Derek S.K. Kawakami is an American politician serving as the eleventh

Mayor of Kauai The Mayor of Kauai is the chief executive officer of the County of Kauai in the state of Hawaii. The mayor has municipal jurisdiction over the islands of Kauai and Ni’ihau. Derek Kawakami was elected on November 6, 2018, as the mayor of Kauai ...

since December 3, 2018. Kawakami previously served as a

Kauai County Kauai County ( haw, Kalana o Kauaʻi) (officially known as the County of Kauai) is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It consists of the islands of Kauai, Niihau, Lehua, and Kaula. As of the 2020 Census the population was 73,298. The county ...

Councilmember from 2016-2018 and 2008-2011 and as a member of the

Hawaii House of Representatives The Hawaii House of Representatives is the lower house of the Hawaii State Legislature. Pursuant to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of Hawaii, amended during the 1978 constitutional convention, the House of Representatives consis ...

from April 4, 2011 through November 8, 2016. Kawakami was appointed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Neil Abercrombie Neil Abercrombie (born June 26, 1938) is an American politician who served as the seventh governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Born in Buffalo, New York, Abercrombie is a graduate of Union College and the ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the appointment of

Hermina Morita Hermina 'Mina' Morita (born September 2, 1954) is an adviser for the Hawaii State House Committee on Finance. She is the former chair of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) of the State of Hawaii. She previously served as a Democratic member ...

to chair the

Hawaii Public Utilities Commission The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (HPUC) is a public utilities commission, a quasi-judicial tribunal, which regulates public service companies operating in the U.S. state of Hawaii. In 2017 HPUC authorized smart inverters to increase grid s ...

. Kawakami is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Education

Kawakami graduated from

Kauaʻi Community College Kauai Community College is a public community college in Līhue, Hawaii and it is the only institution of higher learning on the island. It is part of the University of Hawaii system and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Commun ...

and earned his BA from

Chaminade University of Honolulu Chaminade University of Honolulu is a private Marianist university in Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded in 1955 by the Society of Mary, Chaminade is located in Kaimuki, Honolulu at the base of St. Louis Heights. Chaminade offers bachelor's degrees in ...

Elections

*2012 Kawakami was unopposed for both the August 11, 2012 Democratic Primary, winning with 3,261 votes, and the November 6, 2012 General election. *Elected Kauai Council Member November 8, 2016, coming in first with 15,990 vote

*Elected Mayor of Kauai on November 6, 2018, defeating Mel Rapozo by a count of 16,797 to 7,96

References

External links

Official page
at the

Hawaii State Legislature The Hawaii State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state legislature is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Hawaii State House of Representatives, with 51 representatives, and an upper house, the ...

Campaign site
* 21st-century American politicians American politicians of Japanese descent Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Chaminade University of Honolulu alumni Living people Democratic Party members of the Hawaii House of Representatives Kauaʻi Community College alumni Hawaii politicians of Japanese descent Mayors of Kauai American mayors of Japanese descent {{Hawaii-mayor-stub