Citing a record of experience and service, Butler County District Attorney Richard A. Goldinger has announced that he will seek election to the Butler County Court of Common Pleas this year.

Goldinger, 51, has served the past 13 years as the county's chief law enforcement officer and top prosecutor. Before that, he was a trial attorney for 12 years, representing defendants and clients in criminal and civil cases.

It's that diversity of experience, he says, that would make him an asset to the bench.

“I've been honored and privileged to be elected DA for four terms and serve the citizens of Butler County for 13 years,” he said. “I think this presents an opportunity for me to serve them in a different way.

“I know the courtroom. I'm comfortable in the courtroom. I have a unique experience in my career, unlike probably most others in the county, that makes me a very qualified candidate.”

A county judicial position will be on the ballot in 2021 due to Judge Thomas Doerr's decision not to seek retention re-election this year for a fourth, 10-year term.

Goldinger stated his intention to seek both the GOP and Democratic nominations in the May primary. In Pennsylvania, common pleas judges, district judges and school board candidates can cross-file in primary elections.

Born and raised in Butler County, Goldinger, who lives in Penn Township with his daughter, graduated from Butler High School in 1988. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics at the University of Pittsburgh in 1992 and received his law degree from the University of Akron School of Law in 1995.

He immediately began practicing law with his father, Richard E. Goldinger, a former longtime chief public defender in the county. He worked as a general practitioner with a focus on criminal defense and family and civil law.

While in private practice, he represented defendants in numerous jury trials on a variety of charges. He noted that he litigated enough felony jury trials to verdict to be eligible to represent defendants in capital cases.

His clients also included parents in custody trials, and litigants in civil jury trials and arbitrations.

In 2007, he was elected district attorney, defeating Randa Clark, who had been appointed to fill the unexpired term of Timothy McCune, who was elected county judge in 2005.

Goldinger was subsequently reelected DA without opposition in 2011, 2015 and 2019.

His tenure as district attorney has seen him prosecute murder and felony drug trials and DUI cases, while managing a staff that currently numbers 20 employees, including eight assistant DAs and four detectives.

He said he is particularly proud of his efforts to combat the scourge of drugs, which he considers the biggest problem in the county.

In 2017, he initiated his “Not In My Backyard” anti-drug initiative of imposing tougher sentences and higher bail amounts for narcotics and opioid traffickers.

“We've gotten some really stiff sentences for some of these drug dealers that the public doesn't always know about,” Goldinger said. “We're talking years and years in state prison.”

He said as DA he's been committed to being proactive in a number of prevention, treatment and education efforts.

For example, he pointed to his assistance in creating the drug treatment court, the veterans court and the behavioral health court.

These so-called “specialty courts” are intended to help some offenders who have been diagnosed with an addiction to alcohol and other drugs or with mental health issues.

The focus of specialty courts is on behavior modification through treatment, intensive probation and other services with a goal toward giving targeted offenders a second chance, while enhancing public safety, reducing recidivism and freeing up prison space for more violent offenders.

He also created a protocol in his office that places repeat DUI offenders under immediate court supervision with measures that seek to deter similar violations.

Goldinger is vice chairman of the Butler County Prison Board, and last year he was elected president of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Institute, which is the educational and training arm of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, which he served as president from 2018-2019.

He's also a former chairman of the Butler County Criminal Justice Advisory Board, the Butler County Commissioners' Council on Drug and Alcohol and the Local Policy Board on Domestic Violence.

“Firm but fair” is how he describes the way he's served as district attorney. He said he knows when to stand his ground in meting out justice and when to work out an agreement with defense counsel.

His career as both defense attorney and prosecutor, he said, has given him the experience, knowledge, wisdom and temperament to preside as judge.

“I've looked at both sides in my career because I've defended these people for 12 years before I prosecuted them for 13 (years),” he said. “That's why I talk about that unique experience — I bring both sides to the table.”

And because of that experience in the courtroom, he said he understands that being a judge means that both sides of a case must be heard impartiality and decided by legal precedent.

“I think a judge is not a policy maker,” he said. “A judge isn't there to make change. A judge is there to sit as an umpire calling balls and strikes.

“A judge shouldn't be taking one side or another. A judge should be an independent referee listening to two sides of an argument and making a decision based on the law and how it applies to the facts and the evidence presented.”