Martinez criticizes Senate Over Budget

Tuesday, June 26, 2012                                                                                  Contact: Tom Firth

                                                                                                                        978-828-0877

MARTINEZ CRITICIZES SENATE OVER BUDGET

Chelmsford, MA – Today in response to Governor Deval Patrick filing an interim budget, Sandi Martinez, Republican candidate for State Senate in the Third Middlesex district, criticized the Massachusetts State Senate for failing to get the budget completed in a timely manner.

“Why can’t the Senate gets it work done on time?” asked Martinez.  “There is something wrong when the budget, which is due at the same time every year,  cannot be completed on time.  Worse yet, is the secrecy surrounding the conference committee.”

Yesterday Governor Patrick filed an interim budget as a stop gap measure because time is running out for passage before the end of the fiscal year on June 30^th. 

Last year the budget was passed on time but it was not in print for 24 hours before it was passed.  Basically only conference committee members knew what was in the final budget.

“It is time for new leaders in the Senate who have the determination to clean up the political gamesmanship and create more transparency in the process,” said Martinez.

Last month Martinez endorsed an integrity plan that calls for ending the legislative exemption from the public records law and the open meeting law.  She also supports requiring bills to be in print for 24 hours before passage.

Sandi Martinez is in her second term as the Republican State Committeewoman for Massachusetts Third Middlesex Senatorial District, which is comprised of nine communities:  Waltham, Chelmsford, Concord, Bedford, Sudbury (precincts 1, 4 and 5), Weston, Carlisle, Lincoln, and Lexington (precincts 3, 8, and 9)

She has also served on many boards and committees, including seven years as a Chelmsford Town Meeting Member, eleven years on Chelmsford Youth Soccer Board, is currently in her 16^th year on the Chelmsford Republican Town Committee, is a Blue Star Mother (BSM) , as well as the BSM Representative to the Bedford VA Hospital.

Martinez founded her own IT Consulting Company, providing consulting and contract services for IBM Mainframe customers, installing, tuning and troubleshooting operating systems and program products.  She lives in Chelmsford with Lou, her husband of 30 years, and they have four grown children, three of whom are serving or have served in the military – 2 active duty Marine sons, and a daughter who spent eight years in the Air Force.  Their youngest daughter is currently working as a researcher at the Jocelyn Diabetes Center, in Boston.

For more information on Sandi’s candidacy, voters can visit her website at www.SandiMartinez.com or call the HQ at 978-256-5513.