Mike Martinez
Encyclopedia
Mike Martinez is an elected city councilman and mayor pro tempore
in the city of Austin, Texas
as well as the chairman of the Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority. First elected in 2006 and subsequently reelected in 2009, Martinez is a former fireman and union official. He fills Place 2, a seat that traditionally represents the Chicano
section of east Austin.
filed an ethics complaint against Martinez and demanded a full accounting of his actions. http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/276910/naacp-files-ethics-complaint-against-leffingwell--martinez Initially Martinez turned over only a small handful of the emails that were requested in the Freedom of Information Act filing. He said on March, 1, 2011 that his failure to fully comply was an "oversight" and that he would soon be releasing the rest of the requested emails, though he did not give a time for doing so. http://www.statesman.com/news/local/martinez-says-hell-hand-over-hundreds-more-e-1291377.html
On March 7, 2011 it was announced that the Travis County Attorney is seeking emails and documents from Capital Metro as to whether or not Martinez and other members of the board are meeting in small groups in order to avoid a quorum and to circumvent the open meeting laws. http://www.statesman.com/news/local/capital-metro-documents-sought-1305288.html It was reported in the Austin American-Statesman
on March 31, 2011 that Mayor Leffingwell and several other Austin city councilmembers have hired personal attorneys to defend them from any possible prosecution over open meeting laws violations. Councilman Martinez however has thus far not revealed if he has hired a personal attorney for the matter. http://www.statesman.com/news/local/some-council-members-have-hired-private-lawyers-amid-1362524.html
It was reported in the Austin American-Statesman on April 5, 2011 that Councilman Martinez, along with all but one other councilmember, had decided to forego the $75 monthly taxpayer stipend for cell phone use. "This is my personal phone, and I want to keep it as such. If there are rules I need to comply with, I need to know what the rules are, and they are very unclear." said Martinez in regards to the on-going open meetings and records investigation by the county attorney. http://www.statesman.com/news/local/council-members-ending-cellphone-stipend-amid-open-records-1375483.html
Close to 5 P.M. on Friday, April 8, 2011 Martinez released more personal emails. As the Austin American-Statesman reported, "Martinez used an obscene, derogatory term to describe opponents of a memorial marker planned for East Live Oak Street to honor slain police officer Ralph Ablanedo. The marker was erected in February. He said Friday night that the language he used in describing the memorial opponents was inappropriate but that he also wrote the email without contemplating whether it would be released ." http://www.statesman.com/news/local/in-new-email-release-more-name-calling-but-1387881.html
page. Signs clearly posted in all polling locations state that cell phones and cameras may not be used in a polling location. The election code further states, “a person may not use a wireless communication device within 100 feet of a voting station. A person may not use any mechanical or electronic means of recording images or sound within 100 feet of a voting station.” Martinez later pulled the photo from his page when several commenters pointed out the violation. He later told the Austin American-Statesman that he was ignorant of the law. “Obviously I had no idea that it violated a code and was clearly an oversight,” said Martinez. http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/cityhall/entries/2011/05/03/coucilmember_posts_ballot_on_f.html
and is viewed by most as a staunch liberal. He is a graduate of The LBJ School of Public Affairs West Point Military Leadership Program, though he is not a veteran. Martinez resides in east Austin with his son Alejandro and his wife, Lara Wendler.
2009 Austin City Council Election Place 2
Pro tempore
Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...
in the city of Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
as well as the chairman of the Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority. First elected in 2006 and subsequently reelected in 2009, Martinez is a former fireman and union official. He fills Place 2, a seat that traditionally represents the Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
section of east Austin.
Emailgate scandal
On February 25, 2011 it was revealed that Councilman Martinez had disparaged African-American City Manager Marc Ott and Assistant City Manager Michael McDonald, also an African-American, as "jokes" in an email he sent to the mayor. http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/cityhall/entries/2011/02/25/council_emails_obtained_by_sta.html Martinez responded to the negative news reports and public anger by releasing a statement in which he wrote, "I regret any instance where my criticisms may have been too personal." http://www.statesman.com/news/local/mayor-council-members-apologize-for-e-mailed-remarks-1284668.html One day later the Austin chapter of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
filed an ethics complaint against Martinez and demanded a full accounting of his actions. http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/276910/naacp-files-ethics-complaint-against-leffingwell--martinez Initially Martinez turned over only a small handful of the emails that were requested in the Freedom of Information Act filing. He said on March, 1, 2011 that his failure to fully comply was an "oversight" and that he would soon be releasing the rest of the requested emails, though he did not give a time for doing so. http://www.statesman.com/news/local/martinez-says-hell-hand-over-hundreds-more-e-1291377.html
On March 7, 2011 it was announced that the Travis County Attorney is seeking emails and documents from Capital Metro as to whether or not Martinez and other members of the board are meeting in small groups in order to avoid a quorum and to circumvent the open meeting laws. http://www.statesman.com/news/local/capital-metro-documents-sought-1305288.html It was reported in the Austin American-Statesman
Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is an award-winning publication owned by Cox Enterprises. The Newspaper places focus on issues affecting Austin and the Central Texas region....
on March 31, 2011 that Mayor Leffingwell and several other Austin city councilmembers have hired personal attorneys to defend them from any possible prosecution over open meeting laws violations. Councilman Martinez however has thus far not revealed if he has hired a personal attorney for the matter. http://www.statesman.com/news/local/some-council-members-have-hired-private-lawyers-amid-1362524.html
It was reported in the Austin American-Statesman on April 5, 2011 that Councilman Martinez, along with all but one other councilmember, had decided to forego the $75 monthly taxpayer stipend for cell phone use. "This is my personal phone, and I want to keep it as such. If there are rules I need to comply with, I need to know what the rules are, and they are very unclear." said Martinez in regards to the on-going open meetings and records investigation by the county attorney. http://www.statesman.com/news/local/council-members-ending-cellphone-stipend-amid-open-records-1375483.html
Close to 5 P.M. on Friday, April 8, 2011 Martinez released more personal emails. As the Austin American-Statesman reported, "Martinez used an obscene, derogatory term to describe opponents of a memorial marker planned for East Live Oak Street to honor slain police officer Ralph Ablanedo. The marker was erected in February. He said Friday night that the language he used in describing the memorial opponents was inappropriate but that he also wrote the email without contemplating whether it would be released ." http://www.statesman.com/news/local/in-new-email-release-more-name-calling-but-1387881.html
Election code violation
On Tuesday, May 3, 2011 Councilman Martinez violated the Texas Election Code by using an electronic device in a polling location to photograph his completed ballot in an effort to sway voters to vote as he did as one seat was closely contested and he was publicly supporting the incumbent. Martinez subsequently posted the picture to his FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page. Signs clearly posted in all polling locations state that cell phones and cameras may not be used in a polling location. The election code further states, “a person may not use a wireless communication device within 100 feet of a voting station. A person may not use any mechanical or electronic means of recording images or sound within 100 feet of a voting station.” Martinez later pulled the photo from his page when several commenters pointed out the violation. He later told the Austin American-Statesman that he was ignorant of the law. “Obviously I had no idea that it violated a code and was clearly an oversight,” said Martinez. http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/cityhall/entries/2011/05/03/coucilmember_posts_ballot_on_f.html
Capital Metro
In 2010 Martinez was named the chairman of the Capital Metropolian Transit Agency's board of directors. http://www.capmetro.org/news/news_detail.asp?id=7796 As the local public transit agency for Austin and several neighboring suburbs, CapMetro has faced a series of budget and public relations disasters. Martinez was brought aboard to attempt to rectify the long-running problems. http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2010-05-14/1028577/Personal
Martinez is a member of the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and is viewed by most as a staunch liberal. He is a graduate of The LBJ School of Public Affairs West Point Military Leadership Program, though he is not a veteran. Martinez resides in east Austin with his son Alejandro and his wife, Lara Wendler.
Electoral history
2006 Austin City Council Election Place 2- Martinez, Mike 26,028 56.61%
- May, Eliza 12,071 26.25%
- Benedict, Wes 7,882 17.14%
2009 Austin City Council Election Place 2
- Martinez, Mike 43,725 84.95%
- Quintero, Jose 7,746 15.05%