Joe Ralph (J.R.) Martinez said he will not seek re-election for his seat (District 8) on the Fort Worth School District’s Board of trustees. The seat was created last year after the board adopted a redistricting plan based on the 2010 Census.
“I consulted with my family and there’s some positive things that are taking place in my family life and business, so I figured now would be the best time to step down,” he told Fort Worth Weekly.
The board has been under fire recently, and various members have faced accusations of nepotism and corruption from whislteblowers. But Martinez managed to keep his name out of the mouths of those whitsleblowers and the newspapers.
He told the Weekly he was proud of his service, and he supports the leadership of Superintendent Walter Dansby.
“There are some great things that the Fort Worth school district is accomplishing,” he said. “Of course there is a lot more that needs to be done. But I think overall Mr. Dansby is headed in the right direction.”
He plans to slide back into civilian life.
“Being on the board did take time away from my family,” he said. “Now I’m looking forward to spending time with my family again.”
His position on the Fort Worth Board of Realtors prevents him from endorsing any candidate at this time.
This is a sad day for the children of FWISD and a major victory for Judy Needham and her new-found minion Avila. He will be another rubber stamp for her in the tradition of Robbins and Jackson. But change could be good. Though a new-comer, Martinez never took a stand on issues, often simply not appearing for controversal votes. This all gets back to the real whore of the Board; Vasquez who accepted Needham’s support in his run against Lon Burnham. Vasquez needs to go. Not at the hands of long time Needham minion Camille Rodriguez either. Jacinto Ramos is a parent and ethical citizen – the kind of person parents and students need on the Board. As with the recent AHHS scandal (Needham no where to be found), more are to follow. This is what you get when the “gang of goofs” unanimously elects a corrupt and unethical person.
I am willing to bet you will se an effort to dump Dansby and bring MJ back. Why else is she hanging around at TCU. She supposedly was returning to California to care for her mother.
But the housecleaning starts somewhere and Vasquez and Rangel BOTH need to go. Too bad there was no one brave enough to run against Needham cronies Robbins and Sims.
This is all too sad but understandable. Thank you Mr. Martinez for your service.
I don’t know Martinez, but what I have heard from others, he was almost not going to win the board seat, because Needham wanted to bring in someone she knew. I was happy to see that her plan failed and Martinez won, even if it was temporary. The tone of this article is expected, in terms of why Martinez is not running again. But we can all read between the lines given the reputation of this idiotic board. Martinez is politically bowing out gracefully so as not to ruin any future chances of running again or seeking other political positions. I suppose that is a smart move on his part, I don’t blame him, but we know better why he is leaving. He is a stand-up guy, who obviously has way too many strong morals to serve with a bunch of self serving and unethical people like VAsquez, Needham, Jackson, Rangel, and Sutherland. Good luck Mr. Martinez and sorry you had to be thrown into the snake pit! I pray that this board is turned over soon, along with Dansby, so our district can get back to doing what it should be doing…focusing on students and not their personal corrupted agendas.
Mr. Martinez would of been the type of change the district needs. The only thing is having the others around to try and corrupt him. We will need to watch the new guy Avila to see how he is going to respond. I agree that the focus has always been on personal gain and never on students. They can justify it in many ways just to save face but I can tell you that the data speaks for itself. You don’t hear anyone informing the community about Arlington Heights or any other situation. If they can hide it, they will. We need people who will finally stand up for students, teachers and parents. Use your voice, your vote.
The Palazzolo trial is going to blow the lid off of the entire stinking trash heap that is FWISD. For the first time, the public will see how their tax dollars were used to falsify, cover-up, slander and intimidate. Needham, Jackson, Robbins, Vasquez, and Rangel – all the sleazy deals, behavior, and abuse of power will be exposed