Friends and colleagues remembered Kaua'i Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste yesterday as a caring man and a dedicated public servant who, just last week, was itching to get back to work as he recovered from bypass surgery at The Queen's Medical Center.

Baptiste, in his second term as mayor, died yesterday at Wilcox Hospital after suffering cardiac arrest at his Kaua'i home. He was 52. Gary Heu, the mayor's administrative assistant, is serving as mayor pro-tem until the Kaua'i County Council appoints a replacement.

"It's just a sad day for Kaua'i," said state Sen. Gary Hooser, who visited Baptiste on Wednesday at Queen's and said the mayor was upbeat and eager to return to work. "He looked real well," said Hooser, who represents Kaua'i. "He was smiling and joking."

The news of Baptiste's death shocked many on Kaua'i and across the state.

State Rep. Hermina Morita, who also represents Kaua'i and visited Baptiste on Wednesday with Hooser, said Baptiste was "up and about" last week and seemed to be doing well. "I'm really shocked," she said, adding that Baptiste will be missed greatly by many on Kaua'i and around the Islands. "The mayor was someone who really loved his job. He loved serving the public and whenever I would run into him, it was obvious he was enthusiastic about being there."

Baptiste went in for surgery on June 13, and was released from Queen's on Friday.

He returned to Kaua'i on Saturday night, and died about 4:30 p.m. yesterday.

TEMPORARY MAYOR

His death triggers a process under which the Kaua'i County Council will pick a temporary replacement for him until the general election, where voters will choose someone to fill his seat for the remainder of his term. The mayor's office said in a news release that Heu will meet with council members today to discuss how to "determine the appropriate course of action."

Colleagues said Baptiste is credited with expanding the reach of the mayor's office, with community meetings and other avenues for people to share their thoughts and concerns.

Kaua'i Councilman Tim Bynum said Baptiste got him interested in politics. Before Bynum was elected to the council, he worked three years as an outreach worker in Baptiste's "Ka Leo O Kauai." The program used evening meetings in various neighborhoods to gather input from residents.

"He was a passionate man," Bynum said. "He did a really good job and we were all looking forward to what he could do in two more years." He added that, "It's going to be a rough time for Kaua'i," without Baptiste. "I think he genuinely cared about everyone."

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann and the mayors of the other counties also expressed their condolences yesterday. Hannemann, who was in Miami attending the Council of Mayors, said, "Kaua'i has lost a great leader and I have personally lost a friend."

Hannemann added that Baptiste was a big supporter of the Hawai'i Council of Mayors, which has been meeting regularly to discuss different issues affecting the four counties the past two years.

"It's the first time the four of us (mayors of the counties) have been meeting and working together regularly," Hannemann said. One of Baptiste's great qualities, Hannemann said, is "he never took himself seriously" and always knew how to break the ice in tense situations.

'A MAN OF HEART'

Big Island Mayor Harry Kim said Baptiste was "special."

"He was a man of heart, totally," Kim said. "This man was always looking and feeling for others, his goal in life was to make life better for mankind. He wanted to spend his life working with people to resolve problems."

Kim said he spoke with Baptiste while the Kaua'i mayor was at Queen's recovering from his surgery. Baptiste was considering not running for another term.

"He was looking toward the end of his term to do something with problem resolution," he said.

Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares said Baptiste will be "truly missed."

"He had a pointed sense of humor that made everyone listen carefully to what he said," Tavares said. "We had a wonderful relationship and I will really miss him."

Baptiste, a Republican, was active in the Hawai'i GOP.

But Chairman Willes Lee said the mayor believed in working with people across party lines.

"This guy was a great person," Lee said.

In a news release, Gov. Linda Lingle said she had seen Baptiste on Saturday night.

"Bryan had been staying with me both before and after his recent surgery and was in good spirits when I took him to the airport last night at 8:30 p.m.," Lingle said. "Bryan and I had spent time yesterday watching a college baseball game." She added that "Bryan was a humble man who never lost sight of the fact that as a politician, he was there to serve the people, not the other way around. He had a big heart and true compassion for people and his home island of Kaua'i."

Maryanne Kusaka, who was mayor of Kaua'i for two terms before Baptiste was elected in 2002, said Baptiste had a "great heart."

"So many people liked him and a lot worked with him. He was a great mayor." Kusaka said she heard of Baptiste's death about 5 p.m.

"I want to express sympathy to his family and extended family and all his supporters," she said. "I'm sure it's a shock to all of them."

Kusaka said one thing Baptiste had worked tirelessly for over the past six years was providing additional affordable housing.

"He was just beginning to dedicate some of those projects," she noted.

Kusaka also praised Baptiste for his efforts to extend a walking and biking path along the Garden Island's coast from Nawiliwili to Anahola.

Baptiste is survived by his wife, Annette, and four children: Brandon, Heather, Lauren and Preston.