Councilmember Clarence Terrell “C. T.” Martin is a native Atlantan who has been elected to the Atlanta City Council since 1990 in a special election. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a Master of Science degree in Social Work from Atlanta University. For over 30 years, Mr. Martin has provided professional services in a number of areas including education, social services, enfranchisement, voter rights, government (local, state, and federal), and private business enterprise. Since his election, Councilman Martin has labored tirelessly to bring the voice of visionary African Americans to the forefront to impact national policy.
He has traveled extensively touring Hong-Kong, Africa, China, Japan, Switzerland, Paris, France, London, and Italy with the Lions Club, a local community service organization.
During his second and third terms, Councilman Martin has held three key Chairmanships- the Human Resources Committee, the Public Safety Committee and since 2011 the Transportation Committee. He has played a major role in ensuring that Public Safety remains a priority by assisting in the opening of a mini police precinct in the M. L. King/ Adamsville community and organizing the District 10 Citizens on Patrol.
Councilman Martin has been successful in pushing initiatives to serve our youth in the city of Atlanta and he lucratively secured funding for a 20 million dollar gymnasium and pool. As a top priority of his first term – Councilman Martin- spearheaded a historic first for the 10th District- an initiative to unleash the District’s Economic Engine-its retail community and founded the M. L. King Jr. Drive Merchants Association. A long time activist of Southside Development, Councilman Martin made efforts to include the designation of the M. L. King Jr. Drive corridor as a priority in the City’s master plan for the southside of the City.
Councilman Martin also established the first “Youth Commission” in the city’s history. The goal of the Youth Commission is to interact with other state, local, religious, and educational agencies to insure that Atlanta’s children are given every opportunity to achieve their greatest potential. The Youth Commission will serve as a clearinghouse for ideas, providing advice, counsel, and resource development to the Mayor and Council on critical youth related issues. Councilman Martin also supplements his broad policy making roles with genuine “hands on” programs for youth. He has adopted a 24 member elementary school class to whom he routinely reads literature. Youthfest, founded in 1991 – an event geared toward strengthening the lines of communication for children and adults founded by Councilman Martin is now an annual tradition attracting more than 5,000 youth from the City. He also has a long history of serving the elderly and youth, with a special focus on secondary school children.
For more than 20 years Councilman Martin has served the National Scholarship Service for Negro Students, (NSSFNS) influencing college minority recruitment policy nationwide. He received a presidential appointment to the Whitehouse of Domestic Affairs in 1972.
Councilman Martin is a Leadership Atlanta graduate and has affiliations with numerous service organizations. For three years he served a Grand Marshal of the Caribbean Festival Parade. From 1997 to 2004 Councilman Martin served as assistant host marshal and assistant to the grand marshal for the Imperial Council Shriners’ Parade. During the course of his public service career, he has received more than 250 community service awards for outstanding service. His off term work includes being a consultant on political campaigns and spearheading strategic planning activity and youth programming as well as being selected by President Barack Obama as a Democratic Delegate in 2008. Councilman Martin has also led legislative initiatives to rename the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport in honor of the late Maynard Jackson. He is a Board Member of the Atlanta-Fulton County Library Board of Trustees, The City of Atlanta Employee Credit Union, the YMCA Head Start LLC Board, the West End Medical Center Board of Directors and Another Way Out, Inc. Furthermore, Councilmember Martin is a member of the Southwest Hospital Medical Center foundation, a member of Hoosier Memorial United Methodist Church and has 4 Children.