by Nicole A. Duarte

The alderman-at-large candidate, who is the co-founder of the Progressive Democrats of  Somerville shared his political platform at the May 20 contributors meeting of The Somerville News.

“Liberal or conservative, lifelong resident or newcomer, we all want the same things. We all want clean streets, good schools and to know that if I call my alderman, they’re going to call me back,” said Marty Martinez, who ran lost the 2003 race for the Ward 7 alderman seat to Robert C. Trane.

Martinez said increasing the board’s openness and accessibility will be a top priority once in office.

He said residents have concerns, and the local government needs to address them. He said he would also like to see political leaders promoting a greater sense of unity in the city.

In the 2003 race Martinez said he lost the race by 93 votes, but gained experience and knowledge about what residents want. “Over and over, I heard we need better access.”

“One Somerville – a community where everyone has access to a financially stable and consistently responsive local government,” he said.

Re-examining the budget process is also on Martinez’s agenda if elected into office. He said he would like to clear up tension between departments and help Somerville reach a level financial stability, he said.

“We need to do a better job of looking at all the programs in the city that we fund, and then look into resources offered by the state and federal governments,” he said.

“There is a tremendous dependence on local aid and state government, and when there were cuts to local aid, you had teachers and firefighters turn on one another,” he said.

“We shouldn’t have to choose between good schools and safe neighborhoods,” he said.

As an eight-year resident of the city, Martinez said he has gained familiarity of local issues.

But he is also no stranger to the local political scene. In addition to co-founding the Progressive Democrats of Somerville, He has also worked on several local and state races, he said.

Martinez sits on Somerville Community Corporation’s board of directors, working to promote and maintain affordable housing, he said.

Martinez said his involvement is the city’s developments will prove as an asset to the board and the city.

Since Somerville is already heavily developed, Martinez said the city needs to weigh housing revenue against the value of open space.

“We need someone on the Board of Aldermen who will look developers coming in and ask: ‘What are you doing to ensure families can still live in Somerville?’” he said.

“When we bring a development into the community, we need to think about what it is going to look like.”

Martinez said he also believes his experience as a former city youth director has helped him gain insight into some of the challenges kids and parents face today.

He is an active member of Somerville Cares About Prevention, Somerville Health Department’s drug abuse prevention coalition.

He said he plans to continue to work on keeping residents informed of city resources and services.

Martinez said he envisions a stronger Somerville through building up a greater sense of community. Once residents come together, strong commonalities arise.

“We can do a better job of engaging people to create one Somerville with quality schools and good services by focusing on things that bring us together,” said Martinez. “We need to do a better job of getting to know our neighbors.”

To learn more about Martinez check out his Web site: martyforalderman.com.