Christopher Martino, a microcomputer specialist, is second vice president of the Saratoga-Adirondack BOCES Employees Association and a member of the NYSUT SRP Advisory Committee. He was interviewed by Cindy Goodsell, SABEA secretary.
Tell me about your job and why you love what you do.
I’ve been doing IT work for over 30 years. My primary duties are to support the clients at whatever center I am at, which can be assisting with any issues with smartboards, PCs, laptops, software, hardware and anything in between — pretty much anything associated with technology.
I always had a passion for fixing computers and helping people. Helping the teachers with a problem in the middle of their lesson and seeing the smiles on their faces when it’s fixed makes me happy. Knowing I helped someone remedy their problem is why I love my job.
How did you get involved in the union?
My dad was very involved in his union on the Long Island Railroad back in the ’60s and ’70s. My brother followed his footsteps.
After moving up to Warrensburg and, later, to Queensbury, there were not many opportunities for me to join a union. When I finally got hired by Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES, I jumped at the chance to join our union and never looked back.
I was approached by the president at the time to see if I wanted to be a building rep, so I accepted.
After about a year I was elected to second vice president and am currently serving my third term. I am on the Local Action Project team. I also am on the Next Gen Committee, an ED 10 Delegate, and just got appointed to the NYSUT SRP Advisory Board.
Do you have any hobbies?
My main hobby is my gaming computer. I also have been playing Dungeons and Dragons since 1980 and love getting together with my friends every Tuesday night to play. I have quite the collection of records and tapes, as well as fantasy novels and comic books. My favorite author is R.A. Salvatore — I have every book he has written.