Jack Martins for New York State Senate 7th District

The power of incumbency for an elected official is strong when it is based on experience — a deep understanding of how to extract results from the messy process of governing. That’s the calling card of Republican incumbent Jack M. Martins, the mayor of Mineola for eight years and a state senator for five years before leaving the seat in a losing bid for Congress in a 2016 race against Tom Suozzi. Martins defeated Anna Kaplan in 2022 to return to Albany.

Kim Keiserman, 53, a former social studies teacher, is making her first run for office. An established community organizer and the Democratic political leader in Port Washington, where she lives, Keiserman says the district will better benefit from a representative in the chamber’s majority.

The 7th District abuts New York City and many of its residents commute to it, which greatly elevates regional issues such as public transit funding, public safety, and aquifer protection. Keiserman said she would be a moderating force in the city-centric majority and pointed out that she declined the endorsement of the liberal Working Families Party. Martins, 57, of Old Westbury, says that without former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to blunt the progressive wing of his party, suburban needs and sensibilities have been ignored by Democrats.

Both candidates are opposed to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s plan to toll driving into Midtown Manhattan but differ on how to cover the $1 billion gap from the loss of that revenue. Keiserman wants to fund it with further MTA bonding; Martins counters that the transit agency already spends $3 billion in debt service and instead supports a closer look at trimming spending, and he questions whether all projects in the capital plan are sustainable. They agree on the need to expand the train yard at the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington station so more service can be offered.

Affordability is cited as the number one concern of residents, along with increased housing supply and better environmental stewardship, but the candidates different on how to reach those goals. Martins, whose tenure as Mineola mayor led to a sweeping transformation of its downtown with better access to the LIRR and more housing, says it is “absolutely” necessary to build more transit-oriented development and increase the tax base. He said the state can best accelerate this process by funding revitalization studies that could persuade communities of the benefits of targeted development. Keiserman said increasing housing was extremely important but could only suggest “stakeholder meetings” to” identify the obstacles.”

On addressing water quality, Martins said more state money should be tapped to build sewers and to find ways to incentivize homeowners to install new septic systems in North Shore areas where sewers are impractical.

Martins has a more specific list of ways to address flooding and rising water table concerns that include better maintenance of recharge basins which collect water overflow, more storm sewers, and the reexamination of building codes. Martins adds that he has met with local water officials to see whether inactive wells in Queens could be restarted to lower water tables in western Nassau. Martins also noted that, to assuage community concerns, he has been meeting with the firm installing new underground transmission cables to upgrade the region’s electrical grid capacity and building new substations to minimize disruptions.

Keiserman has a record of advocating for better water quality protection and would seek more money from Albany to remove nitrogen and other contaminants, while sponsoring a public information campaign about overwatering and overfertilization of lawns.

When it comes to the planned overhaul of how the state funds education, neither candidate wants funding decreased if enrollment declines but Martins has a specific list of ways to overhaul the process. He wants to recalibrate the portion funded by property taxes, arguing that the current formula based on home values overestimates what people can pay.

The thrust of Keiserman’s candidacy is that in the Democratic majority she would be suburban “loud and proud” in fighting the city-centric majority. Martins counters that making progress on issues important to the district is not party-based but rather incremental and based on building relationships and mastering the details of legislating. He’s the better bet.

Newsday’s editorial board endorses Martins.