Two candidates will vie for the position of Centre County district attorney Nov. 8, a position the missing Ray Gricar had held for 20 years until his disappearance more than six months ago.

Democratic candidate and Centre County Assistant District Attorney Karen Arnold, 58, faces Republican candidate and Centre County Senior Deputy Attorney General Michael Madeira, 41, for the spot.

Arnold said Gricar's disappearance wouldn't affect the race because he announced in January 2004 that he would retire at the end of his term this year. However, she said his disappearance would continue to weigh on her mind.

"I have a huge amount of respect for him, and what happened to him will continue to be a major issue for me until it's resolved," said Arnold, who has worked 17 years under Gricar as Centre County assistant district attorney.

Madeira said this year's race would be unique despite Gricar's disappearance because neither candidate is an incumbent.

"You're bringing in someone new to office after two decades," he said. "I don't care who it would have been that replaced him, it's going to be different."

Madeira has worked for 12 years in the Drug Strike Force Section of the state attorney general's office, acting as a drug prosecutor for 14 counties in central Pennsylvania. He served two years as an assistant district attorney in Luzerne County before his current position.

"I believe because of the relationship I've developed with law enforcement and the court here, we could make seeking justice an even greater team effort," he said. "I have the experience of having different agencies work together to solve these sometimes complicated crimes."

Madeira referred to his experience working with numerous police departments through the Centre County Drug Task Force and his endorsement by area police associations, including State College.

However, Arnold said her years of experience as an assistant district attorney make her more qualified for the job because she worked on a wide range of cases. That experience has helped her learn techniques for avoiding mistakes that would hinder a case, she said.

"There are all kinds of information on different cases you accumulate in your data bank -- your memory -- over many years," she said. "If you have a limited background, which is my feeling of Mr. Madeira, you're not going to see these things coming and be able to maintain a good success rate."

Arnold's cases have an 86 percent conviction record. For the past seven years, she has concentrated on juvenile delinquency and child and elder abuse cases, which she said would continue to be a main focus if she were elected. She also said alcohol incidents would be a priority.

"Alcohol is an underlying issue in many, many cases that come back through the system time and time again," she said, adding that it was one of Penn State students' main problems.

Arnold said various abuse cases often stem from alcohol abuse and would benefit from taking a holistic rather than case-by-case approach.

"I think sometimes we don't look at the whole picture," she said. "We punish the immediate crime, but we don't punish what led up to the crime."

Madeira said alcohol, elder abuse and domestic violence were among his top concerns but added that drug use is a major concern for Centre County.

"We see a much larger influx of drugs than we have ever seen before, particularly the harder drugs like heroin," he said. "It's going to help with someone that has the [prosecuting] experience."

But Arnold said her experience has shown her that drugs make up less than a third of the county district attorney's caseload.

"When you look at cases that come over and over, drug cases are not predominant," she said, adding that child abuse cases are the recurring problem.

Centre County Judge Thomas Kistler said that because the district attorney will have so many cases to manage, he or she must work cooperatively with the courts and be an efficient office manager.

"Both of the candidates are very experienced," he said. "I don't think that's the problem. I think the problem will be who is a better administrator and who is better able to work with courts and law enforcement."