In August's primary election, Kauaʻi County Council Chair Mel Rapozo led the race for Kauaʻi mayor with over 40% of the vote. He is running against Bernard Carvalho, who was Kauai's mayor from 2008 to 2018. Carvalho did not respond to HPR's interview requests.
Rapozo has served on the County Council for 18 years, following a career with the Kauaʻi Police Department and the Hawaiʻi National Guard.
He believes his experience throughout his career can elevate his work as mayor, stating that he can only do so much on the Kauaʻi County Council, even as chair. He said he is ready for a new level of responsibility and authority.
"I always say, the failure to plan is a plan to fail," Rapozo told HPR. "This next mayor, whoever it is, is going to have a tough challenge on getting that train back on the track and getting some of these issues resolved."
A few of the unresolved issues he referred to include the county's next landfill, the housing shortage and disaster preparedness.
Housing
He said that the cost of living and housing shortage continue to be the most pressing issues across the county. Rapozo's first step would be acquiring more land, stating that he's in communication with large landowners, including Grove Farm, who are willing partners.
"We do really well with the low income housing here, but the problem is the housing for the workforce, the gap group, who I call the 'missing middle' — those that cannot qualify for the low-income housing and they can't afford market price," he said. "$1.4 million is the median price of a home on Kauaʻi. There's no local, young family that is going to be able to afford that, so this is personal to me."
He added that the housing crisis is especially personal to him as two of his children live on the continental U.S. because they cannot afford to stay in Hawaiʻi.
Landfill
Rapozo said he's frustrated with the lack of decisions made regarding the island's solid waste capacity. The current Kekaha Landfill is expected to reach capacity in 2030, but Rapozo said that may change with the amount of debris that has been added since the storms hit the islands.
The County Council recently heard a bill that would not allow new landfills within a six-mile radius of the Kekaha location.
"We're going to have to be very, very careful and cautious on how we proceed," Rapozo said. "No one wants a landfill in their backyard, but if we don't have any available sites to put the next landfill, then what do you do? How would we proceed?"
He said he is now an advocate for diversion while the county searches for a viable site.
Tourism & Disaster Response
Rapozo wants to make the tourism industry Kauaʻi-centered. He knows there are conflicting feelings surrounding the industry, but he believes responsible tourism that puts Kauaʻi residents first can benefit everyone involved.
"I believe all of the decisions that impact our Kauaʻi residents should be made by Kauaʻi residents," he said. "They should be focused and created here, right here on Kauaʻi, with our local people."
Rapozo mentioned that Hurricane Lowell created mixed narratives on how Kauaʻi residents felt about tourists visiting. He said in the immediate aftermath he was a strong advocate for keeping visitors away from the island to allow for residents to clean up, heal and recover.
But he also knows that there are many small businesses that rely on tourism to stay afloat.
"If you think we're going to replace tourism with some other industry, you're mistaken," he said. "This is our financial backbone, but it has to be managed, and we need to manage it properly."
He praised the county's first responders for their work after the storms, adding that county and state leadership should prioritize preventative measures to prepare the county and its residents before disaster strikes, rather than relying on reactive approaches.
Community Engagement
Rapozo stated that "if you don't have an engaged community, you can't have good government."
He said his first step as mayor would be to host a town hall in every community across the county within his first three months on the job.
"The general consensus on the island is that they want change. My opponent was the mayor for 10 years, and we're hearing a lot that he had his chance," he said. "I don't have to tell people why they shouldn't vote for Bernard (Carvalho). Our message is really why you should vote for Mel, and it is to bring positive change and resolution to some of these critical issues."
Ballot boxes and in-person voting are open now through the general election on Nov. 3. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on election day.
