LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Bernard Carvalho Jr. was elected Kaua'i mayor last night after defeating former Mayor JoAnn Yukimura.

"There's really no time to rest," a perspiring, lei-draped Carvalho said at 10:30 p.m. as he hugged each person leaving his victory celebration. He planned to be out sign-waving to thank supporters at 6 a.m. today, then begin "working closely with people to put our team together."

Carvalho said Yukimura had come by to congratulate him.

It also appeared likely that newcomers Derek Kawakami, Lani Kawahara and Dickie Chang will join four incumbents — Bill "Kaipo" Asing, Tim Bynum, Jay Furfaro and Daryl Kaneshiro — on the new Kaua'i County Council.

Incumbent Ron Kouchi was in eighth place and challenger KipuKai Kuali'i in ninth place in unofficial vote totals. The top seven council vote-getters will take office Dec. 1.

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 to 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, 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, 47, 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 lu'au 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.

Though more voters chose Carvalho, Yukimura said her supporters shouldn't be disappointed.

Yukimura called on voters to hold Carvalho accountable for following through on his campaign promises, and that "we should support him wherever the programs are in the best interest of the public."

"My commitment has always been and will always be to serve the people of Kaua'i," Yukimura said. "I know that God will give me other ways to serve."

Kawakami and Kawahara each appeared after the third voting printout to have enough votes to join the Kaua'i County Council outright. A third newcomer, television personality Chang, was in sixth place with a few more votes than Kaneshiro.

Returning council incumbents are Asing, Bynum, Kaneshiro and Furfaro.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At press time, voters were supporting a proposed amendment to the Kaua'i County Charter that its proponents say would allow "balanced and responsible growth" by a 2-to-1 margin. The amendment seeks to limit new tourist accommodations to the growth rate in the county's General Plan.

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.