I was born and raised on this beautiful island of Kauai. I attended Kapaa Elementary and Middle School.  Graduated from Kapaa High School where I served at Student Body President and was involved in the Future Farmers of America program, football, basketball, and chorus.

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I received a full athletic scholarship to attend University of Hawaii Manoa. Played football as a Rainbow Warrior.  Attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with a minor in Public Relations.  Soon there after I was drafted in the 7th round by the Miami Dolphins. Once released, I returned home to Kauai and worked as a substitute teacher. 

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Married my lovely wife Regina (Godinez) from Oceanside, California and we celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary this year. We have three adult children, Bronson (Aubrey), Brennen, and Brittney (Kenji).  Four grandchildren, Welina 10, Nahoa 5, Kawelu 6 months, and our newest addition to the family we have Brolin at two-weeks old.

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WORK EXPERIENCE

Kauai Department of Education State of Hawaii, Substitute Teacher

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County of Kauai, Parks and Recreation Division, Recreation Leader III for (17) years while also working part time for Aloha Airlines.

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Appointed as Department Head of the Offices of Community Assistance, County of Kauai, where I was responsible for the Recreation, Transportation, Elderly Affairs, and Housing Agencies for (6) years.

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P/T MC for Tihati Productions Polynesian show for (3) years.

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In the 2006 general election, the people of Kauai and Niihau voted to create the newly formed Department of Parks and Recreation.  As the newly appointed Department Head and Director of this Department, my main responsibility was to create and build the operational structure and the policies and procedures of this new department.

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Upon the unexpected death of our dear late Mayor Bryan J Baptiste, his family asked me to run for his remaining term in office in 2008 where a special election was held. I was elected into office as Mayor of the County of Kauai and Niihau and served his remaining term of office through 2010. I was re-elected in 2010 and 2014 serving a total of ten years as Mayor.  I termed out and retired from the county of Kauai on Nov 30, 2018.

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CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT BERNARD HAS BEEN DOING

SINCE RETIREMENT?

Since retiring as Mayor with a leadership style of working 24/7 literally.  I spent the first week or two going through withdrawals. During this time, I had quality time to re-connect with my family.  Along with our daughter who attended Kapaa High School and the University of Hawaii, our two sons are now all at home after attending St. Louis High School and Kamehameha Schools Kapalama on Oahu then on to college in Oregon and in Mississippi.

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Spending quality time with my wife and grandchildren riding bikes, taking walks, family game nights, barbeques, playing ukulele and singing and of course completing my exceptionally long “honey do list!”.  I also did some community work and attended community events.  During this time, I also had the chance to spend quality time as a caregiver to my father for the past year and a half.  He recently passed away and we laid him to rest this past June.

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WHY COUNCIL? WHY NOW?

I am 58 years old and I believe I can still contribute to my community.  I see myself as the BRIDGE (“KA UAPU”) and with my experience in government, relationships I have built, knowledge of seeking resources, along with my natural ability to listen, collaborate, and work with others is where my strength is.  Even when we come to a point when we need to agree to disagree, my style is to respectfully move forward in the best interest of the people we serve.  Along with my fellow council members, I want help bridge our council and the administration.  The council and administration work for YOU and WE… are all in this together.

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NOW, especially during these challenging times and as we reset the NEW NORMAL, we need members of our County Council that not only know how to work together, but also can reach out into our very diverse community.  My heartfelt desire is to make Kauai all it can be…. I have always believed that TOGETHER…. WE CAN!

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Bernard Carvalho Jr

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