Mike Martin (politician)

Michael Wayne "Mike" Martin
Texas State Representative from District 13 (Gregg County)
In office January 1981 – April 1982
Preceded by	James E. Mankins
Succeeded by	James E. Mankins
Personal details
Born	ca. 1951
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Occupation	Electrical engineer

Michael Wayne Martin, known as Mike Martin (born ca. 1951), is a Republican former member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 13. At the time, Martin resided in Longview in Gregg County. He served from January 1981 until his resignation in April 1982.

In the 1981 House session, Martin offered one bill, which never came to a vote, a proposal to require the teaching of creationism along with the theory of evolution in public school science classes. He was voted among the "Ten Worst Legislators" by Texas Monthly magazine.^[1]

In the summer of 1981, Martin as a freshman legislator working on redistricting in a special session, was living in a recreational vehicle at a mobile home park in east Austin. Four shotgun blasts were fired at his vehicle on the night of July 31, and three struck Martin in his left arm. At first he attributed the shooting to a Satanic cult that he had been investigating. Thereafter, Charles Goff, a cousin of Martin's, said that he had fired the shots at Martin's behest to gain political sympathy for the young lawmaker who was contemplating a run for the Texas State Senate in 1982. Goff also said that Martin had offered him a high-paying state job. Authorities located Martin at his mother's farmhouse in northeast Texas hiding in a stereo cabinet. He was charged with perjury by District Attorney Ronnie Earle and subsequently resigned from the state House after a protracted legal fight. By 2007, Martin said that the shots were the result of a road rage incident which he had instigated on South Congress Avenue in Austin.^[2]

In the 1980 general election, Martin, who then listed his occupation as a carpenter, unseated the Democrat Representative James E. Mankins. In the spring of 1982, Mankins staged a successful comeback to regain the seat in a special election called upon Martin's resignation.

In 2007, Martin, then fifty-five and an electrical engineer for a hospital, was living in Travis County and ran for town council in Bee Cave under the name "Wayne Martin."^[2]

References

1. ^ "Best and Worst Legislators (by year)". texasmonthly.com. http://www.texasmonthly.com/magazine/bestworst. Retrieved September 12, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Marty Toohey, "Ex-Rep. Mike Martin (R) pleaded guilty to perjury, is now running for city council as Wayne Martin", May 5, 2007". Austin American Statesman. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x830964. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 

Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by James E. Mankins	Texas State Representative from District 13 (Gregg County) Michael Wayne "Mike" Martin 1981–1982	Succeeded by James E. Mankins

• Legislature roster from the Texas Legislative Research Library.
• "Texas Tale: A shotgun approach to p.r." TIME Monday, Sep. 07, 1981
• [http://www.texasmonthly.com/1982 Burka, Paul "1982 Texas Monthly Bum Steer Awards" Texas Monthly

Persondata
Name	Martin, Michael Wayne
Alternative names	Mike Martin
Short description	Texas state legislator
Date of birth	ca. 1951
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death