Martha Robertson was elected in 2001 and reelected in 2005. She is Chair of the Public Safety Committee and has previously led the Health and Human Services Committee (2003-2005) and the Planning, Development and Environmental Quality Committee (2006-2008). In addition she chairs the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) and is the Legislature's representative on the Tompkins County Council of Governments. Martha is on the Public Safety Committee of the New York Association of Counties (NYSAC) and was very active in PushBack, which helped to win a statewide cap on the local share of Medicaid.

Martha’s legislative priorities include expanding housing choice and affordability in Tompkins County, so that people of all income levels can have a safe, stable place to live. She is deeply concerned about climate change and is proud that the county has added the “Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Element” to its Comprehensive Plan, to address the issue of energy and our carbon footprint. Martha is committed to strong, effective alternatives to incarceration to help people turn their lives around and build a safer, more just community.

A county resident for 26 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 one grandson.