Public service was Scott Martella’s thing.
People simply gravitated toward him. He was smart, charming — and if you forgot to mention it, he’d flash a mischievous grin and remind you to add ‘handsome’ to the list, too. He was well on his way to becoming tomorrow’s go-to guy.
His conversations and emails always included one simple question: ‘How can I help?’ It was a sentence that came from his soul.
He was well on his way of living his fairy tale
At 29, he was often the youngest person in the room. He perceived that to be a weakness, and made up for it by over preparing. (First time I met him, he knew more about me than I cared to remember.)
He was laser focused on building a life in public service. He was doing everything he was supposed to be doing, and in the proper order, to boot: He filled his days connecting with disparate groups in an attempt to find the kind of common ground people twice his age had given up on long ago; working on an advanced degree from Columbia, and being available 24/7 in an attempt to make his boss proud.
Somehow, he worked in time to run a few marathons a year and serve as a board member for Long Island Cares.
At the back of his mind, he was already envisioning marriage to his high school sweetheart. He would worry about how he’d support a family on a public servant’s salary, and wonder what more he should be doing to turn his plan into reality. He liked to overthink things with an $18 glass of Scotch.
During his entire presentation of how he planned to earn the right of becoming a leader on Long Island, his youth only raised his hand once. That was to ask why everything was moving so damn slow when there was so much living to do.
Public service wasn’t simply his passion. It was his mission, and it lit him up from the inside out.
He hoped to be a town supervisor someday, because, as he put it, “that’s where all the action is” in actually helping people. In the meantime, representing the people of Suffolk County for the Governor’s office was a dream come true.
Somewhere during that time, he realized he needed experience in the area of communications, and that’s when he came knocking on the Fair Media Council’s door. His questions ranged from the ins and outs of communications fundamentals to wanting the Cliff’s Notes’ version of how to deal with media coverage that, at times, pounded away mercilessly at his boss in Albany.
He took these things personally, but he was competitive minded and, ultimately, wanted to know how to win at the game of public perception.
He gave of his time to moderate panel discussions at FMC events and worked the room like a pro. He may have, in fact, been the youngest person to ever judge FMC’s Folio Awards. Whatever the assignment, he threw himself into it, driven by a work ethic he credited to his parents.
When he landed as communications director for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, it was reason to smile. He had manifested the job for himself.
Scott Martella didn’t simply love Long Island; he coveted it. It was his home, and he was proud to call it his home. That’s an element that’s been missing around here for a very long time, and it made him a beacon in a sea of darkness.
At 29, he was already anointed an heir apparent on the political scene. He was well on his way of living his fairy tale, and everyone around him wanted to help him achieve it. The dream job, the beautiful wife, 2.5 kids and one picket fence — well, you get the idea.
Yet, on Aug. 21, destiny suddenly changed course. In an accident so tragic, time had to stop for a moment to catch its breath. Everyone of us did the same thing. And now, the numbness continues, as do the questions.
Perhaps a part of him knew his time on Earth was limited, and that’s what pushed him to accomplish so much, so soon. He wanted nothing more than to bring people together. In life and in death, he achieved his goal.
People mourn in different ways. Some turn out to find strength in others. Some seek solitude in an attempt to find peace. Still others put pen to paper.
Tributes are beginning to come together, to keep Scott’s spirit alive. Thus far, you can make a donation to help his family. You can leave a memory here.
The Fair Media Council extends sincere condolences to the friends and family of Scott Martella, his coworkers in the Suffolk County Executive’s office, and his former coworkers in the Office of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo.