Martha Robertson won her first election to the Legislature in 2001 and has been re-elected twice since then. In January 2010 she was elected Chair of the Legislature. In addition she chairs the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) and represents the Legislature in the Tompkins County Council of Governments. Martha has served as chair of the Public Safety Committee, the Health and Human Services Committee, and the Planning, Development and Environmental Quality Committee. She is on the Public Safety Committee of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC).

Martha's primary goal for 2010 is to deal effectively with the fiscal challenges facing the county, to help the community rebound quickly from the recession. She is concerned that gas drilling could transform our region and is working with residents and other municipal officials to protect our natural and human resources. Over the years Martha’s legislative priorities have included expanding housing choice and affordability in Tompkins County, climate change and local efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, and providing strong, effective alternatives to incarceration to build a safer, more just community. 

A county resident for 27 years, Martha has been very involved with the Sciencenter since 1988; she is currently a member of its Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative and the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Commerce.

Before joining the Tompkins County Legislature, Martha was Director of the President’s Council of Cornell Women, in Alumni Affairs at Cornell University. A Cornell graduate, she has been a teacher, a business owner, and a fundraiser for several not-for-profit organizations. Martha and her husband Steve have two children and two grandsons.