I am both honored and humbled to be considered a candidate for a New York State Supreme Court Justice in the 9th Judicial District and continue my commitment to public service.  As a sitting judge in the Village of Tarrytown for the past 21 years, I know and recognize the great responsibility a judge has to the communities we serve.  It is my job to make sure all of the people who come before the court - regardless of their background or circumstance - are treated fairly, with respect, and are given the opportunity to be heard.  I apply these fundamental principles and follow the rule of law to help the parties before me reach a fair and just result.  This is one of the foundations of our democratic society.

I believe there is no better way to serve the community than through our court system. The McGovern family has a long history of public service to our community, including my late father Raymond McGovern, Sr., my brother Skip, and my sister-in-law Rebecca, who collectively served on the Board of Trustees for the Village of Tarrytown for over 40 years.  My late mother Anne Marie McGovern worked tirelessly for the community, including serving on the Tarrytown Volunteer Ambulance Corps., volunteering at Phelps Hospital, and serving as the Executive Director for the United Way of Westchester.  It is this spirit of service to the community that led me to run for the Village Justice position 21 years ago, one of the most rewarding decisions of my life.

In addition to being a Village Justice, I serve as an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) for the Westchester County Human Rights Commission, where I hold hearings and make findings and recommendations on complaints of discrimination in fair housing and employment.  I am also a founding partner in Lyons McGovern, LLP, a law firm with offices in Westchester that specializes in civil and commercial litigation. I also spent 5 years working for the Westchester County Attorney’s Office as a Senior Assistant County Attorney in the Litigation Bureau.  As a practicing attorney for over 30 years, I have tried many jury and bench trials in both NYS Supreme Courts and Federal Courts.  This experience has been invaluable to my approach and temperament in presiding over jury and bench trials in the Tarrytown Village Court.  I will bring the same experience and temperament to the NYS Supreme Court bench to ensure all the parties before the court are given a fair and just trial.

I am a lifelong resident of Westchester County, growing up in the Village of Tarrytown,  where I married my high school sweetheart Anita.  We have raised our four children Kyle, Madeline, Jack and Ella Rose in the Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow community, one with a long history of diversity and culture.  We all continue our families’ commitment to serve the community.

It is with gratitude and excitement that I thank you for your support towards my pursuit of becoming a NYS Supreme Court Justice and allow me to continue to serve our community.

Sincerely,

Hon. Kyle C. McGovern
Tarrytown Village Justice
Candidate for NYS Supreme Court Justice