A virtual, confidential hearing held by the Pennsylvania Republican Party investigated a total of 19 complaints against Butler County Republican Committee chairman Gary Vanasdale on Tuesday, July 11, according to information obtained by the Butler Eagle.
The results of the hearing could see Vanasdale removed from his position, temporary county committee chairperson and Chicora borough committee member Cindy Hilderbrand said.
Thomas King, general counsel to the PA GOP said that he could not confirm that the hearing occurred Tuesday, nor comment on the matter. Results from the hearing are pending, said Hilderbrand.
“I think it will be an open and shut thing,” she said. “My hopes are for him to be asked to step down, for us to have a reorganization meeting, and then they can redo the election again.”
Jen Gilliland Vanasdale, attorney and wife of Gary Vanasdale, called the claims false and defamatory, and said that 38 exhibits were provided to refute the complaints.
Jen Gilliland Vanasdale, a registered independent and former committee solicitor, said she was muted at the Zoom hearing, and called the complainants “just some sore losers from an establishment group of party insiders who can't stand that they lost control of this leadership position.”
“They don’t care about people – they only care about protecting their own,” she said. “They are so used to controlling Butler County and getting their way they basically will stop at nothing to reclaim power. But these people are going to be held accountable this time for their lies. If the PA GOP will not, we will. It is time for change.”
She also criticized the hearing process.
“Over my request for transparency, the PA GOP held a hearing in secrecy to succumb to a mob of establishment insiders who filed complaints after losing control of the BCRC,” Jen Gilliland Vanasdale said.
Tuesday’s hearing follows more than a year of infighting within the Butler County Republican Party involving a faction group with the same name once headed by Bill Halle, Erik Edwards and Zachary Scherer.
The two groups were once unified, but splintered following a falling out between the Vanasdales and Halle, Slippery Rock Area mayor Jondavid Longo said.
As of 8 p.m. Wednesday evening, the Butler County Elections Bureau lists Gary Vanasdale as the committee’s chair. The website was updated earlier this year after the state GOP formally recognized Gary Vanasdale, rather than Halle, as county committee chairman in a May 10 letter.
The complaints
Hilderbrand and Longo both submitted complaints last month regarding Gary Vanasdale’s conduct as chairman to PA GOP chairman Lawrence Tabas. Their complaints, along with others, related to a June 15 meeting in which he is accused by the complainants of refusing to establish a quorum or add things to the agenda as requested by committee members.
According to Hilderbrand’s complaint from June 16, Gary Vanasdale did not abide by Roberts Rules of Order, failed to establish a quorum, did not acknowledge repeated motions, used unprofessional language and abandoned his post during the meeting without explanation.
At the meeting, members repeatedly requested that Jen Gilliland Vanasdale, who is not a Republican, nor a committee member, be removed from the meeting, Cheryl Guenther, Prospect Borough committee person noted in her complaint. Gary Vanasdale left the meeting with executive committee members to go to the Gilliland Vanasdale Law Office, she said. Guenther said that members waited “close to an hour” for him to return.
Multiple complaints allege that Bill Adams made a motion, and members elected Cindy Hilderbrand as temporary chairperson with a no-confidence vote on Gary Vanasdale.
Longo said that until otherwise notified, he believes Vanasdale’s “deliberate abandonment in that instance (and the) subsequent vote held precludes him from acting with authority of the chair.”
He also expressed concern that Jen Gilliland Vanasdale “continuously participated in committee dealings.” A Facebook post indicates that as a registered independent, she has begun collecting signatures to run for office.
“Why is a registered independent being allowed to have influence over Butler County’s Republican decisions?” Longo said. “It begs the question, is Gary planning to use his authority as chairman to win an election for his wife should she run? Our bylaws forbid members of the Republican party from endorsing non-Republican candidates. I’m not alleging that he is; it just begs the question.”
Longo said that the Vanasdales bullied and intimidated committee members, threatening for their removal.
On June 26, the Butler Eagle reported that Jen Gilliland Vanasdale had responded, on behalf of herself and husband, regarding to some of the complaints via an email to King after he sent them to her.
“Respectfully, said complaints are duplicative and without merit. They are more of the same from a disgruntled minority establishment group that lost control of the BCRC, so they abandoned ship and started the ‘United’ Republicans PAC,” she wrote in an email to King.
Longo’s complaint was among those she addressed.
“As for JD Longo, I will address his defamatory statements and lies in a separate court process, as applicable. Gary never appointed me as solicitor. In fact, he abstained. I was voted by the BCRC Committee as a whole. I also note that I have yet to be paid for services rendered (and won),” she wrote in the email to King.
On July 5, Jen Gilliland Vanasdale sent an email to BCRC and community members notifying them of the confidential meeting and directing them to meet at the Holly Pointe building.
“Please read this (Memorandum) carefully as the questions posed send a clear signal of a possible outcome — to give the BCRC back to this establishment group,” she wrote. “I specifically notice all of you because the hearing outcome impacts all of you.”
Complaints also claim that Gary Vanasdale spent a significant amount of time in Florida while chairman, and mentioned expenses of about $11,000 billed to the committee by the Gilliland Vanasdale Law Office.
According to a campaign finance report obtained by the Butler Eagle, the unpaid debt of $11,266 was billed to the county committee on Oct. 24, 2022. Prior attempts by committee members to obtain an invoice resulted in Jen Gilliland Vanasdale threatening to take legal action, Hilderbrand said.
“When Jennifer and Gary were part of the what I call the Bill Halle group, that’s when that $11,000 came into play,” said Hilderbrand.
In an email that was provided to the Eagle by Jen Gilliland Vanasdale, PA GOP committee members Chester Jack and Donna Hensel requested that immediate action be taken to prevent damage to Gary Vanasdale’s reputation. They asked that a written apology to Gary Vanasadale be made out from every complainant.
“Those unwilling to apologize should tender their resignation or be expelled from the BCRC and PA GOP, ” they wrote.
