A legacy of service; Tioga County’s Legislative Chair retires

By Wendy Post —

As longtime legislator Martha Sauerbrey prepares to go to work one last time, she does so with great reflection on her life and her achievements in the county where she was born and raised, Tioga County. After serving on the county’s legislature for 20 years, 12 as Chair, she has decided to hang up her hat and let others take the reins.

Alongside her husband, Lew, who previously retired from IBM and then the Boys & Girls Club in Owego, she is ready for some travel and new adventures. She is also looking forward to staying involved in the community she calls home.

Born and raised in Nichols, New York, Sauerbrey graduated from Tioga Central High School in 1966, the school that recently saw another State Championship Football win – times five!

Of her alma mater, she said, “I was not surprised at all that they have had so many winning seasons; they have the spirit.”

During her high school years, Sauerbrey traveled to Holland and returned, and she continued her education part-time, studying at SUNY Empire. And, working all the while, she was able to earn her degree in Business Economics.

Her first taste of politics was while working for the late Senator Tom Libous; Sauerbrey was the Tioga County representative.

“I was his eyes and ears,” she stated of the service provided to the office of Senator Tom Libous.

One of the outreach efforts that Sauerbrey performed for Senator Libous was clipping newspaper articles of local interest and those that highlighted the efforts of individuals within the county. She would offer these to the senator, with Libous often sending out letters with the clippings to personally recognize individuals in the community.

Other times, Sauerbrey would attend events on behalf of Senator Libous that were taking place in Tioga County. Not only did she immerse herself in what was happening in the county, but she also found a path to her next journey with the Tioga County Chamber of Commerce, a position for which Sauerbrey was qualified and that she enjoyed for the next 15 years.

“It was the best job ever,” said Sauerbrey, exclaiming, “I loved Chamber work.”

Noting the highlights of that career, she specifically recalled the business shows, where business leaders would gather once a year to showcase their products and talk about how things are going for them in the county.

“We would fill both floors,” Sauerbrey added of the shows, which were held at that time at the former Treadway Inn Conference Center.

For the events, Sauerbrey was always working to make them beneficial for the participants as she worked alongside them to help them reach their business and networking goals.

And everything came full circle and led Sauerbrey back to serving her community at the political level. As time went on, she explained, she missed serving the public in government, so she took a run at the county’s legislature, a position she served in for 20 years, and 12 as Chairwoman.

And her years in the legislature presented challenges and were rewarding as well. Between the flooding in 2011 and the pandemic in 2020, Sauerbrey certainly had her work cut out; work that she tackled for her community and the businesses that support it. The most challenging, however, for Sauerbrey, was the flooding experienced in 2011 when Tropical Storm Lee inundated the area, shutting down businesses, displacing residents, and the lengthy recovery process.

“We had to work with all levels of government for this recovery,” said Sauerbrey, exclaiming, “It took the community.”

This sense of unity in the community kept Sauerbrey going, with one of the highlights of her career being the ribbon-cutting at the bridge leading into downtown Owego to celebrate “being open for business” following the flooding and its recovery.

Hundreds gathered at the bridge that day, including dignitaries, county workers, area residents, and business owners for a celebration of resilience.

Another key accomplishment noted by Sauerbrey was the work to keep taxes low.

“Along with the Legislature, we kept taxes low for 14 years and at or under the tax cap,” said Sauerbrey in a recent interview.

Sauerbrey can also reflect positively on her efforts to support veteran services and leadership development; she was the co-founder of Tioga Women Lead in 2015 and the co-founder of the Institute for Advancement.

Sauerbrey chaired a Shared Services Program, reorganized and reenergized the Anti-Drug Coalition, participated in the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, promoted security upgrades, served on the IDA Board, the New York State Association of Counties Board, and was elected to various leadership councils, further exemplifying her strength and commitment to local, regional, and state government.

In 2017, Sauerbrey was one of eight individuals named by the Binghamton Press as the region’s “Movers and Shakers” in 2017. What followed, however, was one of her biggest challenges: the COVID 19 pandemic. During this time, Sauerbrey was also challenged to implement the police reforms required by then-Governor Cuomo.

As time went on, Sauerbrey developed a County Administrator concept, which took several years to create and present, and then hired a County Administrator in July of 2024, Jackson Bailey II.

All of these things, including creating a succession plan and Interoperable Radio Communications upgrades across the county, are the things that Sauerbrey described as her biggest accomplishments as she prepares to enter another phase of her journey.

Earlier in the month, Sauerbrey was recognized by Tioga County with a proclamation presented by the Deputy Chair of the Tioga County Legislature, Tracy Monell.

The proclamation echoed Sauerbrey’s previously noted accomplishments and concluded, “She has been extremely dedicated and loyal in the performance of her duties and responsibilities over the past 20 years to the Tioga County Legislature.”

Moving forward in life, Sauerbrey plans to spend time with her family and continue her relationship with the community in a volunteer role. Coming from a family of musicians, the Strawberry Festival and other local music events are on Sauerbrey’s horizon. She explained the importance that music has played in her life.

Lew, Martha’s husband, has played the guitar for his entire life. Not falling too far from the tree, their son Chris is working in Nashville and plays the harmonica and drums as well. He currently works with Stone Senate, a powerhouse band that has graced stages around Owego throughout the years.

Their daughter, Rachel, lives in California and is involved in the entertainment industry. Hannah has worked for Country Music Television in Nashville. Jake is a professional photographer working in New Orleans, and has always been a drummer.

“I still have his drums in the basement,” said Sauerbrey of Jake’s box drum and the congas.

She also reflected on “New Beginnings Music Ministry,” a ministry with which Sauerbrey was involved for ten years.

Now, she will be beating to the tune of her own drum and can relax knowing that her accomplishments were many and of the legacy she left behind. Her shoes will be tough to fill, but outside of travel, she is merely a phone call away in this place she calls home.

On January 1, 2026, Jo Ellen Rose, a Democrat elected in November to fill the seat, will assume the duties of representing District 2 in Owego.