A voice for the people

Sandi Martinez wants to be a voice for the people—the people who have, according to her, gone unheard for years.

The Chelmsford Republican said in a recent interview that, "The main thing that led me to run was the way that the Legislature ignored the will of the people that they have been elected to represent. One citizen initiative after another was put on the ballot by the efforts of thousands of voters, and our legislators found a way to ignore these ballot questions."

So what then, would she do first if elected?

"My top issue is transparency, and has been since I first decided to run. If the checkbook is online, citizens can see where the people's money is being spent. I believe that will go far in reducing wasteful spending," she said.

Next on her to-do list is healthcare.

"I have advocated for tort reform and allowing out-of-state purchasing to stimulate competition, and reduce costs. Our vulnerable senior citizens deserve to have their needs addressed. Proper healthcare for returning veterans, and a safe, healthy and secure future for our precious parents and grandparents are very important to me," she said, adding, "Obamacare and rationing of their care is a strong fear among our elderly."

Her third issue of concern is shared among her two competitors, as well: jobs and the economy.

"We must stop hemorrhaging jobs and citizens if we are to restore Massachusetts from the brink of bankruptcy to prominence once more," she said, adding taxes on businesses of all sizes have done nothing but contribute to the recession.

"Businesses are leaving for a friendlier tax environment. Our young people are leaving because they cannot find jobs, and they cannot afford to buy a home here due to soaring property taxes. Our seniors are leaving as well," said the co-founder of the Greater Lowell Tea Party.

She would like to see power return to the states instead of the federal government.

"The citizens of this nation and this state have made their voices heard loud and clear. We are taxed enough already (TEA). No more bailouts, no more Obamacare, no more government takeovers of private industry. … Folks want someone who stands for something, and will stand up for what they have said they would," said the self-proclaimed Reagan Republican.

On social issues, she maintains a conservative view. She believes marriage is between a man and a woman, but likes an idea Hawaii had when gay marriage was voted down, called reciprocal benefits.

"Two people who can't marry can get benefits such as a same-sex couple or a brother and sister," she explained. "It's not based on sexual behavior but people can get the alleged benefits they can't now."

A conservative, Martinez was born in Waltham and raised in Chelmsford, where she settled in 1976 to raise her four children. She has worked as a waitress, on an assembly line and in information technology. She attended UMass-Amherst.

Her campaign is about the people, she said, and by getting out to meet as many voters as possible.

"We attend as many events as we can where I can talk to the voters," she said.

Her message to the voters is she is not a politician, but a voice for those who need to be heard.

"I am not looking for a career in politics, because I don't believe that is what our founding fathers intended when they established our form of government. … I am not a divider, but a uniter," she said.