Join author and representative Adrienne Martini as she shares her experiences of running for office and discusses her book "Somebody's Gotta Do It: Why Cursing at the News Won't Save the Nation, But Your Name on a Local Ballot Can."

State and local systems touch our lives every day. Which is what Adrienne Martini learned when she ran for (and won) a seat on her small New York State county’s board of representatives in 2017. Just as she was getting the hang of the job, the pandemic happened. Then the economic collapse. Then the murder of George Floyd. And we learned all over again how much we can change if we focus on the elected offices in our own backyards.

Martini is the current representative for District 12 to the Otsego County Board of Representatives. She’s also an award-winning journalist who’s written for Cooking Light and the Washington Post, among other publications, and the author of "Hillbilly Gothic" and "Sweater Quest." When not wearing her county government hat, she works for SUNY Oneonta in the alumni office. She lives in Oneonta, New York, with her husband, two kids, two cats, and one corgi.

Author Adrienne Martini on "Somebody's Gotta Do It"