Bainbridge Island attorney Robert “Bob” Scales has announced his candidacy for Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney. Scales will run as a Democrat.

“It is time for new leadership in the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office,” Scales said. “The community needs a prosecutor with vision, energy and a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards. One who will represent their interests when crimes are committed, protecting the rights of victims, while ensuring that those who break the law are held accountable.”

While largely known in Kitsap County for his work over two terms on the Bainbridge Island City Council, Scales has practiced law at all levels of government including the King County Prosecutor’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office and the office of the Washington State Attorney General.

As a deputy prosecuting attorney for King County, Scales handled thousands of criminal cases ranging from DUIs to homicides, and took more than a hundred cases to trial. He was also appointed to serve as a disciplinary hearing officer for the Washington State Bar Association, ultimately receiving the Random Acts of Professionalism Award for his efforts.

Following his tenure as a King County deputy prosecutor, Scales worked for 10 years as a Senior Policy Analyst and the Assistant Director for Public Safety for the City of Seattle, where he was often called upon by the mayor or city council to find solutions to some of the most intractable public safety problems facing the community.

Scales is an experienced manager who has managed attorneys, paralegals and support staff in both the criminal and civil context. He also has extensive background in dealing with office budgets, obtaining grant funding, and organizational management. Scales is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional and a trained mediator. He has also served as a lecturer for the National District Attorneys Association.

Scales earned his law degree in 1994 from the University of Washington School of Law. He has lived on Bainbridge Island for the past 15 years with his wife, Debbie, and his son Sebastian, now a student at Cornell University.