Wasco mayor brings a fresh perspective

Since being elected in November last year, Mayor Vincent R. Martinez has brought passion and commitment to the Wasco community for its residents' betterment.

Despite not having a political background, he has brought into the role leadership and knowledge gained through other experiences.

"I went to the California State University of Bakersfield and majored in political science, intending to go into politics. Instead, I went into law enforcement for over a decade," Martinez said.

Before being elected to the City Council, he served on various boards, including the Wasco Recreation and Parks District board and the Measure X Committee.

From 2021 to 2022, he was a member of the City Council. This prepared him to take on his current position as mayor.

He said he is passionate about the community of Wasco because it has given him so many opportunities in life.

"I was born and raised here. I started my family here. This is my home. It's easy to point out all the things that are wrong in our city, and for a long time, I did. But serving the community and working towards these solutions can be hard work," Martinez said.

"The one thing I have learned being on the council is that the answers are rarely as easy as they seem. Red tape, state laws, federal regulations and doing something as simple as putting in a stop sign takes months."

He points to his family for inspiring his success.

"I am married to a beautiful woman named Samantha. I have three incredible sons. My oldest, Vince, is working in his dream job for the WWE. My middle son Josh will graduate from Cal State Northridge by the end of this year. My youngest son, Matt, just graduated from Shafter High."

Martinez said he ran for office because he had three priorities.

"Public safety, roads and the demolition of the old labor camp. We have made tremendous progress in launching our own police department in a very short period of time."

"We continue to improve our roads, but there is still a lot of work left to be done. We have finally, after years, reached agreements with High-Speed Rail for the demolition of the old labor camp."

"While our city still needs improvements, we are steadily making progress to make Wasco a nice place to live again. Though I would love to take the credit for these projects, the bulk of these responsibilities falls on our city staff. We have an amazing team in place, and I see a bright future in Wasco."