LIHUE, Kaua'i — Bernard Carvalho Jr. will be Kaua'i's next mayor if the first election results hold.

"We're excited. We're in a place we wanted to be" after the first print-out, Carvalho's campaign co-chair Beth Tokioka said at 8 p.m.

It also appears likely that newcomers Derek Kawakami and Lani Kawahara will join five incumbents — Bill "Kaipo" Asing, Tim Bynum, Jay Furfaro, Daryl Kaneshiro, and Ron Kouchi — on the Kaua'i County Council.

Mel Rapozo, the third-place finisher in the primary, had decided not to endorse either JoAnn Yukimura or Carvalho "because basically, my supporters were split down the middle. So, we'll let the people decide."

From the race's outset in July, triggered by the death of Mayor Bryan Baptiste on June 22, Yukimura has touted her experience as Kaua'i mayor (1988-1994) and as a county council member (14 of the past 30 years).

Many of the hot-button topics facing the next mayor — recycling, picking a site for a landfill, managing growth, increasing bus service, supporting local farmers and propping up the economy — are things Yukimura handled when she was mayor before, a period that included Kaua'i's recovery from Hurricane Iniki.

Yukimura, 58, has also worked as an attorney in private practice and for a public interest law firm, and as a vice president for the construction company run by her husband, John Wehrheim.

Yukimura has said that Carvalho "had no interest in these issues until he started running for mayor," and she campaigned on her record, including the establishment of the Kaua'i Bus and farmers' markets and her handling of solid waste issues.

But apparently early voters were swayed by Carvalho's pledge that his leadership style will bring Kaua'i's various interests together to solve problems.

"This election is not so much about what we have done in the past," Carvalho said last week at a mayoral debate with Yukimura. "It's whether or not your mayor can lead you into new and uncharted territory with courage and confidence."

Carvalho has been director of Kaua'i County's Parks Department for two years and was county Office of Community Affairs director, overseeing transportation, housing and elderly affairs during Baptiste's first term. Carvalho's work in cabinet-level posts under Baptiste followed 17 years as a county civil service employee.

Carvalho also has worked as an emcee for a tourist luau and for Aloha Airlines in customer service. He took a leave of absence from his parks director's job to run for mayor.

Carvalho's elected offices before now were senior class president of Kapa'a High and team captain of the University of Hawai'i football team.

To face the recession, Carvalho pledged to "do everything in my power to preserve the rank-and-file workforce." He said if elected, he will not accept the mayor's $6,000 a year car allowance and will cancel planned mayoral and department head raises scheduled for July 2009, an estimated savings of $300,000.

Many of the hot-button topics facing the next mayor — recycling, picking a site for a landfill, managing growth, increasing bus service, supporting local farmers and propping up the economy — are things Yukimura, 58, handled when she was mayor before, a period that included Kaua'i's recovery from Hurricane Iniki.

Carvalho has questioned whether Yukimura has changed her stance on whether the Hawai'i Superferry should serve Kaua'i. He says he's always supported the ferry, which was turned away from Kaua'i by protesters and legal challenges.

Yukimura said she backed protesters because they objected to the Superferry breaking state environmental laws. If the company wants to return to Kaua'i, she said, it should take care of any concerns raised by an environmental impact study now underway.

COUNCIL RACES

Kawakami and Kawahara, the projected newcomers to the council based on early results both had gathered more absentee votes than four of the incumbents -- Asing, Bynum, Kaneshiro and Kouchi.

Coming up in 8th and 9th place were Dickie Chang and Cristobel Kealoha. The council seats are county-wide, with the top seven vote-getters winning the election.

The top nine vote-getters are listed here in from highest to lowest number of votes after the first printout. If the distribution of votes stays the same when later results are counted, the first seven will take office.

• Furfaro, 58, of Princeville, is a retired resort manager who has been on the council since 2002.

• Kapa'a grocery store chain manager Derek Kawakami, 31, a Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative board member.

• Kapa'a library administrator Lani Kawahara, 42, a former community representative for state Sen. Gary Hooser.

• Asing, 77, of Lihu'e, is a retired telephone company supervisor, council member for 24 years and serving as appointed mayor until Dec. 1, when today's winner takes office.

• Bynum, 54, of Kapa'a, is a family counselor and former community outreach worker who was elected in 2006.

• Koloa rancher Daryl Kaneshiro, 59, was on the council 1998-2006 and has been an appointed member since July, filling Asing's former seat.

• Lihu'e insurance salesman Ronald Kouchi, 50, was on the Council 1983-2002 and since 2006; he ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2002.

• Lihu'e video production company owner Dick Chang, 49.

• Retired deputy state attorney general Christobel Kealoha, 67, of Lihu'e.

About 60,000 people call Kaua'i home. Kaua'i County's operating budget is $157.9 million and the county employs 1,169 workers.

For this year's primary 38,874 people were registered to vote on Kaua'i. That number increased to 40,323 for the general election.

Kaua'i's small-town plantation lifestyle has morphed into a mixed community of kamaaina and newcomers.