Marty Golden

Martin Golden
File:Golden-HS-021.jpg Martin Golden
Member of the New York State Senate from the 22nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2003
Preceded by	Seymour P. Lachman
Member of the New York City Council from the 43rd District
In office January 1, 1998 – December 31, 2002
Preceded by	Sal F. Albanese
Succeeded by	Vincent J. Gentile
Personal details
Born	(1950-09-22) September 22, 1950 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Residence	Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Alma mater	St. John's University
Occupation	State Senator
Signature
Website	www.golden.nysenate.gov

Martin J. Golden (born September 22, 1950) is an American politician from Brooklyn, New York, one of the five boroughs of New York City. A Republican, Golden has represented District 22 in the New York State Senate since 2003. He is a former member of the New York City Council.

Early life, family, and early career

Golden is the oldest of eight children born to Irish immigrants who settled in Bay Ridge. Golden attended St. Patrick's and Our Lady of Angels Grammar Schools, New York School of Printing, and John Jay College. He holds an associate degree from St. John's University. Golden and his wife, Colleen, have two children, Michael and P.J.

Golden is a retired New York City police officer. He received 49 commendations during his seven years as an officer in the New York City Police Department. He served from 1973 until 1976 in the 67th Precinct, whereupon he was laid off due to the fiscal crisis. He was rehired in 1978. In 1978, Golden faced an Internal Affairs Investigation and a disciplinary proceeding for losing his service weapon, which he claimed was a result of his mother discarding the firearm along with an old train set while he was away "on a vacation cruise". In 1981, while witnessing a suspected drug deal, Golden gave chase and was struck by a car. He suffered a broken arm and irreversible damage to his legs. Golden was medically forced to retire by the Police Department in 1983 and was granted a three-quarters disability pension.

Political career

From 1998 through 2002, Golden represented the 43rd Council District in the New York City Council. Golden was first elected to represent Brooklyn's 22nd Senate District in 2002. The 22nd State Senate District includes the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach, and parts of Sheepshead Bay, Borough Park and Midwood.

In 2011, Golden voted against legalizing same-sex marriage in New York, stating that he considered it to be a "destruction of the sacrament of marriage."

Following the murder of NYPD Officer Randolph Holder in 2015, Senator Golden wrote legislation that would prevent anyone with two or more felony convictions from entering a drug treatment program as an alternative to imprisonment. Tyrone Howard, the killer of Officer Holder, had a long history of arrests but was still allowed into a diversion program in early 2015. The bill passed the Senate in 2017.

In 2013, Golden was a vocal opponent of traffic enforcement cameras. In 2017 he referred plans to expand the number of speed cameras near public schools in New York City as "non-starters". While in May 2018, he stated support for legislation that would double the number of speed cameras in New York City, this concession came only after Republican members of the State Senate worked to reduce the number of speed cameras from the proposed 750 to just 290. In July 2018, Golden called for the State Senate to return to Albany to pass legislation that would continue to keep speed cameras functioning near New York City schools.

In January 2017, Senator Golden co-sponsored Senate Bill S362, which would establish a prohibition on the imposition of any tax, fee or local charge on carry out merchandise bags in cities having a population of one million or more.

In June 2017, approximately 150 protesters rallied outside Golden's office in support of the New York Health Act, an act to establish a single-payer healthcare system in New York. Golden and his staff reportedly declined the protesters' request for him to hold a healthcare townhall.

Martin Golden protests the proposed site of a hotel in March of 2018.

Golden has been a vocal opponent of a proposed hotel that sits directly across from a P.S. 104 in Bay Ridge. Golden stated, "We don't want to put a hotel where we so desperately need classrooms." Since March 2018, Golden has attended three protests at the vacant lot. Golden started a petition online to help garner more support for the protest of the proposed hotel.

Controversies

On August 6, 2005, Golden struck a 74-year-old woman with his SUV while she attempted to cross the street against the light. Golden provided help to the woman and witnesses said he "was visibly shaken by the accident" and that night "went to the hospital to check on her condition." The NYPD determined Golden was not at fault and no charges were filed. The woman died six months later, and Golden paid her family a $750,000 settlement over a negligence and recklessness lawsuit.

In 2011, the New York Daily News reported that Golden spent just under $40,000 of his campaign money at the Bay Ridge Manor, a catering hall in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, that is owned by Golden's brother. Golden is the former owner of this business, but sold it to his brother in 2002. The Senator, however, still owns the building that houses the business. He receives rent from his brother for the Bay Ridge Manor and continued to receive money from the sale of the business for at least a decade. An investigation revealed that, since Golden became Senator in 2002, he had paid $355,000 in campaign money to the Bay Ridge Manor, which both he and his brother benefit from. Golden denied nepotism, but was criticized by Michael Murphy, Susan Lerner, and other politicians for this action. In 2014, Golden's campaign finances were the subject of an investigation by then-U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. The Albany Times Union reported, in December 2017, that Golden had spent more than $797,000 in campaign funds at the Bay Ridge Manor.

In 2012, Golden advertised an etiquette class for women to help them be successful in the workplace that included strategies such as "walking up and down stairs elegantly" and "sitting, standing, and walking like a model." This event, which was taxpayer-funded, was heavily criticized, and Golden eventually cancelled it.

In July 2015, Senator Golden made a controversial joke on his Facebook page regarding marijuana and same-sex marriage, stating "It all makes sense now. Gay marriage and marijuana being legalized on the same day. Leviticus 20:13 – 'if a man lays with another man he should be stoned.' We've just been interpreting it wrong all these years," Golden has since deleted this comment.

In February 2017, Golden falsely claimed that the 9/11 hijackers originated from Bay Ridge, which is a neighborhood he represents, in defense of Trump's Muslim Ban. He claimed: "A number of them that drove the planes into the — 9-11 — into the building at World Trade Center that killed 3,000 Americans — are you ready for this? They were in this community, they lived here in Bay Ridge, they were visiting in this community". His spokesman, John Quaglione, later claimed that Golden had "misspoken."

In June 2017, while endorsing his staffer, John Quaglione, in a local City Council race, Golden was overheard referring derisively to one of Quaglione's Democratic challengers as "Fat Boy" in front of reporters, warning a reporter present who had taken note of the gaffe not to print it or "[she] would never have a sit-down with [him] again."

In December 2017, a bicyclist alleged that Golden, while a passenger in a vehicle that was driving illegally in the bicycle lane, impersonated a police officer and threatened to arrest him if he did not yield to Golden's vehicle. The New York Post reported that Golden's car's plate number was associated with "more than 30 traffic violations over the last four years."

Following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018, Golden fired a staffer named Anthony Testaverde who had shared Twitter posts comparing activist David Hogg to Hitler and Nazi Youth.

External links

• Senator Marty Golden Official website.
• New York State Senate: Martin J. Golden