Kauai council members will pick interim mayor

LIHUE » The Kauai County Council will have the opportunity to choose one of its own to serve as the next mayor of Kauai until an election is held to pick the next successor.

According to the County Charter, the Council will select a new mayor by majority vote and then select a new Council person.

That meeting, however, will have to follow Sunshine Law guidelines, meaning that the Council must publish an agenda at least a week before the meeting.

In the meantime, Kauai Administrative Assistant Gary Heu will be acting mayor, as he has been for the past two weeks while Mayor Bryan Baptiste was recovering from heart surgery.

Meetings were held yesterday to discuss the succession, and to assure Kauai residents that the county is still functioning smoothly.

Two members of the Kauai County Council have expressed interest in running for mayor in 2010. Neither has yet expressed an interest in running this year, or whether they'll take the interim post:

» JoAnn Yukimura, mayor of Kauai from 1988 to 1994, has served on the Council since 2002, and also from 1984 to 1988 and from 1976 to 1980.

» Mel Rapozo, a private detective and former Kauai Police Department officer, has served on the Council since 2004.