by George P. Hassett

This month a local political activist and public health worker formally announced he will be running for a seat on the Board of Aldermen in the 2005 city elections.

          Martin Martinez will resume his pursuit of political office in Somerville when he makes his second bid for alderman in the past three years. In 2003, he lost to Robert Trane by fewer than 100 votes for the seat representing Ward 7.

          “Before my first run, I already had a deep affection for and appreciation of the people of Somerville. But after the experience of knocking on doors and speaking with residents in Ward 7 and across the entire city, my goal to work for and serve Somerville was only strengthened,” said Martinez.

          Martinez said his reasons for running have not changed, though the desired seat may have.

          “I have not yet decided whether my run will be in Ward 7 or for the Alderman at large position. What remains the same as in my first bid is my belief that the Board of Aldermen is a smart, hard-working group of individuals who, nonetheless, are in need of the fresh new viewpoints I can bring,” he said.

          Martinez said those views have been shaped by his experiences working throughout Somerville and the entire Boston area as a public health official.

The strategies developed during his experiences, which include serving as Somerville’s Community Youth Director, will be vital to effectively serving one of the most powerless and at-risk segments of the city, said Martinez.

“I think one portion of the city we can always do a better job in helping and understanding is the youth. Currently, young people in Somerville are facing the frightening crisis of drug addiction, gangs and suicide. I know that every member of the board is tirelessly dedicated to solving these issues. But I feel that my background as a drug counselor at the Cambridge Health Alliance and as a community worker in Dorchester and Roxbury working on initiatives to save young people from the horrors of gang life give me a special understanding and insight that is needed on the board,” said Martinez.

Martinez has accumulated his valuable experience in only a short time on this planet and in this city. At only 28 years of age, Martinez is already a political factor in a city of nearly 80,000 people.

          Martinez said one of his most challenging yet important goals as a board member will be to bridge the gap between the new residents of the city who have actively sought out a place in a great community and the old residents who have built the great community.

          “One of the few things I have seen in Somerville that I am not satisfied with is the deep chasm between old residents and new residents. I think we need to do our best to build one excellent community which accepts and builds on the strengths and differences of each segment within it, rather than several excellent yet opposing communities which will not take the time to understand one another,” he said.

          In Martinez’ 2003 run, he won over many longtime residents with such messages. One of those residents was LouAnne David, who has lived in the city for nearly 20 years, and said she was motivated to volunteer for Martinez’ campaign because of his strong work ethic and earnest nature.

          “I worked on Marty’s campaign in 2003 because he has always impressed me with his ideas and work ethic. He is young enough to be full of energy but he’s not that young and always listens carefully and weighs each side and makes his decision on information not emotion. But most importantly, I think it is clear that he cares about each and every member of this city and will always have their best interests in mind when working for them,” said David.

          Martinez’ talk of political involvement among all groups in the city goes beyond speeches and rhetoric. He moved towards the realization of widespread political inclusion in the city when he formed the Progressive Democrats of Somerville in 2002 with fellow resident Rebekah Gerwitz.

          “I met Marty while working on the Robert Reich campaign for governor. When he lost, Marty and I did not want to stop working on the initiatives we had been working on. We were having a good time and felt like we were really making a difference. We saw a need and a group of citizens who were not being represented and organized those people into what became the Progressive Democrats of Somerville,” said Gerwitz.

          An early political victory for the burgeoning party came with its scorecard initiative, said Gerwitz.

          “We created a scorecard to match elected representative’s voting records with traditional Democratic Party principles, because we felt that the representatives were not living up to the progressive agenda set forth by the party. The scorecard can now be seen online and is a major step forward in creating an open government and increased issue-based accountability for elected officials,” said Gerwitz.

          An early admirer of Martinez’ young yet significant political career was Carl M. Sciortino, who was recently elected to the seat representing the 34^th  Middlesex District in the State House. Sciortino volunteered for Martinez’ 2003 alderman bid because of the candidates’ personal and professional accomplishments.

          “I supported Marty in 2003 because he is passionate, energetic and determined to do good in government. In addition, he has brought many people into local politics through the Progressive Democrats of Somerville who otherwise would not have been involved. Not many people in politics can honestly lay claim to achievements and qualities like he can,” said Sciortino.

          Similarly, Gerwitz has expressed her support for Martinez’ 2005 run for many of the same reasons.

          “Marty is charismatic, smart and an extremely hard worker and if he were to win a seat it would be to the advantage of every single resident in Somerville,” said Gerwitz.