Like elected County of Kaua‘i Prosecuting Attorney

LIHU‘E — Rebecca Like has been elected County of Kaua‘i Prosecuting Attorney, defeating former county prosecutor Shaylene Iseri.

Saturday evening, results for the Prosecuting Attorney Special General Election came in, with 8,578 votes in favor of Like, and 3,297 in favor of Iseri.

“I’m humbled that the people of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau have decided that they trust me to lead our county as prosecutor,” Like said Saturday night. “I will do everything in my power to keep the public safe. I look forward to getting to work and continuing to move our office forward. I appreciate the trust the public has placed in me and I don’t take it for granted.”

Like also expressed her thanks to those who supported her as a first-time candidate.

“I appreciate the conversations I was able to have with people throughout the campaign and the willingness of people to share their concerns about public safety,” Like said.

“I look forward to continuing those conversations and continuing to hear from people. I value an open dialogue and am committed to being available and accessible to continue those discussions.”

Like, who ran on a more-progressive platform, was named acting prosecuting attorney following Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar’s resignation last September. Like, a resident of Anahola, previously served as second deputy prosecutor for nine of her 11 years with the OPA.

Outside of the OPA, Like has participated in the pilot Roots of Empathy Program at Kapa‘a Middle School in 2020; completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business program Prosecutor Leaders of Now in 2020; was the 2017 Kaua‘i Bar Association president; and president of the Rotary Club of Kaua‘i in 2016-17.

Like graduated from Portland State University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in criminal justice, and attended Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, according to her campaign website.

In the run-up to the election, Like stated she will continue to digitize, collate and share case data while advocating for more video hearings, in an effort to increase transparency and courtroom accessibility.

Like also cited plans to reduce recidivism through evidence-based diversion programs for individuals with substance-abuse disorder or mental illness. Such initiatives could see qualifying persons attend mandated meetings with a physician and take medication and other steps, rather than plead guilty or go to trial.

Under Like’s leadership, the Kaua‘i OPA would promote on-island addiction-treatment resources while collaborating with the Kaua‘i Police Department.

Only 25% of registered voters cast ballots in the December primary, where Like garnered 8,405 votes to Iseri’s 3,737.

This time around, again, about 25% of Kaua‘i’s 47,698 registered voters submitted their ballots.

In 2012, Like was one of six individuals to file civil lawsuits against Iseri, claiming that Iseri retaliated against her because she failed to participate in her reelection campaign. This resulted in a $25,000 settlement.

While the settlements relieved Iseri of any liability, they cost the county a total of $1.6 million in payouts and legal-defense fees.

The cost of the special election, $475,000, has also been a topic of debate, with officials considering charter amendments or other rules to avoid this taxpayer burden.

•••

Sabrina Bodon, editor, can be reached at 245-0441 or sbodon@thegardenisland.com. Past reporting from TGI journalists Scott Yunker and Guthrie Scrimgeour contributed to this report.