Bernard Carvalho Bernard P . Carvalho , Jr . is an American politician and former football player , who has served as the Mayor of Kauai in the U . S . state of Hawaii since December 1 , 2008 . Carvalho was elected in November 2008 to complete the unexpired term of former Mayor Bryan J . Baptiste , who died in office in June 2008 . Biography . Early life . Carvalho was born on Kauai island to Bernard P . Carvalho , Sr . and Priscilla Hanohano . He graduated from Kapaa High School in 1979 . While in high school , Carvalho was a star athlete in football and basketball . Carvalho then enrolled at the University of Hawaii on a full football scholarship . He earned a bachelor ' s degree in communications and public relations in 1983 . Carvalho was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1984 shortly after graduating from college . He played in the NFL for the Dolphins for two seasons . He returned to Kauai after leaving the Dolphins in order to get married . Carvalho is married to the former Regina " Gina " Godinez , who is originally from Oceanside , California . The couple have three children , Bronson , Brennan and Brittney . In addition to his political and football careers , Carvalho has also held positions in the tourism and airline industries on Kauai . Kauai government . Carvalho was hired by the Kauai Department of Public Works Recreation as an entry level employee in 1985 . Former Mayor Bryan J . Baptiste appointed Carvalho as Director of the Offices of Community Assistance in December 2002 . He oversaw several Kauai County government agencies , including transportation , housing , recreation , and the elderly . He is credited with the expansion of The Kauai Bus service on the island . In 2007 , Mayor Baptiste appointed Carvalho to create and implement the new Kauai Department of Parks and Recreation as its first director . The new department had been authorized by voters in the 2006 Hawaii general election . He remained head of the Department of Parks and Recreation until Mayor Baptiste ' s death in June 2008 . Mayor of Kauai . Carvalho announced his candidacy for Mayor of Kauai on July 8 , 2008 , to fill the remaining two years of former Mayor Bryan J . Baptiste ' s unexpired term . Baptiste had died in office on June 22 , 2008 . Carvalho made the announcement at the Historic County Building with supporters and members of the Baptiste family , including Baptiste ' s widow , Annette Baptiste . Carvalho won the nonpartisan mayoral primary with 7 , 143 votes , or 39 . 8 % of the vote . Former Kauai Mayor JoAnn Yukimura , who has previously served as Mayor of Kauai from 1988 until 1992 , also qualified for the general election by finishing in second place with 5 , 372 votes ( 29 . 9 % ) . Mel Rapozo and Rolf Bieber finished in third and fourth place respectively . On November 4 , 2008 , Carvalho was elected Mayor of Kauai in a special election held to fill the remaining two years of Baptiste ' s unexpired term in office . Carvalho defeated JoAnn Yukimura in the 2008 election . He was sworn into office in Lihue on December 1 , 2008 . Carvalho announced his intention to seek a full four - year term in the 2010 mayoral election . Carvalho easily won the nonpartisan mayoral primary election held on September 18 , 2010 , garnering 13 , 024 votes , equivalent to 75 . 7 % of the vote . Carvalho ' s only primary challenger , Diana LaBedz , a substance abuse counselor who campaigned against plastic bottle s and genetically modified organisms , came in a distant second in the primary with 2 , 548 votes , or 14 . 8 % . Under Kauai County law , the two top vote earners in the primary , Carvalho and LaBedz , automatically advance to the mayoral general election . Bernard Carvalho faced opponent Diana LaBedz in the mayoral general election on November 2 , 2010 . Carvalho easily won re - election to a full four - year term by taking 17 , 743 votes , while LaBedz placed a distant second with 3 , 678 votes . Mayor Carvalho was sworn into his first full term on Wednesday December 1 , 2010 , at Kauai War Memorial Hall . Carvalho and Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi jointly endorsed former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann in the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary over Hannemann ' s challenger , former U . S . Rep . Neil Abercrombie . Despite the endorsements , Abercrombie went on to definitively defeat Hannemann in the primary election , 60 percent to 38 percent .