- Mike Martinez
-
Mike Martinez Born August 1, 1969 Occupation Politician Known for Austin City Councilman Mike Martinez (August 1, 1969) 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.
Contents
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. [1] 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." [2] One day later the Austin chapter of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People filed an ethics complaint against Martinez and demanded a full accounting of his actions. [3] 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. [4]
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. [5] 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. [6]
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. [7]
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 ." [8]
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 Facebook 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. [9]
Capital Metro
In 2010 Martinez was named the chairman of the Capital Metropolian Transit Agency's board of directors. [10] 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. [11]
Personal
Martinez is a member of the Democratic Party 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%
References
Categories:- 1969 births
- People from Austin, Texas
- Texas Democrats
- Living people
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
