Hawai'i County Mayor Harry Kim and wife Bobbie cast their primary election votes at Hilo Intermediate School yesterday. Tim Wright • The Honolulu Advertiser

"All of it is kind of humbilizing," the mayor said in the low-key, down-home style that has made him a popular leader. "I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe I wasn't expecting anything but hoping for 51 percent. That's kind of what you set your tempo for."

He said he felt "tremendous gratitude" after seeing the vote counts.

Kim was Hawai'i County Civil Defense administrator for 24 years, a high-profile position that made him instantly recognizable to most Big Island residents long before he ran for mayor.

Challenger Dominic Yagong, with wife Hilda and 3-year-old daughter Angellee, went to Honoka'a High School to cast his vote. Tim Wright • The Honolulu Advertiser

Once in office, he quickly declared war on crystal methamphetamine, or ice, seeking more drug treatment options for addicts and more police resources to attack the problem.

The anti-drug campaign received a major boost from U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye, who secured millions of dollars in federal money to finance the Kim administration's initiatives for drug treatment and law enforcement.

Yagong, 44, had attacked the mayor for property tax increases in 2002 and a proposal to raise the gasoline tax. The property tax increases were the first on the Big Island in more than 30 years, but Kim said they were necessary to pay for essential county services. The gas tax failed to win council approval.

Also in the race were Puna school bus driver Joseph Fernandez; Kelly Greenwell, a Kailua nursery owner and landscape contractor; and Roger Christie, a Hilo resident and longtime advocate for decriminalization of marijuana.

In Hawai'i County Council races, five of the nine seats up for election had only two candidates running, so those races were determined in the primary using the 50 percent rule.

Former County Clerk Donald Ikeda held on to his seat in a race with Councilman Mike Tulang to represent Kaumana and other portions of Hilo. Tulang was appointed by a majority of other council members to replace Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, who resigned from office. This is the first time Tulang has stood for election.

In the Hamakua Coast area, former emergency room physician Fred Holschuh easily won a second term, and council Chairman James Arakaki of Hilo claimed his eighth consecutive two-year term.

However, Arakaki's candidacy is being challenged in court by his opponent, Ole Fulks, who contends the councilman should not have been on the ballot because of term limits. The dispute involves when the term-limit law passed by voters in 1996 took effect. The issue is scheduled for a hearing in Hilo Circuit Court next month.

In Kona, former state Rep. Virginia Isbell won over Joe Rosner by a large margin in the contest to represent Keauhou and Kealakekua, where there is no incumbent. Challenger Peter Hoffmann defeated Councilman Leningrad Elarionoff in the race to represent Waimea and the rest of Kohala.

Councilman Gary Safarik of Puna won a third term outright after securing more than half of the vote. He was opposed by three other candidates.

Businessman Stacy Higa captured more than 50 percent of the vote to win the race for Hilo-Keaukaha district outright.

Councilman Bob Jacobson prevailed over Bob Wallwork in the district representing Ka'u and South Kona.

In another race without an incumbent, Angel Pilago outran Jim Rath to capture the council seat representing the Kailua–North Kona district.

Maui County and Kaua'i also held nonpartisan council elections. In the Maui primary, the top two vote-getters for each seat advance to the Nov. 2 general election.

Three of the Maui council's nine members — Charmaine Tavares of Upcountry, Riki Hokama of Lana'i and Danny Mateo of Moloka'i — ran unopposed and were elected to repeat two-year terms. Kahului incumbent Joe Pontanilla had only one opponent, Lance Collins, so both are moving on, as are County Council Chairman Dain Kane of Wailuku and challenger Socrates Buenger.

Michelle Anderson and visitor magazine publisher Ron Vaught topped the eight-candidate race for the South Maui seat, vacated by Wayne Nishiki because of term limits. Anderson is a member of Nishiki's staff and has promised to continue his legacy as an opponent of development.

Former councilman Dennis Y. Nakamura of West Maui put up strong numbers against the incumbent, Jo Anne Johnson. Both will advance. East Maui Councilman Robert Carroll moved on to the general election along with Mele Carroll (no relation), a member of Mayor Alan Arakawa's staff. The race for the Makawao-Ha'iku-Pa'ia seat will be a contest between incumbent Mike Molina and Lance Holter.

On Kaua'i, none of the seven council incumbents came close to collecting 30 percent of the vote in the at-large primary. Doing so would have meant automatic re-election.

All seven finished in the top half of the 17-candidate field, and seven others will move on with them to the general election.

The incumbents are Bill Asing, Jay Furfaro, Daryl Kaneshiro, Maurice Munechika, Mel Rapozo, James Tokioka and JoAnn Yukimura. Also finishing strong was Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho.