Longtime Precinct 2 resident and Erath County native David Martin recently announced his candidacy for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2 in the March 1 Republican Primary.
As someone who has worked in public service for many years, Martin saw the decision to run as natural but he didn’t rush into it.
“I retired 8 years ago from public service,” he said. “I came up with a lot of excuses of why not to run but God moved them out of the way. You don’t fight what’s right in front of you so I decided to file.”
Martin was born and raised in Stephenville and graduated from Stephenville High School before attending to Tarleton. After marrying his wife, Rose, the couple moved to Albany, where Davis went to work for Lamb’s Head Ranch.
When they moved back, they settled in Precinct 2, where they have lived for the last 35-40 years and raised four children, who are now grown and married. They are the proud parents of Todd and Jessica Philips, Cheryl and Jeremy Van Dyke, Emily and Tyler Howle, and Krista and Stephen Colby and are the proud grandparents of 10.
Rose and David are also founding members of the Double N Cowboy Church, where David has served in several capacities- as an elder, as a member of the security team and in helping out with services and events like play days.
After returning to Erath, David worked several jobs including welding and carpentry. In 1989, he was hired on as a field inspector for the Texas Animal Health Commission and served the TAHC for several years, retiring as a supervisor for the region.
When Martin started with TAHC, there were more than 100 dairies in Erath County, so he was busy testing livestock for diseases and working to contain any possible infections.
Martin viewed his work as ‘being responsible for the wellbeing of the animals of Erath County and the area.’ It was also a job that gave him a lot of experience in keeping track of laws and regulations and presenting them to the public, occasionally making difficult decisions that could affect livelihoods.
“We have rules and laws in place for a reason,” Martin said. “We have to try to follow them the best we can.”
One of the most difficult parts of David’s work with the TAHC was delivering bad news and rulings, but he said he learned early to talk to people openly and compassionately.
“If you talk with people the right way from the start, they’ll work with you,” he said.
Martin admits that serving as JP would be a new experience for him but so was his work with TAHC and he dove headfirst into that work, learning all of the laws and responsibilities.
“I don’t know whether I’ll be good at this job or not, but I’ll sure give it everything I’ve got,” Martin said. “I would appreciate your vote and do the best job I can if elected.”