Martha Robertson (Democratic, Protecting Dryden)
RELEVANT PERSONAL INFORMATION: I have broad and varied experience in the community and in county government, which helps me understand the challenges facing our community and know how to get things done.
I grew up working in my family’s business, a small retail nursery and flower shop. Over my career I’ve been a teacher, a small business owner, and a fundraiser for community nonprofits and Cornell. A resident of TompkinsCounty for 30 years and a homeowner in Dryden for 25 of those years, I’m married with two children and two grandchildren.
I’m completing my 12th year on the Tompkins County Legislature and my 4th year as its Chairperson, elected with bipartisan support each year. I represent the county on the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council and chair the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA). I’ve also served on the boards of the Chamber of Commerce, Tompkins County Area Development, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board, Human Services Coalition, Housing Fund, OAR, Family Court Advisory Council, and others. Outside my county work, I’ve volunteered with the Sciencenter, AIDSWork, CommunityDisputeResolutionCenter, and the public schools.
During the years I’ve been on the IDA, we’ve brought $453 million of new investments, 1.5 million square feet of new construction, and more than 700 permanent, quality jobs into the county. The average non-management wage for those jobs has been more than $17/hour. During the years I’ve been on the Legislature, the county’s job creation rate has been three times higher than the state’s average and we’ve had consistently among the lowest unemployment rates in the state.
I got involved in local politics and county government about 13 years ago when the county was considering building a major new road that would have gone from the Shops at Ithaca Mall to Rt. 79. The road would have promoted traffic to the mall at the expense of downtown businesses, as well as damaged sensitive environmental areas and neighborhoods in Dryden. I organized a community group that pushed the idea of enhanced transit to solve the traffic problems without building a new road, while maintaining the interests of local businesses. We got more than 500 signatures on a petition and the county heard us: the road was not built.
Following this successful grassroots organizing effort, local leaders asked me to run for the CountyLegislature. In 2001 I ousted an incumbent and won the seat, becoming the first woman and the first Democrat to be elected to represent the western half of the Town of Dryden.
WHY ARE YOU RUNNING FOR OFFICE?:  It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve Dryden for the last 12 years, and I am running to continue to serve our town and the county. My experience and knowledge of the issues and the community are an asset as we continue to push for improvement in our economy and for greater efficiency in county government. We’ve made great progress on major issues during my years in office, but many challenges remain and I want to continue to work on them.
As a legislator, one of the issues I’ve pushed most has been affordable housing, which is critical for families striving to enter and stay in the middle class. Under direction of the committees I have chaired, TompkinsCounty documented the dire shortage of affordable housing, and as a result attracted private and nonprofit developers who have been working to fill the need. We established a partnership with CornellUniversity and the City of Ithaca, creating the Housing Fund to support affordable housing projects. We now have an incredible boom in construction in the county – $150 million in residential development in the works – growing the tax base and helping families thrive in the region.
I’ve also focused on community justice issues, being a strong advocate for Alternatives to Incarceration and casting a tie-breaking vote against building a new jail that would have cost more than $20 million.
Environmental issues have also been a priority for me. Representing the strong values of my legislative district, I’ve been active on the issue of hydrofracking. I co-founded Elected Officials to Protect New York, a bipartisan group of more than 800 local elected officials from every county in the state. EOPNY calls for extension of the state’s moratorium pending important studies that still have not been done.
I have a bright vision for our town and county. There’s so much potential here, for a high quality of life in a community that is growing jobs and creating opportunities for our children. I am eager to continue serving Dryden – to maximize that potential – in the years ahead.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO TACKLE IN THE POSITION YOU ARE SEEKING?:TompkinsCounty government is in strong fiscal shape. We weathered the 2008-09 recession with a balanced approach and have been rated by the NYS Comptroller as tied for the third least fiscally-challenged county in the state. Our spending per capita – the bottom-line number that shows the results of our balanced approach – is 49th lowest among the state’s 57 counties. We have an AA1 bond rating; in the state, only Orange and Westchester counties have better ratings.
However, we continue to be at the mercy of New YorkState government, through unfunded mandates, pension costs, and health care costs over which we have no control. Managing taxpayer dollars wisely, within the constraints demanded by the state, continues to be the single biggest challenge county government faces.
Although I have strong principles, I am a pragmatist and look for allies wherever possible, to get things done for the people of Dryden and the county. I look forward to continuing my service on the county legislature and ask for voters to show their confidence in my record when they go to the polls on November 5.

Amy Scott-Foster (Republican, Conservative, Independence)
RELEVANT PERSONAL INFORMATION:  I am a lifelong TompkinsCounty resident who has lived in District 13 for the past four years.  I was recently married in July, my husband and I have been together for three years.  I currently work for a local auto dealer.  I race cars for a hobby, which I have done since I was eight years old.  I attended Dryden Schools, then went to TC3, as well as IthacaCollege.  I have obtained degrees from both universities.  I am not a professional politician but an average citizen.
WHY ARE YOU RUNNING FOR OFFICE?:  I am running for legislature because I believe there are important changes that need to be made for the people of  this county.  I am running to help bring high paying jobs and businesses here.  I also am running because I believe our CountyLegislature needs to focus on issues that are important to the people of Dryden and Tompkins county, as opposed to state/federal/international matters.  We need to focus on making things better here, where we live.  I also believe that county government needs to reduce spending.  Then, in turn, we must reduce taxes on the citizens and businesses of the county.  I want to give the people of Dryden a committed county representative with full constituent service.  My opponent spends time lobbying in Albany for her favorite causes and seeking higher office.  She is already running for Congress in 2014, planning, if successful to leave the Legislature in one year, requiring a costly special election.  The people of Dryden deserve better.  I am committed to serve the full four year term, my opponent is not.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO TACKLE IN THE POSITION YOU ARE SEEKING?: The biggest challenge we face is our income split and our poverty level.  Currently our poverty level here in TompkinsCounty is about 23%, yet the U.S. average poverty rate is about 15%.  We have under employment, we lack sufficient high paying and satisfying jobs for the people of Dryden and our county.  NY State is ranked last in the nation for business climate.  We have a very high tax rate for both residents and businesses here in TompkinsCounty and too many regulations.  This keeps businesses with high paying jobs out of our county for the most part.  Teachers and students lack resources for schools, hurting our kids.  The result, on my opponent’s watch, is that while she plays with statistics to claim unemployment is low and spends taxpayer money freely on desks and government space, too many people do not have enough to eat for themselves or their children.  Many people are struggling to make ends meet.
My opponent, representing Dryden, and on Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD), steers new property tax sources away from Dryden to the City of  Ithaca.  She wants to bring in low paying hospitality jobs. These are mostly low paying often part time jobs that will neither lower the poverty level nor enhance the quality of life of the residents of Dryden and TompkinsCounty.  If we reduce taxes on both businesses as well as citizens, this will help in two ways: 1) it will allow people to keep more of the money that they have earned (producing an increase in sales tax revenue as a result of people having more disposable income) and 2) it will also help reduce the number of people at or below the poverty level here in Tompkins County.  Reducing taxes and regulation for businesses will help attract new businesses to  Dryden and TompkinsCounty.  As a legislator I will focus on bringing in high paying jobs, such as those in high tech, biological sciences, and advanced agriculture that are also consistent with the character of our communities.  Reducing the poverty level here in TompkinsCounty will increase the quality of life for everyone.