Changes

==Political life==

==Political life==

In 1978, the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] Martinez was elected to the Laredo City Council, a nominally nonpartisan position. At the same time, [[Aldo Tatangelo]] was elected [[mayor]] to succeed the retiring [[J. C. Martin (Texas politician)|J. C. "Pepe" Martin]] of the former "Independent Club," who subsequently spent time in the Webb County Jail for theft of municipal services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wmiqt|title=Independent Club|publisher=''The Handbook of Texas''|accessdate= April 27, 2012}}</ref> Martinez worked on the council to change the city government from "strong mayor" to "weak mayor" format through a new municipal charter.<ref name=bio/> After a brief time on the council, he was asked by [[U.S. President]] [[Jimmy Carter]] to head the Southwest Regional Office in Dallas of the [[Small Business Administration]]. During this stint, he lived in Dallas on weekdays but returned to Laredo most weekends.<ref name=interview/>

In 1978, the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] Martinez was elected to the Laredo City Council, a nominally nonpartisan position. At the same time, [[Aldo Tatangelo]] was elected [[mayor]] to succeed the retiring [[J. C. Martin, Jr.|J. C. "Pepe" Martin, Jr.]], of the former "Independent Club," who subsequently spent time in the Webb County Jail for theft of municipal services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wmiqt|title=Independent Club|publisher=''The Handbook of Texas''|accessdate= April 27, 2012}}</ref> Martinez worked on the council to change the city government from "strong mayor" to "weak mayor" format through a new municipal charter.<ref name=bio/> After a brief time on the council, he was asked by [[U.S. President]] [[Jimmy Carter]] to head the Southwest Regional Office in Dallas of the [[Small Business Administration]]. During this stint, he lived in Dallas on weekdays but returned to Laredo most weekends.<ref name=interview/>

In 1982, Martinez returned to Laredo to run for mayor against Tatangelo, and though he had led in the primary, he lost in the[runoff election.<ref name=tamiudocument>{{cite web|url=http://www.tamiu.edu/oatah/rmendiola/documents/MercurioMartinezJr..pdf|title=Mercurio Martinez, Jr.|publisher=tamiu.edu|accessdate=April 28, 2014}}</ref> In 1990, he was elected county judge, having unseated the incumbent Andres "Andy" Ramos. Though he had no [[Republican Party|Republican]] opponent in the [[general election]], former Mayor Tatangelo, at the age of seventy-seven, opposed his former mayoral rival Martinez for county judge as a write-in candidate. Martinez still prevailed with some 75 percent of the votes cast, but the county Republican leadership, headed by Esther Buckley (1948-2013), endorsed Tatangelo. After three terms as county judge, Martinez was unseated in the 2002 Democratic primary by Louis Henry Bruni, a departing member of the Laredo City Council from District 2. Thereafter, beginning in the fall of 2003, Martinez began teaching accounting at Texas A&M International University in Laredo.<ref name=bio/><ref>Louis H. Bruni served only one term as county judge, having been defeated in 2006 by [[Danny Valdez]], who was himself defeated after two terms by former professional [[baseball]] player [[Tano Tijerina]] in 2014. In 2018, Tijerina won a second term in the position.</ref>

In 1982, Martinez returned to Laredo to run for mayor against Tatangelo, and though he had led in the primary, he lost in the[runoff election.<ref name=tamiudocument>{{cite web|url=http://www.tamiu.edu/oatah/rmendiola/documents/MercurioMartinezJr..pdf|title=Mercurio Martinez, Jr.|publisher=tamiu.edu|accessdate=April 28, 2014}}</ref> In 1990, he was elected county judge, having unseated the incumbent Andres "Andy" Ramos. Though he had no [[Republican Party|Republican]] opponent in the [[general election]], former Mayor Tatangelo, at the age of seventy-seven, opposed his former mayoral rival Martinez for county judge as a write-in candidate. Martinez still prevailed with some 75 percent of the votes cast, but the county Republican leadership, headed by Esther Buckley (1948-2013), endorsed Tatangelo. After three terms as county judge, Martinez was unseated in the 2002 Democratic primary by Louis Henry Bruni, a departing member of the Laredo City Council from District 2. Thereafter, beginning in the fall of 2003, Martinez began teaching accounting at Texas A&M International University in Laredo.<ref name=bio/><ref>Louis H. Bruni served only one term as county judge, having been defeated in 2006 by [[Danny Valdez]], who was himself defeated after two terms by former professional [[baseball]] player [[Tano Tijerina]] in 2014. In 2018, Tijerina won a second term in the position.</ref>