Harry Kim, as mayor in 2008

HILO, Hawaii: The race for Hawaii County’s top elected executive is growing more interesting, as attention turns to see what former mayor Harry Kim plans to do by the deadline to file papers.

The state of Hawaii updated its roster of candidates with the added name of Harry Kim yesterday, making Kim the 10th person to pull papers for the mayor’s office.

Right now, the only two viable candidates appear to be Mayor Billy Kenoi, who last week officially put his name on the ballot, and Hawaii County Council Chair Dominic Yagong, who made his announcement closer to the start of the year.

As for Kim, the two term mayor has been relatively quiet the last few years, making only occasional public appearances. His most recent activity: unexpected testimony at the an Oahu environmental commission, which apparently helped sway the body to reconsider across the board exemptions for geothermal well exploration

The 72 year old Kim had some health problems his final year in office, suffering two heart attacks.

He is also quite familiar with his two top opponents for the job. He defeated Dominic Yagong in the 2004 mayor’s race, winning outright in the non-partisan primary.

Kim also endorsed Kenoi for mayor in 2008. Kenoi served in the Kim administration for years as an executive assistant. Kim was also Kenoi’s football coach when he played for Waiakea High School.

Big Island Video News will post the full list of candidates after today’s deadline.