Martin looks to build bridges while re-electing Joe Biden

When social worker Abigail Martin ran for City Council in 2021, she was shocked by the low percentage of registered Democrats who voted in primaries. This led her to run for female leader of the 81st Assembly District the following year in an effort to energize the community and serve as liaison for the Democratic Party.

Now the incumbent district leader and political director at Eleanor’s Legacy seeks re-election in the upcoming June 25 primary against her opponent, director of the Infant and Toddler Center at SAR Academy, Emily Hausman.

“I have endless energy and enthusiasm for the work,” Martin told The Press. “I’m a bridge builder. I really love people, and I love our district.”

Martin said her proudest accomplishment during her term was helping to found the Unity Democratic Club, which sought to create an inclusive environment for all Democrats and saw several electeds join, including state senators Gustavo Rivera and Robert Jackson.

Other accomplishments included helping to elect U.S. Reps. Tom Suozzi and Pat Ryan, Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez and Gov. Kathy Hochul. Martin also helped run an annual holiday food and toy drive, ran forums on issues impacting the community and joined city retirees in their fight against the Medicare Advantage plan.

Moving forward, she said her top priority is the same as many Democrats in the city, get President Joe Biden re-elected. She also is focused on another item on the November ballot, the New York Equal Rights Amendment, which she described as groundbreaking legislation that will protect city residents rights and reproductive freedoms.

“The rest of the country is going to look to us in New York, if we can get this passed,” Martin said. “It’s a really exciting piece of legislation. It’s going to make it so that discrimination based on age, sex, pregnancy, disability is prohibited and it’s enshrining that into the (state) constitution. I think (it) is going to really drive turnout in November, which will in turn help Biden.”

Before moving to Riverdale in 2012, Martin grew up in Yarmouth, Maine. She later moved to New York to attend school for social work. She graduated from Skidmore College in 2003 with a bachelor of arts in psychology and business. She then graduated from Columbia University in 2006 with a masters of science in social work.

From 2006 to 2012, Martin ran the Court Appointed Special Advocates office in the Bronx Family Court, where she advocated for children in foster care. She also served as a forensic social worker from 2012 to 2015, assisting in child abuse investigations and monitoring therapeutic visitation for families.

During her 10 years in social work, Martin learned how various systems in the city operate, having helped young people apply for supportive housing and summer employment, gone to individualized education programming and attended 504 meetings with the education department. She has also served as an adjunct professor across several schools since 2012.

Martin is currently a field and academic advisor at Columbia University School of Social Work. She has volunteered for several Democratic campaigns, including those of Hillary Clinton, Sara Gideon and Stacey Abrams. It was when former president Donald Trump got elected in 2016 that Martin made a career pivot into politics.

“Prior to that, I was really focused on a micro level and helping the community as a social worker and advocating for individuals,” she said. “And then when Trump got elected, I realized I wanted to get involved in a more macro level and have a bigger impact.”

While she lost in her City Council bid to Eric Dinowitz, the following year Martin won her election for district leader against candidate Sara Liss by fewer than 1,900 votes.

Martin is currently running alongside fellow district leader candidate Ramdat Singh, state committee member incumbent Morgan Evers and candidate Aaron Stayman.

If re-elected, Martin said she will continue to help constituents get jobs, staff the Board of Elections and poll sites, and listen to what the community’s wants and needs are.

“I’m really pleased with my first term,” Martin said. “I think we’ve accomplished a lot and I want to continue that momentum through another term.”