Meet The Candidate: Martucci For State Senate, District 42

WAWAYANDA, NY — The races for which voters will cast ballots in the general election in November have been set. One of the contested races is for state Senate District 42. Patch asked the candidates in the race to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day nears.

Michael R. Martucci, 35, is running to represent the 42nd State Senate District. His opponent is incumbent Sen. Jen Metzger.

Martucci, who lives in Wawayanda, is an entrepreneur and family farmer. He is married with three children.

He has a master of business administration from Marist College.

Senate District 42 is comprised of parts of Orange, Sullivan, Ulster and Delaware counties.

Why are you seeking elective office?

The voters of the 42nd State Senate District deserve a senator that will represent their needs and values. My opponent is beholden to the New York City interests that dominate Albany. The needs of New Yorkers vary by location throughout the state but the laws and policies that come out of Albany do little to nothing to improve the economy outside of New York City. New York is losing close to 250 people a day to states with lower taxes, greater opportunity and better quality of life. Millennials leave after college to seek good paying jobs, and seniors are fleeing oppressive taxes and a high cost of living that makes remaining in their homes impossible for many. New York’s dysfunctional government is tearing families apart. My purpose is to put families first and restore the Empire State to its former glory and prominence.

The single most pressing issue facing our community, and what I intend to do about it.

In order to have safe, strong and vibrant communities families must feel safe in their homes, on the playground, while walking their neighborhood streets and when patronizing local businesses. Unfortunately the dangerous anti-police policies coming out of Albany have people living in fear of violent crime. Thanks to bail elimination championed by my opponent violent criminals are put right back onto the streets where they can prey on their victims yet again. Locally, we’ve seen several violent incidents including a woman who was brutally attacked by a man who had just been released following an arrest for an earlier attack on the victim. When elected I will lead the charge to repeal dangerous bail elimination laws as well as fight to ensure law enforcement agencies receive the funding needed to protect our families and communities.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidate seeking this post?

I was born and raised in the district with the values of the hard-working farmers that built these communities and made them thrive. I started my career as an entrepreneur and built a successful business that employed more than 550 of my neighbors and transported thousands of children to school and home safely each day. Watching these children grow and become the future leaders of our communities is the most rewarding experience I can imagine.

My family runs one of the countless small family farms that can be found in every corner of the district. While my opponent may be the Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Metzger has no idea what it is to work the land to feed both your own family and the families of your fellow New Yorkers. I’m from the Hudson Valley and understand the needs of the district’s residents. My opponent is from Brooklyn and to this day is beholden to New York City politics.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

My opponent was the architect for New York’s dangerous and failed bail elimination law that allows victims to be victimized yet again and made the streets of our cities lawless. My opponent turned her back on law enforcement and for this reason nearly 30 law enforcement unions from across the state, representing more than 200,000 officers, are backing my candidacy over the incumbent.

Senator Metzger has supported the frivolous waste of taxpayer dollars at a time when New York has an out of control budget gap. Senator Metzger voted for $420 million in Hollywood corporate welfare and $100 million in public campaign financing for incumbents such as herself.

Senator Metzger has voted for budgets that overwhelmingly favor New York City infrastructure projects while Upstate crumbles, a poor return on investment for the voters of the 42nd Senate District. Time and time again, Senator Metzger has represented the interests of New York City elites over the people of the Hudson Valley.

Lastly, given the importance of agriculture within the district, Senator Metzger — as Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee — pushed ruinous farmworkers legislation that is crippling farms financially and may force them into bankruptcy.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

First and foremost, my campaign is about putting families first. It is imperative that New York state government adopt policies that strengthen families as the family is the bedrock of civilization. We need to make education accessible and affordable, from a quality elementary and secondary education to opportunities to attend one of our remarkable SUNY schools or trade schools. New York suffers from a skills gap which is why the state has trouble attracting employers. We must make New York state attractive for the employers offering the jobs of the future. This will go a long way toward retaining our youth once they finish school and encourage them to lay down their roots here.

We need to lower taxes to lower the cost of living and allow families to invest and save for the future, to buy homes instead of rent, and we need to eliminate property taxes for New Yorkers 60 years or older who make less than $100,000 a year so they can remain in their homes and keep generations of families together in our great state.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Most people know me as the “School Bus Guy” for the decade I spent growing my former company, Quality Bus Service, from a single bus with my grandmother by my side to a company with 550 employees, 350 buses and a tremendous safety record that led every district that contracted with us to renew their contract time and time again.

During this time I also had the honor of serving as the president of the New York School Bus Contractors Association. In that time I worked with Republicans and Democrats in Albany to pass legislation on school bus safety that I was proud to see Governor Cuomo sign into law.

Since selling my business I’ve been working to improve the lives of my neighbors, believing that my good fortune should be paid forward. To this end, my wife and I founded the Mike & Erin Martucci Family Foundation to protect vulnerable populations — especially women and children — invest in educational opportunities for local students, support farmers who are the lifeblood of our communities, create jobs and protect the environment and open spaces.

I have also been fortunate to have the opportunity to serve as the vice president of the SUNY Orange Foundation. As a graduate of one of New York’s exceptional community colleges I have a personal appreciation for the value of affordable higher education that should be available to every New Yorker, not just the privileged who attend elite private colleges.

The best advice ever shared with me was …

Invest in others as you would invest in yourself. I was fortunate to have a supportive family that encouraged me to pursue my dreams and never give up. Realizing that not everyone had that encouragement or support, I made sure that my employees always looked at Quality Bus Service as an extended family and a place of opportunity. I never wanted my company to be the type of workplace where people dreaded going each day, and when at work were simply going through the motions to earn a paycheck to support their family. I wanted my employees to be excited to come to work because they knew that as they played a role in the company growing, that the company would play a role in their personal growth.

After owning and running Quality Bus Service for a decade I decided to sell it and take my experience and success and share it with my neighbors. My wife Erin and I created our family foundation to continue this investment in people; funding educational opportunities, supporting farmers, and protecting the most vulnerable in our society — especially women and children. It is my deepest belief that there is much that government can do to improve people’s lives, which is why I am running for the state senate, but the greatest impact comes from neighbors helping neighbors.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I believe in the power of people whereas my opponent believes in the power of government. I have no desire to be a career politician. Our nation has taken a terrible path in the sense that governing has become a way of life for many. Lifetime bureaucrats and politicians lose sight of the people they are supposed to serve and represent and end up self-serving and representing special interests instead.

We need officials in Albany that know what it is like to struggle to build a business in the horrendous climate that Albany has created with burdensome regulations and high taxes. We need officials that have had to worry about signing the front of a paycheck, not just the back of one. We need officials that have worked the land, or in a factory, and know how hard the average New Yorker toils to support their family — not a political insider that makes the rounds of the New York City cocktail circuit and represents the interests of the wealthy and famous.

The voters of the 42nd District need a Hudson Valley native to represent their interests in Albany. New York City already has the loudest voice in the Capitol, we don’t need local officials to join that chorus and drown out the needs of our neighbors.

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