KINGMAN – Longtime Kingman resident Don Martin has announced his intention to seek the District 4 Board of Supervisors seat that is being vacated by Jean Bishop.
Martin, a Kingman resident since1972, said he is calling on his lifetime of public service to serve as his qualification to serve the citizens of District 4.
“I am a proud veteran who volunteered and joined the U.S. Army in 1969,” Martin said.
Martin moved to Kingman in 1972 to accept a position with the City of Kingman Police Department (KPD). He rose to the rank of sergeant during his 14 ? years of service there.
In 1979 Martin was selected by the Kingman Chamber of Commerce as “Mohave County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.”
Martin was on duty and was one of a few KPD officers who were not severely injured during the Doxol explosion on July 5, 1973 and has written stories about the events on that tragic day.
While working as a full-time police officer, husband and father, Martin earned degrees at Mohave Community College in Administration of Justice and Management.
Martin joined the Gilbert Police Department in 1986 with the rank of Sergeant.
In 1987, after sustaining a serious on-the-job-injury while pursuing a burglary suspect at a church under construction in Gilbert, Martin was ultimately medically retired from that agency and moved back to Kingman.
Martin has been an outdoors writer with his stories being published in local newspapers for more than 40 years. He was named by the Arizona Game & Fish Commission as their “Outdoors Writer of the Year.” He was also chosen by the Arizona Game & Fish Commission as their “Mentor of the Year,” for his community service in 2012.
Martin became involved in the Arizona Game & Fish Department’s Hunter Education Program, rising to the position of Master Instructor. Over the past 25 years Don and his staff has been involved in teaching several thousand local citizens; youth and adults, the tenets of being a safe, respectful and lawful sportsman.
In 2013 the Wildlife For Tomorrow organization inducted Martin into the Arizona Wildlife Hall of Fame for “Outstanding Contributions to Arizona’s Wildlife Resources,” an honor no other Mohave County citizen has ever received.
In 1995 Martin was appointed to the Mohave County Public Lands Use Committee (MCPLUC) where he served as Chairman of the Wilderness, Wildlife and Endangered Species subcommittee for 11 years.
In January 2024, Mohave County District 4 Supervisor Jean Bishop appointed Martin to serve on the newly created Mohave County Public Lands Committee.
Over the years Martin has worked with a number of state and federal agencies on conservation related issues. “I understand the value of working collaboratively with diverse groups in Arizona.” Most recently he has worked with the Lake Mead National Recreational Area on issues at South Cove to improve that area for all recreational users.
Martin is a lifetime member of the Mohave Sportsman Club, and has served three times as president and more than 10 years as the club’s Government Liaison.
Under his leadership at the MSC, he initiated ranch cleanup projects on the Boquillas Ranch in Unit 10 and ranches in Unit 18B. He also started the Kid’s Fishing Day program in 2003 where thousands of young anglers in the County have had the opportunity to fish at local ponds in cooperation with the Arizona Game & Fish Department, Mohave County Sheriff’s Department, Kingman Elks Lodge #468 and private landowners.
Martin is a staunch Second Amendment supporter and strongly supports law enforcement in Mohave County. He is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 16.
“As a conservationist, I am adamantly opposed to converting public lands from multiple use, to single use for Green Energy projects,” said Martin. “It is my sincere hope that I will be able to continue my service to the citizens of Mohave County. If elected, I pledge to protect the heritage, customs and values of the citizens of Mohave County and District 4.”
