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VOL. 34 NO. 7
FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2025
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BID reflects on year of growth Showcasing achievements and future plans for city businesses By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com
Courtesy Gill Associates Photography
Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck and BID Executive Director Jill Nossa, second from left, swore in new board members Christopher Strother, Danielle Fugazy Scagliola, Angelo DiMaggio, Donna McNaughton, Fred Guarino, Lou-Ann Thompson, Alvin Batista, Ann Fangmann and Anthony Perfetti.
From dazzling summer concerts to vibrant murals and bustling new businesses, downtown Glen Cove has been buzzing with energy — and much of that success can be traced to the Glen Cove Downtown Business Improvement District. On Feb. 6, BID members, business owners and city officials gathered at Otherside Wine Bar, on Glen Street, for the organization’s annual meeting, at which they celebrated a year of achievements and outlined ambitious plans for 2025. The evening’s presentation highlighted BID-led events that brought thousands of people downtown, showcased beautification efforts that transformed public spaces, and underscored the downtown’s growing economic momentum. “The BID serves as the liaison between its shareCONTINUED ON PAGE 18
From Glen Cove to Albany: Martinez is a trailblazer By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com
Stevens Martinez has come a long way from his days as a high school student in Glen Cove, navigating personal challenges and charting an unexpected course to public service. Today he serves as deputy director for intergovernmental affairs on Long Island for Gov. Kathy Hochul, acting as the administration’s liaison to the region. Martinez, 27, describes himself as the governor’s “ambassador” to Long Island, overseeing three regional representatives — one in Nassau County
and two in Suffolk — who identify community concerns and help craft solutions at the state level. Before his promotion in 2023, he was Nassau County’s regional representative, responsible for maintaining relationships with elected officials and stakeholders, and for promoting Hochul’s agenda while relaying local feedback to Albany. “The best way I describe my job to people is to think of it like the U.S. embassy system,” Martinez said. “Embassies represent our interests abroad, and also provide real-time insight to policymakers in Washington. That’s what I do here on Long Island. We serve as the eyes and
ears for the governor.” His deep-rooted connection to the region is crucial to his work. Born in Glen Cove Hospital, Martinez has lived in the city his entire life. His parents, originally from El Salvador, fled the country’s brutal civil war in the late 1980s and built a life in Glen Cove, which has long been a hub of immigrant communities. “Glen Cove has always had this draw for immigrants, whether it was the Italian and Irish communities of the past or the Hispanic community today,” Martinez said. “My parents came here with nothing, worked hard and raised us
here.” At Glen Cove High School, Martinez was an active and ambitious leader. He served as class treasurer and president of the school’s DECA business club, and was the first male cheerleader. He was named Homecoming king as a senior. But his journey through high school was not without its
challenges. “I was that kid who spoke up in class but didn’t do his homework,” he recalled. “I struggled a lot, academically and personally. But everything changed when I came out as gay during my sophomore year.” Coming to terms with his identity gave Martinez a newfound sense of purpose and CONTINUED ON PAGE 6