PRIORITIES
“As a four-term elected official, I know how important it is that we elect folks who are experienced, practical, and effective. On the Otsego County Board of Representatives, I work across the aisle to deliver for the people of the county. We need a representative in Albany who will do the same: someone who will do what it takes to get the job done on our behalf - regardless of which party is in power.” - Adrienne Martini
SOME OF ADRIENNE'S PRIORITIES
Upstate Economy
As a County Representative, I know how important it is that we make smart investments in our local communities, support our local businesses, and encourage new businesses to come to our areas. We do that by making sure our communities have what businesses need to thrive; reliable broadband, vocational training programs, and communities where workers can afford to live, go to school and raise a family, as well as a tax structure where big multinational corporations and investment speculators pay their fair share so that small and mid-sized businesses and farms aren't carrying the load of the burden. Upstate New York deserves good paying jobs, local economies that can support and sustain our local farmers, and the infrastructure to help us grow. In the State Assembly, this will be a top priority of mine.
Rural Communities
I love living in upstate New York. It's a place of great natural beauty, a strong sense of community, and a wonderful place to raise a family. I want to make sure that we maintain what makes our area so appealing without compromising the opportunities we can provide. There is so much opportunity here to provide more and better vocational training so businesses want to come here, become a very profitable renewable energy hub for the state without infringing on our farmland, and continue to be an educational powerhouse that attracts young people here to pursue college degrees. In the Assembly, I will be a great advocate for investing in our communities while protecting what makes us so unique.
Broadband and Cell Service
The broadband situation has improved for some of our communities, but not enough. Broadband and cell service have become basic necessities for businesses, farms, and education, and as we've seen so clearly during the pandemic, too many communities are struggling without either. In the Assembly, I will support legislation that provides for municipal broadband, has incentive clawbacks for companies that don't fulfill their obligations to our communities, and stop letting big corporations cherry-pick their customers and then overcharge them. And, I will hold cell providers accountable to providing better, more comprehensive service because we know that in our rural communities and on our rural roads, adequate cell service can be a matter of life and death.
Healthcare and Mental Health
As the Chair of the Human Services Committee in the Otsego County Legislature, and a member of the Mental Health and Public Health Committee on the New York State Association of Counties, I am committed to insuring that all New Yorkers have access to quality, affordable and comprehensive health and mental health services. In New York as in the rest of the country, we pay too much for our healthcare and prescription medications - and we don't get better outcomes than places that pay less. In fact, we get worse. We need to and can change that with legislation that brings the focus of healthcare back to health and away from big corporate profits.
We also need to make public health decisions more transparent and understandable so that people know that they are part of a process that is there to help keep our communities healthy and safe.
Transparency
As a County Legislator, I have worked hard to make local government more transparent and understandable to the people it serves. I even wrote a book about it! That's because I believe we need to focus on the public in public service, and make sure that we are creating programs and making decisions that are easy to navigate and easy to understand.
Environment
Clean water, healthy soil, pristine lakes, and beautiful open spaces are some of our greatest resources. It's important that we steward and protect them. As a legislator, I will work to help our farms afford and implement sustainable practices, and hold big corporate polluters responsible.
I will also work to make sure that as our state transitions to renewable energy, our communities have control over the siting of these projects and benefit from them economically. I will fight against any deals that try to take advantage of our communities and make sure that we are always treated like the important partners we are.