After college, he started his career as a schoolteacher for two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI starved to death being a schoolteacher back then. You know, I think the base salary was like $22 or $24,000 a year,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether you\u2019re good or bad or whatever the case may be, you still make the same amount of money. So, I thought, I need to do something for myself and for the future,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
He spent seven years working for someone else\u2019s company before founding JM Martin Custom Homes in Slaton.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a lifelong resident of Slaton in Lubbock County, born and bred 100 percent West Texas. This is where I was raised and this is where I\u2019ll stay and die,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
Martin also mentioned his wife and two daughters \u2013 ages 14 and 11.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve probably invested \u2013 I don\u2019t know \u2013 somewhere between about $9 million of my own money in building structures, duplexes, quadplexes, new construction, remodels [and] commercial building remodels here in Slaton. So, I\u2019m always trying to improve my community and just make it the better place for sure,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
He said also participated in the Republican Party as a precinct chair for six years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve served on the Slaton School Board for a total of 12 years,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
His time as a teacher shaped his perspective. He gave an example from his time teaching a shop class.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a small budget in the shop, like $1,500. And I\u2019ll never forget, we were really conservative and we didn\u2019t waste any money whatsoever. And then at the end of the year, we had $1,000 left in the account. And the principal comes and says, \u2018Hey, if you don\u2019t spend it, you\u2019re going to lose it.\u2019 And it never made any sense to me,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were going to cut that out of our budget the next year if we didn\u2019t spend it. And I think that\u2019s a lot of the problems with government,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
Make it \u2018boring\u2019 again<\/p>\n
When asked why he decided to run, Martin answered, \u201cMy goal was to get this commissioners court boring again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you just need a steady hand. You just need someone that will still stand up for the taxpayer and do what\u2019s right \u2013 but at the same time, be able to get along and agree to disagree with people,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
He hadn\u2019t seen some of the tense discussions during county budget talks in late June<\/a>, he said, adding officials can stand firm while not belittling each other.<\/p>\n He\u2019s not worried too much by recent budget cuts.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last two years with the rollback rate and tax revenue, they\u2019ve had to pull some [money] out of reserves. But at the same time, we haven\u2019t lost any service,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there was a question about the volunteer fire department being cut by $22,000 per department. \u2026 I called one of the captains and spoke with him and I think he said, \u2018Well, in the last five years we have been given more money than we\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n LubbockLights.com asked Martin about Expo Center plans. Voters approved a hotel tax in 2018 to fund it. But delays led to controversy<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThey voted to have it built. \u2026 I think the taxpayers would like to see something get rolling no matter what,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n His preference is the site at North Loop and North University, not downtown.<\/p>\n As for a long list of capital projects like renovations to the county\u2019s office building at 916 Main, a new parking garage next door to it, a new adult probation office, and a partial roof replacement at the jail, Martin thinks the county might need to have bond election.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t just raise taxes enough to pay for it,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n So, the only way forward is with voter approval, he said.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n
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