TROY – Rensselaer County Democrats unanimously endorsed East Greenbush Town Justice Mary Pat Donnelly Thursday night to run for district attorney as the Republican incumbent awaits trial on criminal charges.

“Our party is energized about the real opportunity we have this year to elect a district attorney who will restore integrity and competence to that important office,” County Democratic Chairman Michael Monescalchi said.

Donnelly addressed the county Democrats' executive committee Thursday. She was recommended as the party’s candidate by a committee charged with interviewing lawyers interested in running for the four-year term.

“The need for change in our county is apparent,” Donnelly said when she asked to be considered for the party’s nomination.

District Attorney Joel Ableove is scheduled for a June 20 trial at the Rensselaer County Court House on a felony perjury charge and two misdemeanor counts related to his handling of a grand jury investigation of a fatal police shooting of a DWI suspect in April 2016 in Troy. The state attorney general’s office is prosecuting the case.

Democrats see Donnelly, who is midway through her second term as town justice and works as an attorney in the Albany city courts for the state Unified Court System, as appealing to voters in the suburbs. They believe she will be able draw voters who are troubled by Abelove’s indictment and his office’s administrative problems.

“My experience in each of these positions has given me a unique vantage point to evaluate the role and function of the district attorney’s office. I have worked closely with the offices in both Albany and Rensselaer counties throughout my career,” Donnelly said in her application.

Donnelly will have to resign as town justice after she accepts the nomination following the conclusion of the petitioning period in July. East Greenbush officials have begun discussions on selecting her replacement.

Abelove’s trial will occur during the petitioning period. County Republicans have not yet said if they will seek a candidate to replace Abelove or stand by him in a second run for the district attorney’s office.

Donnelly graduated from Columbia High School, the University at Albany and Albany Law School. In addition to her jobs in the East Greenbush and Albany courts, she has worked as a state's attorney in Bennington, Vt., and as an attorney for the East Greenbush Zoning Board of Appeals.

Donnelly and her husband, Albany Detective Sgt. Patrick Donnelly, live with their children in the town. She has been a volunteer with the East Greenbush school district, the East Greenbush Girls Softball League and Castleton Little League. Donnelly’s mother is Toni Murphy, the longtime East Greenbush receiver of taxes.





