Special election set for Martinez's legislative seat

Suffolk Democrats have decided to set Feb. 26 as the date for a special election to fill State Senator-elect Monica Martinez's 9th District county legislature seat.

Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory (D-Copiague) said a resolution is being drafted so it can be filed at the Suffolk Legislature’s organization meeting Jan. 2. Gregory said the resolution will be acted on at a special meeting of the ways and means committee Jan. 8, which will be followed immediately by a special meeting of the full legislature, in which Democrats have a 11-7 majority, to officially set the election date.

Martinez earlier this month won the open Senate seat previously held by Republican Tom Croci, who left that post earlier this year to rejoin the U.S. Navy.

Potential Democratic contenders include union leader Sammy Gonzalez Jr., who ran for Islip Town board last year; former deputy legislative clerk Renee Ortiz, now executive director of Suffolk Community College’s Center for Social Justice, and Rafaela Vasquez, a state Democratic committeewoman and fiancee of former Suffolk Legis. Rick Montano, who was ousted by Martinez in 2014.

William Garbarino, Islip GOP chairman, vowed to find a candidate to make the race in the largely minority district, but had no immediate names.