What does a politician do when he or she seeks to replace an incumbent who has achieved near-legendary status?

First order of business: Make sure you don't say anything negative about the person you wish to succeed. Keep public policy disagreements at a bare minimum. Stick with biography and personal style.

And that, in a nutshell, is what the intriguing battle for mayor of Hawai'i County is all about. About 11 people are running for the office now held by Mayor Harry Kim, the popular former Civil Defense director. The candidates — at least those who have a decent chance of winning — have to explain why they are better and different without burning bridges with the incumbent.

This came across last week when the four acknowledged leading candidates for mayor participated in a political forum sponsored by the Hawai'i Island Chamber of Commerce and several other groups. The four are Stacy Higa, a sitting council member; Angel Pilago, also on the council; Billy Kenoi, a lawyer and former Kim aide; and Lorraine Inouye, a Big Island political veteran who is wrapping up a term in the state Senate.

These four have strong ideas how they would reshape the Big Island's struggling economy. They have opinions on tough issues such as East Side-West Side relations and how to deal with the county's garbage. Each one has an appealing personal story that adds to their luster as likely leaders of the state's biggest county.

What they don't have is much in the way of disagreement with Kim. Pressed by David Bock, editor of the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, on where they part ways with Kim, the candidates could do little more than hem and haw.

And that — besides the point that the Big Island mayor's race is wide open and interesting — may be the most heartening thing about this slice of Island politics. While there has been something of a quiet whispering campaign against a couple of the candidates for problems in their personal lives, the public face of the campaign has been impressive.

The campaign is about who — by virtue of background, political experience, temperament and personal history — is best able to lead Hawai'i County.

It is not about tearing down the other candidate. It isn't about "gotcha" politics where your own record is not nearly as important as finding a puka in the record of your opponent. Rather, it is about who the candidates are and what they represent.

Now, the Big Island mayoral race is far from over. It could fall apart. That often happens. But so far, the race represents one of the more interesting and impressive political campaigns in an otherwise somewhat dreary season.

Jerry Burris' column appears Wednesdays in this space. See his blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com/akamaipolitics. Reach him at jrryburris@yahoo.com.