i, both candidates echo the same urge for preservation.

One recent incident caught statewide attention, as a landowner began construction atop an old Hawaiian cemetery in north Kaua'i. Both Carvalho and Yukimura agree that it is imperative to protect sites where iwi kūpuna are buried, and further agree that the county in some cases should attempt to purchase land with recognized burial sites.

On pocketbook issues, the candidates diverge very little. Both favor a property tax reform bill that would reduce Native Hawaiian tax liability for kuleana land. Yukimura is pressing for an amendment intended to limit nontraditional kuleana land use, while Carvalho said he agrees that kama'āina homeowners need to be protected from the nearby luxury homes raising property values – and residents' taxes.

While the policy stances of both candidates are similar, they are touting very different backgrounds and personal styles.

Carvalho, in his first run for elective office, stresses his administrative skills. He highlights his ability to collaborate with different interests and ensures the transparency and accountability of his administration. He was a close friend and ally of predecessor Bryan Baptiste, who is remembered as “the aloha mayor.” Supporters see Carvalho, who is part Native Hawaiian, as a prodigy of Baptiste. Highlighting his newcomer status with a “fresh perspective,” Carvalho said he would set up an advisory group of kūpuna, whos wisdom “will be critical in addressing the challenges of the present and future,”

Yukimura cites her track record as the first Kaua'i mayor to vigorously promote public recycling facilities and integrate controlled growth into land use policy. She championed controlling growth when Kaua'i was seeing rapid development start in the early 1980s. As mayor, Yukimura oversaw the rebuilding of Kaua'i after Hurricane 'Iniki. Her outreach to Native Hawaiians includes measures to protect families from rising prices and “protect our natural capital – from watersheds to mountains and rivers.”