Newly-elected state Sen. Jack Martins told the Great Neck Village Officers Association last Wednesday that he intended to use his experience as mayor of the Village of Mineola to work closely with the association’s members and be a voice for villages and towns.
“As a local official, I have dealt with an continue to deal with many of the issues that you deal with on a day to day basis,” said Martins, a Republican elected to four consecutive mayoral terms in Mineola.
Martin’s appearance at Saddle Rock Village Hall before officials from the Democratic stronghold in Great Neck was one of his first since being confirmed the winner in the tightly-contested 7th District state Senate race against Democratic incumbent Craig Johnson, which was called after an appeals court backed his victory earlier in the day.
The Great Neck Village Officers Association is comprised of the nine incorporated villages and includes other local community organizations and special districts, such as the Great Neck Public Schools, Great Neck Park District, Great Neck Library, Water Authority of Great Neck North, as well as the elected officials of the unincorporated sections of the Town of North Hempstead on the Great Neck Peninsula, and county and state representatives serving Great Neck.
Martins, who is scheduled to be sworn in Jan. 5, said one of is first jobs as a legislator will be to try and advocate to correct some of the ‘inefficiencies’ of the consolidation bill and the premise it represents: that local government is not efficient.
In 2008, then state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo proposed a bill known as the Empowerment Act to encourage the consolidation of local governments bill, which was signed into law last year and took effect in 2010.
“We may have the opportunity to turn the corner on adding some important touches,” said Martins, who expects January amendment initiatives by Republicans on the bill backed by now Governor-elect Cuomo. “I certainly don’t think we will have the ability to appeal it.”
Joined by the New York Conference of Mayors, the Association of Towns, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York and the Association of Fire Districts of the State of New York, state Assemblywoman Michele Schimel has led recent efforts to amend the bill. Martins praised Schimel for her efforts and pledged continued support for her efforts.
“You have to give her a tremendous amount of credit,” for taking on the governor-elect,” he said.
Regarding school consolidation, Martins warned against state mandates which he said would add an additional layer of expenses that wasn’t there before and recommended that school issues remain local.
“I believe each school district should have the ability to make that decision for itself,” said Martins.
Kensington Mayor and Village Officers Association board member Susan Lopatkin inquired about possible initiatives that the new GOP majority plans to pursue to get government ‘out of the way’ of smaller municipalities, a plan she says she supports.
“It comes from a core philosophy and I think you are going to see a lot of discussion about that,” said Martins. “There are nine state senators from Long Island and I think all will be actively working towards providing that kind of relief.”
When questioned by Manhassett-Lakeview Water District Chairman Andrew DeMartin about the delivery of pending state grants to 7th District organizations, Martins said one of his first responsibilities will be to ‘throw back the curtain on this’ and give everybody an evaluation of where those grants are.
“One thing I can assure you is if grants are there, I have no intention of holding anything up,” said Martins. “If they are not there you will be notified immediately.”
Regarding public transportation, Martins said funding issues should be distributed equally and not more so on suburban commuters than those who use mass transit in the city of New York.
“I don’t think the issue is between Democrats and Republicans,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be great, just for a moment, if we just left the railroad to manage that which it already has before deciding to continuously expand?”
Martins suggested having the Long Island Railroad come to the Great Neck train station and paint areas which had been allowed to deteriorate before deciding to rebuild a spur or another line. “Let’s just consider those things that are important,” he said.
Searching for resources, Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender requested Martins’ support in Albany for help with efforts to obtain state funding for village upgrades.
“I just wanted to know what your position might be going into the Senate on trying to preserve funds for those kind of great programs where communities are looking to rebuild their downtowns?” she said.
According to Celender, even a community like Great Neck, which has been affected by the recession, is looking for ways to improve in order to survive the slumping economy.
“Your support, knowing you have been a mayor of a downtown … will be invaluable,” said Celender.
Martins said he recognized Celender’s expertise and acknowledged that a more regional approach is needed in providing state funds to development as a means to get projects moving.
The state’s two costliest programs – education and state entitlements – will be looked at first in terms of cuts to generate money, according to Martins.
“If you are going to cut and find savings, you are going to have to do it with those programs in mind,” he said.
In terms of budget cuts, Martins said it is the responsibility of local legislators to make sure that Long Island, which has traditionally been considered to be the ‘ATM for New York state,’ is not protected at the expense of local schools, hospitals and local communities.
“There are going to be cuts across the board and there will be a shared sacrifice, but it certainly will not be at our expense disproportionately to that which it otherwise would not be,” said Martins.
In his first year as Mineola mayor, Martins said he instituted across-the-board budget cuts, personnel changes, froze discretionary spending, and closed the budget deficit he inherited. He also developed a debt management plan to address a $33 million dollar debt.
