Ray Martinez grew up in Fort Collins and has more than 30 years of experience in public service, including serving three terms as mayor of Fort Collins (1999-2005). He served three years in the United States Army in Thailand and stateside duty and earned the Army Commendation Medal.
I am committed to the process and if the process needs modification that meets the community’s needs, I will pursue it; bringing government back to the people.
Martinez began his career in the Fort Collins Police Department in 1974. During his tenure, he worked closely with Hispanic community leaders, youth and athletes to improve the relationships between the community and law enforcement. He also became an expert witness in the field of identification, recognition, and investigation of dangerous drugs.
Martinez was the lead investigator in an international terrorist investigation involving the attempted assassination of a Libyan student. The magnitude of this criminal episode is the subject of two published books: “Death Merchant” by Joseph Goulden and “Man Hunt” by Peter Maas. Martinez was the first Hispanic sergeant in Fort Collins police service and retired in 1996 after twenty-five years of law enforcement service.
Mr. Martinez is an active member of several advisory boards in Fort Collins. With a particular interest in working with youth, he co-founded an organization known as Neighborhoods United. Volunteers work directly with at risk youth to provide them with positive educational and recreational experiences.
Other boards on which Mr. Martinez serves or has served include the Partners Advisory Board of Directors, Governor Owens’ appointment as Chair of the Minority Business Advisory Council, continued under Governor Ritter, Board of Trustee for Colorado Mesa University appointed by Governor Hickenlooper in December 2013, member and past Chair of the Colorado Municipal League Policy Committee and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Board of Directors, and he was a White House Appointee to serve with the Defense Advisory Board for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Ray was recently appointed to the board of directors for Elevations Credit Union.
Ray Martinez has published ten books. In addition, he wrote a weekly newspaper column for nearly two years. He was also a radio talk show host for six years.
He is currently providing consulting services and continues as a writer and public speaker.