LIHU‘E — With ballots for the county prosecutor special election sent out in the mail last week, candidates Rebecca Like and Shaylene Iseri took to the airwaves to share their vision for criminal justice on the island.
Acting Prosecutor Like, who garnered the most votes in the December primary, 8,184 to Iseri’s 3,645, spoke first on KKCR Kaua‘i Soapbox moderated by Kaua‘i County Councilmember Felicia Cowden, who regularly hosts the show.
Like emphasized restorative justice, and ending what she called a “constantly revolving door of people going in and out of the system.”
“We can’t just lock people up and throw away the key,” she said.
She recommended establishing a drug-rehabilitation center on Kaua‘i and a program where police could identify people and get them resources instead of arresting them, while reiterating her office’s focus on violent crime over lower-level offenses.
Like stepped into her current role after serving as a deputy prosecutor for the last 11 years, and as the second deputy prosecuting attorney for the last nine, under former Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar. Kollar resigned in September 2021, prompting this special election at an estimated cost of $475,000 to Kaua‘i taxpayers.
Like also highlighted her plan to focus on transparency with the public, fiscal responsibility and, when Cowden asked about the lower number of trials under her predecessor’s administration, discussed the difficulties of operating during a pandemic.
“I’m not sure that the number of trials is related to a policy decision,” said Like, citing the fact that a planned murder trial had recently been postponed due to COVID-19.
Iseri, who supports a tough-on-crime approach to criminal justice, said she is concerned by the number of cases that were dismissed by the prosecutor’s office and the time it took for cases to go to trial.
“My main role is the protection of victims’ rights,” said Iseri. “That’s the main problem with the current administration. Victims are often frustrated with the amount of time it takes for cases to be processed.”
Iseri, who is endorsed by the State of Hawai‘i Organization of Police Officers Kaua‘i chapter, emphasized the need for better communication between the Kaua‘i Police Department and the OPA. Like also spoke to this in her time on air.
“We might not agree on everything policy-wise,” said Like of the KPD. “But it’s important to have communication.”
Iseri is a longtime figure in Kaua‘i government, having served on the County Council and as prosecuting attorney. Since leaving the OPA in 2012, Iseri has worked as a family- and criminal-law attorney at her own firm.
“You could talk to many, many attorneys and many, many judges, and they would probably tell you that I am one of the best attorneys on the island. And I have a very lucrative law firm because of it,” she said.
Her tenure as prosecuting attorney was marred by legal troubles. A series of six lawsuits brought against Iseri’s OPA, including for alleged politically motivated prosecutions and discriminatory promotion practices, resulted in a total of $1.6 million in settlements and legal-defense fees. Iseri has maintained that these accusations are false and part of a conspiracy to derail her 2012 re-election bid.
The December 2021 primary saw a low turnout, with only 24% of registered voters casting a ballot.
In the campaign, Like outraised Iseri more than twofold — $8,445 to $4,000, according to the state Campaign Spending Commission.
Like’s funding comes exclusively from individual contributions, while Iseri received a $2,000 donation from SHOPO and a $500 donation from the United Public Workers PAC.
The special general election is Saturday, Feb. 26.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
