Senator Martins Makes Long Island Press Power List

From the Long Island Press Power List

It hasn’t taken long for the former four-term mayor of Mineola to quickly find his way around Albany. After winning an election in the 7th Senate District noted for its long, drawn-out recount, Martins unseated the incumbent Democrat, Craig Johnson, and helped cement the Republican majority. With his engaging smile and ready handshake, Martins was popular in his village for being fiscally responsible. But he also became known around the Island for his innovative thinking regarding downtown revitalization, particularly encouraging affordable housing near the Mineola train station. In the state Senate, he’s become indispensable to Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), while also supporting Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s agenda, in particular passing the 2-percent property tax cap and closing the $10-billion budget deficit without raising taxes. To help the embattled Long Island Bus, he got the state Senate to dip into its MTA Capital Reserve Fund to keep the system running through this rocky patch as the county executive seeks to privatize it. And this freshman senator is just getting started.