That his re-election effort attracted three challengers hasn't pushed Jay Ross Martin into a panic.

The other candidates running for his Position 5 seat on the Conroe City Council are either dissatisfied with the current direction of the city or are opposed to Martin over a "single issue," he said. "I consider myself the mainstream candidate," Martin said. "If someone else had filed (for Position 5) that said they were happy with the city's operation, but felt they could do a better job than me, then I would have been really concerned. "But I believe there's a distinctive, clear difference between me and the other candidates in this race," he said.
Martin, 57, remains confident his performance during the past four years will make him the clear-cut choice when the Conroe residents cast their vote in the May 13 municipal election. Former councilman Melvin Douglas, former mayoral candidate James Mitchell and first-time council candidate Guy Martin - Jay Ross' younger brother - are looking to defeat the incumbent.
The city's recent commercial and residential growth is a key component of Jay Ross Martin's platform. He said he will continue to work for financial "accountability and transparency" within the city government.
"One of my promises (during Martin's first term) was to get the city's financial house in order," he said. "I think we, the council, and the mayor (Tommy Metcalf) have made a lot of improvements, but we can't rest on our laurels. We want the city to be the best it can be. " Helping hire a talented city staff is one of the recent achievements of which Martin is proudest. "We've been able to keep some of the best employees and we've been able to attract some of the brightest young talent who has made an obvious difference in the city's operation," he said. "I'm not the smartest person, but I know how to hire the smartest people." Martin said increasing economic development within Conroe, particularly in the area of "middle class" housing, will be his "main passion" during a second four-year term. Attracting residential developments with single-family homes in the $100,000-$150,000 price range has sparked the corporate and commercial growth within the city, he said.
"That is the fastest growing housing market we have," Martin said. "Before I was elected to the council, the city's emphasis was on offering incentives on estate homes. We've changed our philosophy and we've seen new jobs and new companies moving to Conroe because we've added incentives for middle class housing.
"The two fit together. Creating affordable housing has attracted more businesses," he said. "We're also creating places for our kids to live instead of having them move to Dallas, Houston or San Antonio." Martin has been a staunch supporter of the proposed downtown revitalization. He endorses the Roger Brooks study that calls for a $25 million overhaul of a 9 square block area of downtown, but only if the city can establish the necessary public-private partnerships. "The Brooks study said that the city's financial involvement would be only one-third of that amount," Martin said. "The stimulus would come from the public section, while the major of the capital infusion would come from private businesses and corporations.
"Growth doesn't have to be urban sprawl. We can have a Conroe that everyone is proud of if every step is well-thought out. We need to look at the big picture and proceed in an orderly fashion," he said.
Despite the number of challengers and a claim of conflict of interest by his brother Guy, Martin said support for his re-election has been strong.
"My support has been even better (since the increased opposition)," Jay Ross Martin said. "I'm even more confident of my re-election. The citizens of Conroe realize my heart is in the right place."