Meet Suffolk County's Representative To Office of Gov. Cuomo - Scott Martella

Leading by example… that is what Smithtown resident Scott Martella is doing.  Quietly, behind the scenes he works tirelessly for people.  Scott recently accepted a position with the Cuomo administration, becoming Suffolk County Representative to the Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo. To avoid any conflict, Scott relinquished his position as Vice President of the Smithtown Board of Education.

Scott Martella has lived in Smithtown his entire life. He graduated from Smithtown High School in 2004, and went on to Boston University where he received his BA in 2008 in International Business.  During his time at BU he did a semester in Washington DC where he interned for Boston Scientific.  It was during this semester that he recognized his passion for government, policy and politics. 

In 2008 Scott joined Brian Foley’s campaign for New York State Senator.  During the campaign he traveled throughout the district speaking with people and listening to their concerns.  This experience solidified his belief in government as a positive force.  “Meeting people with different needs and expectations was great.  I spoke with seniors and veterans, college students, people struggling to stay on Long Island, people with jobs and those without.  I came away with a sense that government had to retool as an institution. That is one of the things that is so great about working with this governor.  He gets it.”

Scott has a strong belief in the quality of the public education system on Long Island.  At the age of 22 he became the youngest person to be elected to the Smithtown Board of Education.   He is also a realest; “The tax cap was the right thing to do. People are struggling to stay in their homes and to stay on Long Island.  There needs to be mandate relief in addition to the tax cap.”  He is most proud of his work on the BOE to maintain programs in the district. He is also very impressed with the students who showed up to express themselves before the BOE.  “They were great… their voices need to be heard, not only in front of the BOE, but in discussions about housing policy and zoning issues.”  He went on to say, “I grew up on Long Island surrounded by family and it was wonderful.  We have many families with generations on LI who have built communities into what they are.  I would like to see that today’s young people have the same opportunities. I would hate for Long Island to become a place where people must leave to pursue a better quality of life.”

In his position as Suffolk County Representative to the Governor’s office, his job is to relay the concerns and issues that local governments and organizations are experiencing. “The Governor has a work ethic that is unbelievable and I enjoy that and respect that.”   To make sure that he is effective in his position, Scott maintains contact with all the municipalities on a regular basis.  He attends meetings, and acts as the liaison for the governor’s office. “I love what I am doing. I am happy to facilitate for the people of Suffolk County.”

What’s next for Scott Martella? He is looking forward to Governor Cuomo’s continued success as the Cuomo administration takes on challenges like mandate relief and holding the line on property taxes.

On a personal note, Scott is dating Shelbi Thurau who is also a Smithtown HS graduate from the class of 2005. He is very proud of his family and is quick to acknowledge the significance of family in his life.   He gets his work ethic from both parents his dad is a union carpenter and his mom is a clerk typist. 

Scott Martella is doing what he loves, representing Smithtown and Suffolk County. He is working for a boss he is proud of and he is optimistic about the future.  Now if he could just find an affordable place to live.  But that’s a story for another day!

Commack Woman Identified As Fatality In Poughkeepsie Fire

A tragic house fire in Poughkeepsie has resulted in the deaths of three young people. The MidHudson News has indicated that two of the three fatalities were students at Marist College.  One victim has been identified as Kerry Fitzsimons, 21, of Commack.  The house was severly damaged and was razed.

Update on Monday, January 23, 2012 at 9:42PM by .

According to the Poughkeepsie Journal -  Poughkeepsie police have identified the three victims of Saturday’s fire.  Kerry Fizsimons, 21, Eva Block 21, and Kevin Johnson also 21. 

The paper has reported that the autopsy results indicate Kerry Fitzsimons ( Commack)  died of smoke inhalation.

Click here for Poughkeepsie Journal article

HORATIO ALGER AWARD

Smithtown High School West Senior Carly Miller has been selected to receive the Horatio Alger Award.  Horatio Alger Award recipients are dedicated community leaders who demonstrate individual initiative and a commitment to excellence; as exemplified by remarkable achievements accomplished through honesty, hard work, self-reliance and perseverance over adversity.  All potential Members must have a strong commitment to assisting those less fortunate than themselves and be willing to contribute to the mission of providing scholarships for younger generations.  Carly will receive a $20,000 scholarship to use towards a bachelor’s degree.  Carly will travel to Washington in April to attend the Horatio Alger National Scholars Conference.  Carly is one of only 104 high school seniors nationally recognized as a Horatio Alger National Scholar

SMITHTOWN STUDENT NAMED SEMI-FINALIST IN INTEL SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH

Left to right: SHS East Research Program Coordinator Maria Zeitlin Trinkle, Rachel Davis and SHS East Principal Edwin Thompson. 

The Science Research Program at Smithtown High School East is proud to announce that Rachel Davis has been selected as an Intel Semi-Finalist. According to the Society for Science and the Public, “The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) is America’s most prestigious national science research competition for high school seniors.” From 1839 applicants, 300 were selected as semi-finalists which will be further narrowed to 40 finalists on January 25.  

Rachel’s project titled “Engineering Biodegradable Flame Retardant Polymers,” was mentored by Dr. Miriam Rafailovich at Stony Brook University.  Rachel’s inspiration for her project began in 2007 when her family’s house burned down.  It was then that her father, and then later Rachel, joined the volunteer fire department in their town.  Additionally, Rachel has recently completed her training to become a nationally certified firefighter.  According to Ms. Zeitlin Trinkle, Coordinator of Smithtown East’s Research Program, “Rachel’s passion for firefighting made her a natural for a project involving flame retardant polymers.  She has such enthusiasm for her research and she exudes excitement every time she enters the lab.  She is a genuine scientist, the real deal. She loves exploring material science and creating polymers and gets positively giddy when she is asked to discuss her research.”

It is Rachel’s ambition to continue working on her research in order to create the ideal polymer blend which would serve as both a biodegradable and flame retardant plastic in order to be utilized for multiple applications. According to Rachel, “There has been increased pressure on manufacturers of plastics to produce materials that are not harmful to the environment and its inhabitants.  These plastics must be biodegradable and not release harmful toxins into the environment.  It is also important that these materials are flame retardant as fire safety regulations increase on the industrial and domestic fronts.  Therefore, flame retardant additives must be added to biodegradable polymers to create the perfect plastic.” In the lab, she worked with a resorcinol bis-diphenyl-phosphate (RDP) soaked cellulose in a polylactic acid (PLA) -polybutylene adipate coterephthalate (PBAT) blend.

PHOTO CAPTION: Left to right: SHS East Research Program Coordinator Maria Zeitlin Trinkle, Rachel Davis and SHS East Principal Edwin Thompson.

Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick - "I Stand With The Governor On The Desire To Make Change"

Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick, in a phone conversation from Albany, said that he was very happy with Governor Cuomo’s proposal but was waiting for the details.  Assemblyman Fitzpatrick has long championed the cause of pension reform; advocating the removal of elected officials from the pension system.

“ I am happy the Governor is looking into pension reform. Pension reform is key. Adding a Tier six and offering new hires a choice of a defined pension benefit or a defined contribution will make a difference and save taxpayers money. Also, very important is changing the way pensions are calculated.  Running up pension costs with overtime and other benefits is unreasonable.” 

While Assemblyman Fitzpatrick is optimistic about the Governor’s proposal so far, he reserves judgment until he sees the details.  One area he disagrees with the Governor is gambling.  Calling gambling an unproductive exercise he does not see it as a effective revenue generator. 

“I stand with the Governor on the desire to make change.” Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick