Martin, 38, is the owner of Bronko Bikes, which builds and sells electric bikes and parts. He is the executive director of Bike San Antonio, an advocacy group promoting bicycling, the addition of bike infrastructure and safety for cyclists.
Hear from the candidate
The following questions were asked of all City Council candidates.
Please tell voters about yourself.
I was born in South Austin to a working-class family. My parents built a house in 1988 and moved us out to the sticks in Del Valle country. I spent two hours every school day on a hot, noisy school bus. My life was like a Norman Rockwell painting, riding my bike over to my best friend’s house, building treehouses, fishing, exploring the woods and playing basketball with the neighborhood kids.
I went school in Bastrop Independent School District. I graduated from Bastrop High School in 2002. I received a bachelor’s of fine art degree in studio art from Texas Tech University. A 12-speed English racing bike was my main source of transportation while at college. The long drives from Austin to Lubbock made me wish for better public transportation. I moved to Austin after graduating and needed a job to start paying back those student loans, so I started working at Central Market.
In 2009 I met my wife while working at CM in South Austin. Monica was born in Mexico and moved to Pharr when she was 5. Her family treated me like family from day one. In 2012 my son was born and the seed for my small business was planted. I built my first two electric bikes, one for my then pregnant wife and one for myself.
In 2014 my family relocated to San Antonio for my wife’s promotion with Central Market. I continued to work with Whole Foods and then Home Depot, working overnight, and during the day I dreamed of building my own company.
In 2017, Bronko Bikes LLC was born. In 2020 I went full time into my small business.
Do you have any previous experience in government or participation on local boards, commissions or neighborhood associations? Have you run for elected office before?
In 2018 I joined Bike San Antonio and in 2019 I became the executive director. Bike San Antonio is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to make SA a safe place for all folks who bike and walk. We worked with city officials and the Public Works Department to advocate for a bike network and appropriate infrastructure. In 2022 after all the hard work from the community and public works, the governor’s cronies at TxDOT decided to not exercise small government but instead took back Broadway from the taxpayers, wasting people’s valuable time and money. I didn’t take this lying down; I drove up to Austin on behalf of Bike San Antonio and the cycling community to voice our frustration and disappointment in this decision that did not reflect the will of the voters.
What three issues do you consider to be most pressing for your district and how would you address them?
Safety: I’m a dad and I value a safe community. Safety can mean different things at different times in our lives. For young parents, safety is maintained sidewalks and streets, access to parks and bikeable streets. As your family gets older, it could be teen driving, reduction in street crime/drugs, etc. If you have an emergency, you want the police to respond — but I also understand that a safe community is a community that has a positive relationship with law enforcement. It’s a two-way street and I believe in accountability for criminals and for the people enforcing the law. Overall, I chose to live and raise my family here in D10 because I know that it’s a safe, friendly community, and I’ll do everything I can to build on that foundation to make it even better.
Prosperity: I’m a small business owner, and I’m happy that living in D10 has helped make it possible for my family to build the classic American dream. I believe that D10 can be the home to even more successful small businesses and I’ll do everything possible to support more of your neighbors pursuing their own American dream. I envision San Antonio being a leader in innovation in tech, medical, academic, private security, 3-D printing, transportation, film, hospitality and so much more. I know that as we foster more successful businesses, we will create a stronger, more resilient economy
Generational security: Investing in the safety and prosperity of today will make it possible for you and your D10 neighbors to enjoy watching your kids grow up and maybe even raise their own kids right here in D10. I want to give back to the community, because I have put down my roots here, and I want to protect our safe, friendly neighborhoods.
Do you support the proposed city charter amendment, known as Proposition A or the Justice Charter, that would bar certain policing tactics, decriminalize abortion and low-level marijuana possession and create a city justice director to oversee criminal justice policy? Why or why not?
Yes. I support the Justice Charter and Prop A. Even though I believe every item in Prop A is important enough to warrant its own individual proposition. I will always stand for a woman’s right to bodily autonomy, the decriminalization of low levels of possession of marijuana, and the banning of chokeholds and no-knock warrants. Lastly, cite and release has been on the books since 2016. To be clear, as a small business owner if someone made a mistake and stole a bike from my business, I would certainly be upset, but I can always replace that bike but I can’t replace the wasted human capital. I would want that person to repay their debt to society with community service and to work off the damages they caused. These initiatives will not just save money but lives. We need accountability of our law enforcement by an impartial justice director not affiliated with law enforcement.
How do you feel the city has done at balancing the needs of downtown and the neighborhoods, from bond projects to budget priorities?
For a metro like San Antonio to thrive and grow, all citizens’ needs must be taken into account. Meeting those needs is a balancing act of economic growth and jobs along with environmental and economic justice. Due to the nature of the economic divide, SA seems to do more than most cities in the way of services and quality-of-life improvements. Bond projects take a long time to plan and execute. Construction is necessary for growth, but it must be done in a timely manner as to not upset or disrupt small businesses, which can be negatively impacted. Public transportation, infrastructure and education are key to upward mobility. All this in a $3.4 billion budget with over $900 million just to fund our police. We need to make sure we are squeezing every penny to its fullest and taking care of citizens’ priorities first over vanity projects.
If elected, how do you plan to solicit input and feedback from residents in your district?
If I had the honor to serve, I would first lean on my kitchen cabinet to be the eyes and ears of D10. In addition it would be imperative to meet with small business, folks at community centers, schools, neighborhood associations and at the parks and trails. I would also have an open door policy for folks so that I can hear from my constituents and make sure their needs and concerns are heard and addressed.
