Jen “GV” Gilliland Vanasdale said it’s time for a change in the county district attorney’s office.

Vanasdale, an attorney and founding member of the Gilliland Vanasdale Sinatra Istik Law Offices, is challenging longtime District Attorney Richard Goldinger in the Nov. 7 election.

She didn’t run in the primary, but entered the general election as an Independent candidate.

“I think it’s time for change. We have a 16-year incumbent in office. I think that justice requires a change,” Vanasdale said. “We need a DA who’s going to organize an effective office and that will be me.”

She said her goals are to solve unsolved cases, represent victims and make the community safer. She said specifically she would like to ensure those who harm “children and other vulnerable people and animals” are held accountable for their actions.

“We have so many problems with drugs and alcohol. Our murders are on the rise, and we have unsolved cases,” Vanasdale said.

She said she would work with state and local police on current and unsolved cases.

“I’ll make it a priority to give them the resources they need to solve unsolved cases,” Vanasdale said. “My goals are to bring justice to the community and be fair to all people. I’m a fighter. I fight for my clients and I’ll stand up for the community.”

She said plea bargains will be made if she is elected, but they shouldn’t be made as often as they are now.

“The community needs a different leader in that role — a leader who will work hard and try cases,” Vanasdale said.

She said she has been practicing law for 22 years and is an efficient and effective manager of the law office.

“I have that experience and reputation,” Vanasdale said.

She said she is one of only a few attorneys in the county to receive the highest rating for professional excellence and ethics from Martindale-Hubbell, an attorney rating service founded in 1868.

“I earned a reputation for fight for justice and being fair. That’s what I’ll do as district attorney — fight for justice and be fair to all people,” Vanasdale said.

She graduated from Duquesne University School of Law in 2001 taking evening and summer classes while working full-time for Nationwide Insurance in Butler.

This will mark her third run for public office in the county. She conducted a write-in campaign in 2019 for Common Pleas Court judge and ran for judge as an Independent in 2021.

Goldinger, a Republican, has held the office since 2007. No candidates opposed him in the primary.