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Martin Joseph "Marty" Chávez (born March 2, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, and attorney who served as a member of the
New Mexico Senate The New Mexico Senate ( es, Senado de Nuevo México) is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state ...
from 1987 to 1993 and as the 26th and 28th mayor of
Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
. He served as the Executive Director of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA.Martin J. Chávez—ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA
/ref> and Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Center for Green Schools at
U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and op ...
. In 2012, he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for the Congressional seat being vacated by
Martin Heinrich Martin Trevor Heinrich (; born October 17, 1971) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Mexico, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Heinrich served as the U.S. ...
, who retired from the House to run for Senate. He was a senior advisor to
Ready for Hillary Ready may refer to: Film and television * ''Ready'', a 2002 British short starring Imelda Staunton * ''Ready'' (2008 film), a Telugu film * ''Ready'' (2011 film), a Hindi remake of the Telugu film * "Ready" (''New Girl''), a television episo ...
, an unaffiliated Super PAC supporting of a Hillary Clinton presidential candidacy prior to her announcement. He was a member of the national finance committee of the
Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign The 2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton was announced in a YouTube video, on April 12, 2015. Hillary Clinton was the 67th United States Secretary of State and served during the first term of the Obama administration, 2009 to 2013. ...
.


Early life and education

He was born in 1952 in
Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
to a family of
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
heritage. Chávez attended both Catholic and public secondary schools. After graduating from
Manzano High School Manzano High School is a public high school located in northeast Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is part of the Albuquerque Public Schools system. The current principal is Rachel Vigil. History While still sophomores, Manzano's first senior class ...
, Chávez earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in university studies from the
University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
and a
Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from
Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
.


Career

He was the founding director of the New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration in 1986.


New Mexico Senate

From 1987 to 1993 he served in the
New Mexico Senate The New Mexico Senate ( es, Senado de Nuevo México) is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state ...
, where he helped pass the New Mexico Workers Compensation Act and to implement the Voter Registration Reform Act, known as "motor voter."


First mayoral term


1993 election

He pulled a major upset by defeating former Governor
David Cargo David Francis Cargo (January 13, 1929 – July 5, 2013) was an American attorney and politician who served as the List of governors of New Mexico, 22nd governor of New Mexico between 1967 and 1971. Early life and education Cargo was born in ...
in the 1993 election for Mayor of Albuquerque 50.4%-49.6%, a difference of just 596 votes.


1998 gubernatorial election

In 1997, Chávez opted not to run for re-election as mayor and instead ran for
Governor of New Mexico , insignia = Seal of the Governor of New Mexico.svg , insigniasize = 110px , insigniacaption = Seal of the Governor , image = File:Michelle Lujan Grisham 2021.jpg , imagesize = 200px , alt = , incumbent = Michelle Lujan Grisham , incu ...
in 1998. He won the six-candidate Democratic primary with 48% of the vote and won most of the counties in the state. He defeated very experienced candidates like State Representative Gary King, former Governor
Jerry Apodaca Jerry Apodaca (born October 3, 1934) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 24th governor of New Mexico from 1975 to 1979 and chair of the president’s council on physical fitness and sports from 1978 to 1980. Perso ...
, and State Auditor
Robert Vigil Robert E. Vigil (born October 26, 1953) is an American politician from the U.S. state of New Mexico. He was twice elected New Mexico State Auditor, serving from 1991 to 1998 and was New Mexico State Treasurer from 2003 until his resignation on Oc ...
. In the general election he was defeated by incumbent Republican governor
Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...
55%-45%.


Second mayoral term


2001 election

In 2001, Chávez again ran for Mayor of Albuquerque and finished first in a seven-candidate race.


2005 re-election bid

In 2005, he was the first mayor to be re-elected for two consecutive terms since the creation of the strong mayoral form of government in 1974


Tenure

As Mayor, Chávez partnered with the
University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
,
Sandia National Laboratories Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), also known as Sandia, is one of three research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Headquartered in Kirtland Air Force Ba ...
and leading entrepreneurs and educators to establish the Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science (AIMS), a charter high school dedicated to academic excellence. In 2009, the AIMS graduated its first senior class of 26 students. For the first time in New Mexico's history, an entire graduating class had enrolled in college. AIMS is now the #1 public high school in the State of New Mexico for math, science and reading. http://www.aims-unm.org/academics/index.cfm


Recognitions

During his tenure as Mayor, Chávez and the City of Albuquerque received the following recognitions: * Top Ten Places to Live In the US, U.S. News & World Report (2009); * "Cool" Mayor Award, Mayors for Climate Protection –cited as "The Visionary" for sustainable water vision, urban forestry program and climate change initiatives, ICLEI (2009); * EPA Climate Protection Award, 1st Place, US Environmental Protection Agency (2008); * U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Siemens Sustainable Community Award (2008); * Fittest City in America, Men's Fitness Magazine (2008); * Renewable Energy Innovator of the Year Award, Association of Energy Engineers (2008); * Best Cities for Jobs or a Career, Forbes Magazine (2007); * Climate Protection Award, 1st Place, United States Conference of Mayors (2007); * Most Pet Friendly City, 3rd Place, Forbes Magazine (2007); * World Leadership Award for Water Utilities Conservation, World Leadership Forum, London, (2006) * Number-one Place to do Business, Forbes Magazine (2006); * Mayor of Trees Award, National Alliance for Community Trees (2004); * William F. Dixon Award for Open Government, the Foundation for Open Government (2004);


2008 U.S. Senate election

On October 8, 2007, Chávez announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat that was being vacated by retiring Republican Senator
Pete Domenici Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici (May 7, 1932 – September 13, 2017) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senator from New Mexico from 1973 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served six terms in the ...
. Democratic leaders, including Senator
Charles Schumer Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...
, Chairman of Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, recruited
Tom Udall Thomas Stewart Udall ( ; born May 18, 1948) is an American diplomat, lawyer and politician serving as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from N ...
into the race. Chávez indicated that he intended to remain in the race, referring to Udall as Washington's "fair-haired boy". However, Chavez withdrew from the race on December 7 saying, "While I deeply appreciate all the support I have received, it has become very clear to me that Democrats should not be divided in the upcoming election. "


2009 re-election bid

In 2009, Chávez succeeded in overturning a two-consecutive mayoral term limit, which he had gotten passed into law, and announced he would seek a third consecutive, and fourth overall, term as mayor. He ran against Republican State Representative Richard J. Berry and Democratic State Senator Richard Romero in a hotly contested race. Romero split the Democratic vote, and Richard J. Berry defeated Chavez 44% to 35% while Romero finished a distant third with 21%.


Post-mayoral career


ICLEI

In March 2010, Chávez, was appointed Executive Director of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA. Chávez had served on ICLEI USA's Board of Directors and was recognized nationally as a "green mayor" during his tenure in Albuquerque. Chavez leads a staff of 52 ICLEI USA employees, based in six regional offices: Boston,
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, Chicago,
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
,
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
, and
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. In addition to these responsibilities Chávez also speaks at many conferences including
George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...
's Washington Youth Summit on the Environment in 2011.


Memberships

Chavez serves on the Board of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). Chávez is a member of the
National Building Museum The National Building Museum is located at 401 F Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning". It was created by an act of Congress in 1980, and is a private Non-profit org ...
's Intelligent Cities Advisory Committee and member of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
's Vibrant Cities and Urban Forests Task Force. In March 2011, Chávez joined polar explorer and environmentalist
Robert Swan Robert Charles Swan, OBE, FRGS (born 28 July 1956) is the first person to walk to both poles. He is currently an advocate for the protection of Antarctica and renewable energy. Swan is also the founder of 2041, a company which is dedicated ...
, on an expedition to explore the effects of climate change in the Antarctica. Chávez visited the remnants of the
Larsen Ice Shelf The Larsen Ice Shelf is a long ice shelf in the northwest part of the Weddell Sea, extending along the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula from Cape Longing to Smith Peninsula. It is named after Captain Carl Anton Larsen, the master of the No ...
known as "
Larsen B The Larsen Ice Shelf is a long ice shelf in the northwest part of the Weddell Sea, extending along the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula from Cape Longing to Smith Peninsula. It is named after Captain Carl Anton Larsen, the master of the ...
"; once an ice shelf larger than the state of Rhode Island, which disintegrated over a three-week period in 2002 as a result of climate change. Chavez serves a Member of the Board of Directors of American Rivers.http://www.americanrivers.org/about/governance/


2012 congressional election

Chávez sought the Democratic nomination to succeed
Martin Heinrich Martin Trevor Heinrich (; born October 17, 1971) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Mexico, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Heinrich served as the U.S. ...
in the
U.S. House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, but lost to
Bernalillo County Bernalillo County () is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Mexico.Bernalillo ...
Commissioner
Michelle Lujan Grisham Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham (; born October 24, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 32nd governor of New Mexico since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Lujan Grisham previously served as the U.S. representative for N ...
.


Current Memberships

Martin Chavez was named to a two-year term on the board of directors of the
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) is a national non-profit civil rights organization formed in 1968 by Jack Greenberg to protect the rights of Latinos in the United States."MALDEF" entry in ''Los Angeles A to Z: An ...
(MALDEF) in May 2013. He also on the board of directors of American Rivers. He is a former senior adviser to the Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP), He is currently a senior adviser to Smart City Media, an
Internet of Things The Internet of things (IoT) describes physical objects (or groups of such objects) with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other comm ...
company that merges interactive smart signs with mobile applications to deliver location-based media in real time, and to P3GM, a Smart Cities technology startup focusing on public-private partnerships in the smart cities arena. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Center for National Policy/Truman Security Project.


References


External links


Martin Chávez's campaign website


* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Chavez, Martin J. 1952 births Georgetown University Law Center alumni Hispanic and Latino American mayors Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New Mexico Living people Mayors of Albuquerque, New Mexico Democratic Party New Mexico state senators University of New Mexico alumni