Paso Robles mayor says he’s running for re-election | The Tribune

Paso Robles Mayor Steve Martin announced Thursday he plans to run for a second term as the city’s leader.

Martin, who ran unopposed in 2014, said he wants the chance to continue working on issues he and the City Council began to tackle during his first term.

“It’s been a really exciting four years,” Martin said. “We’ve got a lot of things done.”

He said he’s especially proud of continuing to increase the city’s water resources, streamlining Paso Robles’ Planning Department and acting as a leader in civil discourse.

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Martin previously served on the City Council from 1987 to 1996, and he served as rotational mayor from 1988 to 1990 before the city began electing mayors in 2000.

After a hiatus, Martin again served as a councilman from 2012 to 2014 before becoming mayor. He last ran for office in 2016, when he faced off against John Peschong in the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors District 1 race, which he lost.

Should he win a second term, Martin said he wants focus on repairing roads using funds from the city’s proposed half-cent sales tax measure, increasing economic development and improving public safety and emergency preparedness.

“We’ve got so many things in the pipeline right now I’m really looking forward to working on,” he said.

Candidates must submit their election petitions by Aug. 10 to qualify for the November ballot, said Kristy Buxkemper, deputy city clerk.

In addition to the mayoral election, two councilmen — John Hamon and Jim Reed — will finish their terms this year. Neither has yet announced their intention to run for re-election.

Including Martin, eight potential candidates have pulled papers to begin the process of qualifying to run for office — three for mayor and five for City Council, Buxkemper said. No candidates have yet been certified to appear on the ballot, she said.