GHBPF’s Breakfast “Emergency Preparedness – Planning and Preparing for a Disaster”

Joaquin Martinez was born and raised in the East End. One of 12 kids, he quickly learned to find his voice and to appreciate the value of family, community, and service. Joaquin has many fond memories of his childhood. Weekend activities for the Martinez family included attending church on Sundays, where Joaquin served as an altar boy. He remembers watching his dad coach the local little league baseball team, instilling the importance of team work and leadership at an early age.

Supporting a family of 12 was not easy, but the Martinez family was not alone. Navidad en el Barrio, local school supply drives, and food distributions are just a few of the community-based initiatives Joaquin remembers vividly. Thanks to these programs, Joaquin’s Christmas mornings were a little brighter. He felt prepared for the first day of school and never missed a meal. These activities helped build a strong foundation of faith, family and service to others. For years now, Joaquin has proudly volunteered his time to these very same organizations to support his community and those in need.

From passion to profession, Joaquin established a career working to improve his community and the quality of life for Houstonians. Over the years, Joaquin has shared his community-building talent with non-profit organizations such as Baker-Ripley, Tejano Center, as well as our local government which has given him the opportunity to have a more direct impact on improving our neighborhoods. Joaquin exemplifies leadership that meets the people where they are. This has always been his work ethic. He embodies what it means to be a public servant at heart.

With over a decade of experience in public service, Joaquin has learned the ins and outs of how things really work at the local level. He’s gained the knowledge to understand the process for getting the job done. As we continue to recover from the pandemic, we must begin to revisit department processes and how we fund reliable services. This is critical to ensure that your tax dollars are being used responsibly, that city services you pay for operate efficiently and to ensure that city resources are accessible to everyone, not just the few.

For over a decade, Joaquin has been the eyes and ears of the community and now he’s ready to make your voice heard. Whether that means making sure your trash gets picked up on time, that our parks are well maintained and our neighborhoods are safe, as council member, Joaquin works everyday to improve our community by prioritizing foundations first. Joaquin won’t stop there. He’ll fight for economic development opportunities and make sure that the people of this community reap the benefits. He’ll work to strengthen our workforce, improve housing conditions and support our youth through innovative solutions. Joaquin is committed to building a brighter future for District I. A future in which we all have the opportunity to thrive.