Gus Martinez

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Gus Martinez

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 20, 2024

Education

High school

Julia Richman High School

Associate

New York University, 1998

Personal

Birthplace

New York, N.Y.

Religion

Christian

Profession

IT specialist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Gus Martinez ran for election to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners to represent District 3 in Florida. He lost in the primary on August 20, 2024.

Martinez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Gus Martinez was born in New York, New York. He earned a high school diploma from Julia Richman High School and an associate degree from New York University in 1998. His career experience includes working as an IT specialist.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Orange County, Florida (2024)

General election

General election for Orange County Board of County Commissioners District 3

Incumbent Mayra Uribe defeated Linda Stewart in the general election for Orange County Board of County Commissioners District 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mayra Uribe (Nonpartisan)	52.8	45,036
		Linda Stewart (Nonpartisan)	47.2	40,206

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 85,242
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Orange County Board of County Commissioners District 3

Incumbent Mayra Uribe and Linda Stewart defeated Gus Martinez in the primary for Orange County Board of County Commissioners District 3 on August 20, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mayra Uribe (Nonpartisan)	44.7	9,861
✔		Linda Stewart (Nonpartisan)	34.7	7,655
		Gus Martinez (Nonpartisan)	20.6	4,548

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,064
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Delila Smalley (Nonpartisan)
• Nelson Betancourt (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Martinez in this election.

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Orange County, Florida (2020)

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Orange County Board of County Commissioners District 3

Incumbent Mayra Uribe won election outright against Pete Clarke and Bill Moore in the primary for Orange County Board of County Commissioners District 3 on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mayra Uribe (Nonpartisan)	58.7	19,553
	Submit photo	Pete Clarke (Nonpartisan)	30.9	10,299
		Bill Moore (Nonpartisan)	10.4	3,459

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,311
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jose Colom (Nonpartisan)
• Gus Martinez (Nonpartisan)

2016

See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Florida House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 24, 2016.

Amy Mercado defeated Gus Martinez in the Florida House of Representatives District 48 general election.

Florida House of Representatives, District 48 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Amy Mercado	79.84%	47,346
	No party affiliation	Gus Martinez	20.16%	11,958
Total Votes				59,304
Source: Florida Division of Elections

Amy Mercado defeated Alex Barrio in the Florida House of Representatives District 48 Democratic primary.

Florida House of Representatives, District 48 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Amy Mercado	60.19%	3,949
	Democratic	Alex Barrio	39.81%	2,612
Total Votes				6,561

Gus Martinez listed no party affiliation on the candidate list.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Gus Martinez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Martinez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Hi, my name is Gus Martinez. Born and raised in NY by a single mother struggling financially. I struggled to get my family out of poverty in NYC. We moved to Orlando in 2004. I've worked in Information Technology since 1984.

Since 2010 I served in the streets as a homeless advocate. I've also served on the Orange County Commission on Aging, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando, and in 2010 founded a nonprofit called Miles of Help Through Christ.

I've been committed to serving our diverse communities with unwavering commitment. My goal is to make Orange County a more compassionate and resilient home for all of us.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Financial Accountability - elected officials should provide accountability of how they spend tax payer dollars. Tax payer money is not a blank check for elected officials to do whatever they please.
• Quality of life - there are many issues affecting our quality of life, including our water.
• Safety - in parks where are children play. We also need to get Florida off the human trafficking and child abduction list.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

-Affordable housing and protective housing for the elderly.

-Bring back competitive home and auto insurance
-Attract big business to supplement our tourism industry to diversify our local economy.

-Trade training for high school students to enter different areas of the employment pool.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

While in my lifetime I've had a few positive role models none that I look up to and respect more than my mom who passed back in January. She had little schooling and by all measures a very difficult life. Still she managed to motivate, and see all her children graduate from high school some from colleg, some of us managed to climb out of the poor neighborhoods we were raised in and were the first ones in our genrations to own our own homes. I know how hard if was for me given the situation I was born into I can't even imagine how hard it was for mom.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

None at present time althout Aristotle and Plato's philosophy on goonvernance would be a good start

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Quality of life for their constituents. We’re all working hard to make a better life for our children. If my elected officials are skating by doing nothing to contribute to a better life for the communities they serve its time to get out to vote them out of office.

Elected officials are to be held to a higher standard as a representative of the people she/he is elected to serve.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

As a n IT Professional I am a true problem solver. Being A homeless and commujnity advocate, and having served on the Orange County Commission almost 5 years I understand the plight our elderly neighbors are dealing with. My passion is serving; though I start4ed my service in the public eye in 2010, I had served in a few of my local churches' groupssince 2005.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

County Commissioners play a crucial role in the effective management of the county. They oversee the county's budget, ensuring that resources are allocated appropriately. Additionally, they develop and enforce policies addressing community needs such as safety, infrastructure, and social services. Their responsibilities extend to planning for the community's growth and development while ensuring that it is done responsibly. Commissioners are also tasked with supervising various public services, including transportation, parks, waste management, and public health initiatives, with a primary focus on promoting the well-being and safety of the community. Furthermore, they play a pivotal role in crisis management and emergency preparedness, ensuring that the county is well-equipped to handle unforeseen challenges and emergencies.

What legacy would you like to leave?

To me there is no greater accomplishment than having served with integrity, longevity, love for others (even iif I didn't know them at the time). I try to live every moment, every decision, the treatment of others, like God is watching me, because I know in my heart thats the way it is.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

As a child I recall our apartment in the south bronx being burglarized just before Christmas. My older brother and I were excited because we had peeked and knew we were getting tricycles. Unfortunately everything was gone that year.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job as an adult was working for a company the filmed microfilm and microfiche for Citibank. That was my break into Information Technology. I stayed there for about three years. That was forty years ago now. Thankfully I had a long and prosperous career.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Once of my favorite books is the Davinci Code, I also love all the books in that series. I've read the Bible cover to cover half a dozen times, all of the apocrypha and the Quran once. Yes, I consider myself a student of theology and do reads historical articles and literature. As a young high school student I loved of Mice and Men and read all of John Steinbecks books.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

David from the bible. Why? because David wasn't perfect but He was still referred to as a friend of God. We all know he falwed in looking upon Bathsheba while she showered. sent for her, got her pregnant, sent her husband to the front lines to be killed, and then married her to hide his sin. Once the angel of God revealed his sins, he fell on his face. He pleaded with God. (God wil forgive you but you'll have to face the consequences of your actions. Though he pleaded for their first born, he did lose his child). But the point is in everything regardless what David did to slip up, David found his way back. I want to be like David only in that he was called a friend of God.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

If I told you the song, then it would be stuck in your head, and you'd be mad at me for trying to get it out of your head. I love all music and genres, in Spanish and English

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I've always believed that if you see a problem, then instead of criticizing and doing nothing, roll up your sleeves and get to work to fix it, whether with a shovel, hammer, or any other issue. I saw a homeless problem in 2010 and one of my church leaders asked my why are you wasting your time trying to recruit others to work on this problem. What God needs from you He already put in you. So I founded a group that has been serving the homeless and poor since then.

I aspire to always do better for myself, my sons, family, friends, neighbors, community. I have that yearning to now do better in my government.

Tell us your favorite joke.

thats not my forte, but if you have a good one I'd like to hear it. Love to laugh.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

None as of yet, but I'm just getting started.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Gus Martinez did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Orange County Board of County Commissioners District 3

Website

Instagram

Personal

Facebook

LinkedIn