Harrietstown Highway Superintendent Craig Donaldson smiles on election night 2017 at the town hall in Saranac Lake after winning re-election. Beside him is supporter Tim Moody. (Enterprise photo — Glynis Hart)

SARANAC LAKE — After nearly 40 years as Harrietstown Highway Superintendent, Craig Donaldson handed in a resignation and retirement letter at Wednesday night’s town council meeting, and multiple council members said it came as a shock.

“We were pretty surprised,” Councilman Howard Riley said in a phone interview Thursday. “It was very short notice.”

Town Supervisor Mike Kilroy said Donaldson’s letter was limited.

“It was basically one line that said he plans to retire as of Dec. 19,” he said in a phone interview Thursday.

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Temporary superintendent

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The council appointed Danny Martin, who’s been with the highway department for 20 years, to the temporary role of supervisor at the meeting.

“He’ll have to run for election next November if he’d like to stay in the position,” Kilroy said. “I think he knows the administrative part well. It might be kind of tough doing this transition at the beginning of the winter, and we’re going to have to find a temporary replacement for Danny’s position. By the time we put the ad in the paper, we’re probably talking a month or a month-and-a-half before we get someone.

In a phone interview Thursday, Martin said his plan for the department right now is to maintain the status quo and continue the work Donaldson set up.

“We’ve always run a smooth shop,” he said. “I hope to run for election, but because it’s so fresh, I’m playing it by ear right now. We haven’t had much time to think about it, but we’re going to have to find a replacement for my position because it is winter.”

The highway department normally has four full-time employees, which includes the superintendent, and a few seasonal workers. The heavy equipment operators need commercial driver’s licenses.

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Reason for leaving

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Other than saying, “I have no use for those people,” Donaldson, who was highway superintendent for 37 years, did not want to comment on leaving or his position with the town in a phone interview Thursday.

Riley said for a while Donaldson has had concerns with his position’s benefits.

“I think he was a little bit upset about issues of his retirement and how it affected his health insurance,” he said.

Kilroy confirmed, saying over the past few years Donaldson has approached the town council about revising his insurance plan. He added that it made sense for Donaldson to retire at that point.

“I think he’s just probably had enough, you know, getting up at 2 a.m. for emergencies,” he said. “He’s old enough to collect his retirement pension and Social Security, so he might as well.”

Councilwoman Patricia Meagher said Donaldson was talking about retirement for years.

“I think when he finally saw what he’d be getting in retirement, it was a good surprise,” she said in a phone interview Thursday.

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‘He was good’

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Riley said he appreciated the work Donaldson did during his long career.

“I covered the town board (as an Enterprise reporter) for many years before I was on it, and not to put anyone else down, but I think he was the best highway superintendent we’ve ever had,” he said.

“We did a lot of work and saved a lot of money with Craig. As the superintendent, he could’ve laid out the orders each day and gone home, but he plowed and paved and did anything the other workers did. He did it even when he didn’t have to.

“I’m going to miss him.”

Kilroy agreed, calling Donaldson a “working superintendent.”

“He doesn’t have to be there eight hours a day,” he said, “but he was. I’m going to miss Craig because he was good. He worked under six or seven different boards.”

Riley said the council plans on giving Donaldson a plaque for his services and will write a letter to the editor, expressing its appreciation.