Martin fulfills dream by becoming county's first female judge

ENJOYING HER TIME AT HOME: One day after winning the election to become Greene Superior Court judge, Dena Martin spent a quiet evening at home with her two daughters and husband, Dean Martin. While Dena said she felt relieved that the busy campaign season was over, Dean still had a lot of work to do collecting campaign signs from around the county. Some of Martin's campaign signs have been disappearing off the roadways, apparently being picked up by local memorabilia collectors. When Dena Martin is sworn into office on January 1, she will become Greene County's first female judge. (Greene County Daily World/Dena Martin) [Order this photo]

Martin says she remembers one woman asking, "Honey, do you really think a woman should be doing this job?"

Martin was quick with her reply, "Yes, I think a woman can do it just as good as a man."

Greene County voters apparently agreed when they cast their ballots in Tuesday's election -- Martin won and will be seated on the Greene Superior Court bench on Jan. 1, 2009.

It will be a historic first on the local level -- Martin is the first woman to be elected as a judge in Greene County.

Martin says the issue rarely came up during her campaign and most of the times when it did, it was in the primary race last spring. However, she did think about it before she filed her candidacy.

In a conversation with current Superior Court Judge David Holt about the possibility of running, Martin says she discussed the issue with him.

"I asked him if he thought it would be an issue in Greene County and he said 'Honestly, no,' " said Martin.

Throughout the campaigns during the primary and the general election, Martin says the people of Greene County, both male and female, greeted her warmly. She says getting to know so many new people was an experience she'll never forget.

"I really want to thank the people of Greene County. The people we've met have been so kind and open -- they've been so supportive and it's been such a positive experience," said Martin.

Looking to the future, Martin does not believe the public will treat her any differently than a male judge.

Looking to the past, Martin actually made the decision to work toward becoming a judge long before the primary season began -- she set this as her career goal when she was a teen.

"When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to be in the legal field. Then when I decided I'd like to become a judge, I knew I would have to work hard and really strive to achieve that," said Martin.

She did strive academically throughout her years at Worthington-Jefferson High School, became senior class president and graduated as valedictorian. She continued to strive during her college years and graduated with honors when she received her bachelor's degree in criminal justice before going on to Indiana University Law School.

Martin's entire career has been one of achievement -- setting a goal then giving it everything you've got.

After she was appointed to serve as the chairperson for the Criminal Justice Program at Ivy Tech Community College in Terre Haute, the program quadrupled in size under her leadership.

When she decided to run for judge, she again gave it her all and was joined with solid support from her family -- making the campaign a family affair. She says her husband, Dean, told her, "If you're going to do it, let's do it right."

Martin began the campaign with one uphill battle -- name recognition.

"In the primary, I was going up against a former five-term prosecutor who had served Greene County for 20 years. Everyone knew who David Powell was. They didn't know Dena Martin," said Martin.

To get your name out there in the public eye, Martin said you've got to spend money and political advertising is not cheap.

Rather than receiving criticism for being a woman running for judge, Martin says she received more criticism for the amount of money she spent on her campaign -- around $36,000. Martin considered it an investment.

"I want the people of Greene County to know that the majority of money that was spent on my campaign was spent in Greene County," said Martin.

Ads were placed on Greene County Web sites and in every newspaper in the county. The now-familiar black and white T-shirts worn throughout the campaign were purchased and printed at a store in Linton. Various give-aways, like fly swatters and pencils in the shape of a gavel, were ordered from a local advertising specialty representative. Flyers and brochures were produced by a print shop in Bloomfield. And she paid a Greene County webmaster to design her campaign Web site.

The only thing that had to be purchased out-of-county were her campaign signs that became a familiar site along county roads.

All along the way, Martin says she tried to help the local community while promoting her campaign. She points out that when making campaign stops at community fundraisers, a group of around 20 family members and friends would accompany her, all wearing their black and white "Dena Benham Martin" T-shirts, and they would pay for their entry fees or dinners which made for sizable contributions to good community causes.

Martin says the campaign supported several community organizations with miscellaneous advertising, like ads in Shawnee Theatre's brochures.

"We also sponsored an entire soccer team with the Greene County Soccer Association," said Martin.

Now that the election is over, Martin is looking forward to her new job but she first has a lot of work to complete at her current job.

She plans to finish out the current semester in her position at Ivy Tech State College then will have a short break over the Christmas holidays before assuming her new duties.

Martin also stays busy at home in her off-hours. She and her husband, who works in Indianapolis, are the parents of two pre-school-age daughters.