Election 2008: Mayor Jack Martins of Mineola runs for Congress

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of Oct. 31, 2008 / 2 Cheshvan 5769

Republican Jack Martins is hoping to defeat incumbent Carolyn McCarthy in the Congressional race for the Fourth District, by running on the platforms of fiscal responsibility and the establishment of an open government.

“I hope to be part of a solution to get us out of the financial crisis,” Martins told The Jewish Star during a phone interview. “We can’t keep spending money that we don’t have. The government needs to invest in capital gains to get us out of this crisis.”

Recognizing the current plight of homeowners struggling to meet their mortgage payments, Martins says that it is the responsibility of the banks to “re-negotiate their loans with appropriate interest rates and if necessary extend the loans to the make the homes affordable for the people who are there.”

He also emphasized the vital role that lawmakers have in dealing with budget finances and limitations.

“It is a problem when the government spends money, especially money that they don’t have,” he stressed. “We cannot leave our children with a maxed-out credit card as our legacy. In 20 years, the national debt has quadrupled and that is just irresponsible.”

An opponent of the establishment of a much debated third track on the Long Island Rail Road, Martins feels that the projected cost of $1.5 billion would be better spent elsewhere in the state, perhaps by helping to alleviate some of the burdens placed on taxpayers. Additionally, he believes that the funds can be utilized effectively for local infrastructure improvements of roads, bridges and sewer systems.

Martins also values the idea of transparency in government, which he has made a reality during his six years as mayor of Mineola by televising village meetings and launching the village’s first web site to encourage further involvement.

A fundamental problem that Martins observes in the current political leadership is that “members of Congress are beholden to special interest groups,” something which he believes his opponent to be guilty of.

This attack on his opponent is one of several other negative campaign tactics that Martins has used against McCarthy. His campaign has employed a series of attack ads with themes ranging from accusations of financial impropriety on McCarthy’s part, to charges that she is out of touch with her constituents.

McCarthy maintains that the attacks are disingenuous and in many cases factually inaccurate. One ad, based on a Daily News article, claimed that McCarthy received $23,000 from a Tennessee-based pharmaceutical company and the company, in return, received a $1 million earmark to develop an anti-mustard gas pill for the army. McCarthy explained that the company was partnered with both the army and a Long Island-based drug company, the Tishcon Corporation in Westbury, and the earmark will directly benefit the Long Island economy.

Martins championed himself as having fixed Mineola’s budget, but according to a report in Newsday on Sept. 27, he squandered some $6.5 million in a failed attempt to launch a local police force. Martins acknowledged his failed proposal — it was voted down, 2 to 1, in the village elections — but said he views it as a positive demonstration of constituent concern and involvement in village activities.

“The people didn’t agree with the idea of having our own police department,” he said, “but they appreciated the opportunity to have that discussion.”

Martins also criticized McCarthy for not being around for her community, a charge that she refuted.

“I was certainly home every weekend,” she said, and added that her constituents can usually find her at Home Depot on a Sunday afternoon.

“It is important as an elected official to perform responsibly but also to come home and spend time in the community to get a sense of what’s going on and what the people want,” Martins explained. “As I’ve been campaigning, my question is ‘Where has Ms. McCarthy [who also lives in Mineola] been?’ We don’t see her.”

Though he is a registered Republican, Martins prides himself on not being “an extraordinarily partisan person.” If elected, he pledges to “work together to compromise and find solutions to help people and get things done.”

— Additional reporting by Michael Orbach