Freeport Deputy Mayor honored for Community Leadership

Freeport Deputy Mayor Jorge Martinez received the Community Leadership Award last week at the 14th Annual Smart Growth Awards celebration hosted by Vision Long Island. The Community Leadership Award is given to an individual who “knows how to lead by example and has the capacity to translate vision into reality,” Trudy Fitzsimmons, co-chair of the Smart Growth Awards and a Board director for Vision Long Island said.

Martinez, whose family is from Cuba, has lived in Freeport for over 30 years. He was elected to the Village Board of Trustees in 2007 as the Village’s first Hispanic trustee. He has also been chairman of the Village Zoning Board, chairman of the Sanitation Board and a commissioner on the Human Relations Board.

Martinez, a businessman, was compliance officer and director of Business Development for American Transit Insurance Company and is presently the president of BCM Solutions. Martinez is described as a “successful Freeport business owner,” by Vision Long Island, who served as president of the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce [LIHCC] and vice president of the Freeport Hispanic Association. During his time as president, LIHCC received a $500,000 state grant to start a business incubator program.

It is this kind of innovative thinking that led Martinez to work on North Main Street Revitalization Project by encouraging businesses to settle in this area of Freeport. This project is part of the North Main Street Corridor Master Plan that is looking to renovate infrastructure and beautify this section of Freeport.

In addition to his commitment to his position with the Village and the success of his business, Martinez has served as a coach in the Freeport PAL Sports League and Freeport Little League and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of Nassau County and Vision Long Island.