Bryan Baptiste

Bryan J. Baptiste (October 15, 1955 – June 22, 2008) was an American politician and member of the Republican Party. He served as mayor of the County of Kauai in Hawaii from 2002 until his death.

Bryan Baptiste
Mayor of Kauai
In office
December 2, 2002[1] – June 22, 2008
Preceded byMaryanne Kusaka
Succeeded byGary Heu (acting)
Personal details
Born(1955-10-15)October 15, 1955
Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii
DiedJune 22, 2008(2008-06-22) (aged 52)
Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Annette
Children4

Early life

Baptiste was born in Lihue, Kauai. Baptiste was a descendant of Portuguese immigrants who settled in Hawaii.[2] He came from a family that has long been involved in politics on Kauai, including his father, who was chair of the former Kauai county board of supervisors, a position equivalent to mayor today.[3][4]

Career

In 1996, Baptiste, then manager of the Kaua'i War Memorial Convention Hall and head of an islandwide park beautification program, was elected to the Kaua'i County Council.[5] Baptiste served as a member of the council for six years before running for mayor to succeed Republican Maryanne Kusaka, who was ineligible to run again due to term limits. In the 2002 mayoral election, Baptiste faced two fellow councilmembers, Democrats Ron Kouchi and Randal Valenciano. In the September primary election, Baptiste received 38% of the vote, Kouchi received 35%, and Valenciano won 21%, allowing Baptiste and Kouchi to advance to the runoff. In the runoff Baptiste defeated Kouchi, winning 12,174 votes to Kouchi's 10,517.

In 2006, Baptiste avoided a runoff by two votes (he needed fifty percent of the vote plus one vote to win), joking, "We had one vote more than we needed to win. That's the cushion."[5]

Mayor Baptiste at the 2005 Waimea Christmas Parade

Baptiste died while in office of a heart attack on June 22, 2008.[6] He was succeeded by his former deputy, Bernard Carvalho, who won a special election to complete Baptiste's term.

Legacy

Baptiste has since been memorialized with the Kapa'a New Town Park Facility renamed in his honor, following a million dollar upgrade of park facilities, including the installation of new lighting systems, locker rooms, and grass strips for the football field, improvements that Baptiste had long advocated for.[7] He is survived by his wife Annette and their four children.

References
  1. "Mayoral inauguration today". The Garden Island. 2002-12-02. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  2. Kubota, Gary T. (2010-03-10). "Maui effort honors 2 ethnic groups". Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
  3. Soboleski, Hank (3 July 2016). "Kauai Board of Supervisors Chairman Anthony C. Baptiste Jr". The Garden Island. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  4. Soboleski, Hank (14 February 2019). "Kauai Island History, part 1" (Web). issuu: The Garden Island. p. 117. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  5. Baptiste timeline The Honolulu Advertiser", June 23, 2008
  6. Kauai Mayor Bryan Baptiste Passes Away Archived June 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine; KGMB News, June 22, 2008
  7. In honor of Bryan Archived 2014-10-26 at the Wayback Machine; The Garden Island, October 23, 2014
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