“It’s a way to give back to the community and a public service,” Donovan said.

Brenda Smith was also in the running for the role as an independent candidate but contacted the Essex County Board of Elections to have her name removed from the ballot. It was past the deadline, so her name will remain on the ballot, according to the board of elections.

Donovan grew up on Long Island but moved to the Adirondacks in the 1980s. He worked for the New York State Police for eight years downstate, serving in a variety of capacities at the academy, as a driver and as a member of the tactical unit. When he transferred to Troop B in Ray Brook, he had been promoted to supervisor and continued to work his way through the ranks before retiring in 2009.

Since retirement, Donovan has been a part of the Lake Placid Rotary, serving twice on the board. He is also a member of the Lake Placid Olympic Museum board of trustees and volunteers for state Olympic Regional Development Authority special events. He also serves on the Lake Placid-North Elba Zoning Board of Appeals.

This is not the first time Donovan has considered running for town justice, but this time he was approached because of a need for qualified candidates. Donovan is a registered Republican but was nominated in July by the North Elba Democratic Committee, something he presents as evidence of his partisan impartiality.

During his time with the State Police, he had the opportunity to become familiar with the court process, as well as some of the problems and challenges that the justice system deals with.

“I’m familiar with the challenges that police officers have, the workload that the courts have at the county level,” Donovan said. “So if I can somehow assist with that, or even alleviate some of that, it would be a privilege to do so.”

One of the lessons Donovan learned with the State Police was the importance of unbiased input and understanding the broader context of a situation.

“Everyone’s got a story, and everyone’s story is the most important story, but there’s two sides,” Donovan said. “So you need to listen to both sides.”

Donovan knows that there will be a learning curve when it comes to learning the process and procedures of the town court. If elected, he looks forward to guidance from the current justice, Dean Dietrich.