2 seek common pleas court seat in primary
Two attorneys will square off for a county-level judicial seat in the May 18 primary election.
One seat on the Butler County Court of Common Pleas is available following the retirement of President Judge Thomas Doerr, who is not seeking reelection.
Richard Goldinger, of Penn Township, and Joe Kubit, of Cabot, will appear on both ballots May 18. Each cross-filed, which is customary for judicial candidates.
If one candidate wins both the Republican and Democratic primaries, they run unopposed in the general election. If they split, one would be the Republican nominee and the other the Democratic nominee.
Both Goldinger and Kubit have rich ties to the community, and Goldinger is the county's district attorney.
“As DA, I have personally prosecuted drug dealers, homicides and drunk drivers,” Goldinger said. “That experience in the courtroom is what a judge needs, and I know my way around the courtroom.”Goldinger said he had a private practice before his time as district attorney, which helped him see diversity in his cases, including family, civil and the defense-side of criminal law.Kubit too has been involved in a variety of cases in his more than 30-year career. He said he also takes great pride in his quality and ethics, which have received the highest possible ratings by two nationwide services that rank attorneys.“I have also represented clients in courts of 10 other counties in Western Pennsylvania,” he said. “I have argued cases before the Pennsylvania Superior and Supreme courts too.”Both candidates are lifelong county residents. Kubit graduated from Knoch High School in 1981, and Goldinger graduated from Butler High School in 1988.
Kubit said his drive to do the best possible job was instilled in him from an early age working on trucks as a mechanic for his father and uncle's small trucking business. He said that motivation to work, paired with his knowledge of the law, is a strong combination.“I hope they remember I'm a very hard worker, and that I recognize that this job of being a judge is one of public trust,” Kubit said. “I pledge to treat everyone who appears before me as a judge fairly and with respect.”Goldinger said he has always strived to do “the right thing,” and he is the most-prepared candidate in regard to making the tough calls that come with keeping an open mind. He said his time as a district attorney has prepared him to make those tough calls.“They are decisions I had to make based on the law and the context of the law,” he said. “I have been a law-and-order DA since 2008, and I have had Butler County's best interests in mind in keeping the community safe during that time.”
