Martin received 19,308 votes, or 77.07% of the vote, while Cleveland received 5,746, or 22.93%. Martin said he is honored to serve the residents of District E, which includes Clear Lake and Kingwood, and the city of Houston as a whole. Martin’s second and final four-year term begins Jan. 1.
“I feel so blessed that 77% of the residents of District E have asked me to continue doing this job,” he told Community Impact Newspaper. “It’s a challenge that I do not take lightly.”
Martin said he was glad the election is over. While he enjoys working for the district, he said, campaigning is not his favorite part.
“I like the work, I like the challenge, but I don’t like the politicking side of it,” he said.
Martin has already served District E for seven years. He was appointed for one year to fill the seat after the previous council member resigned. He then served a two-year term before the city changed its charter and allowed council members to serve two four-year stints, Martin said.
Up until Hurricane Harvey, he said, Martin’s job was pretty typical city business, including budgeting, fixing streets and ensuring the police and fire departments were doing good jobs. After the storm hit, Martin’s immediate priority has become drainage and flood mitigation, he said.
“That’s been a nonstop challenge, day in and day out,” Martin said.
Martin has advocated for the coastal barrier project that would create miles of walls in Galveston to prevent flooding from storm surge. He has supported local Clear Lake projects as well, such as Exploration Green, which converted a golf course into a detention pond, Martin said.
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Martin also said he will push for road projects, such as the upcoming El Dorado Boulevard expansion. One of Martin’s priorities is improved roads, he said.
Additionally, Martin was instrumental in the development of the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport. Martin also helped the city partner with San Jacinto College to put a workforce training program at the spaceport. Martin said he will continue to push for such partnerships to encourage companies and educational institutions to locate to the spaceport and positively affect Houston’s economy, including Clear Lake property values, he said.
Despite the many challenges ahead, including the fact that Martin serves the city’s only noncontiguous district, Martin looks forward to his final term.
“I can continue to say I’m blessed and honored to serve [not only] the city of Houston but [also] the residents of District E,” he said.
MAYOR, OTHER ELECTIONS
Mayor Sylvester Turner has a strong lead over his 11 opponents, but he did not gather at least 50% of the vote. He will face Tony Buzbee in a runoff election Dec. 14.
In Harris County, Turner won 111,404 votes, or 46.36% of the votes, and Buzbee received 69,188 votes, or 28.79% of the votes.
On election night, Buzbee told a room of supporters he was confident he would win in a runoff against Turner. Turner issued a statement the day after the election saying he trusts residents to vote for the more qualified candidate instead of a “Donald Trump imitator.”
The Houston City Council’s five at-large positions were also up for grabs, and all of them will go to runoff elections. Incumbent Mike Knox will face Raj Salhotra for Position 1; incumbent David W. Robinson will face Willie R. Davis for Position 2; incumbent Michael Kubosh will face Janaeya Carmouche for Position 3; Anthony Dolcefino will face Letitia Plummer for Position 4; and Sallie Alcorn will face Eric Dick for Position 5.
