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Ed Martin. File hoto by Karen Elshout
Ed Martin, St. Louis attorney and former chief of staff to ex-Gov, Matt Blunt, announced on Wednesday that he is running for Congress.
Martin is taking on Democrat Russ Carnahan, who is seeking his fourth term in November 2010 to represent the 3rd Congressional District.
As Blunt’s chief of staff, Martin led coordinated efforts by the governor’s office to call for reform of the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan, according to e-mails obtained by Missouri Lawyers Media. Among the changes touted were bringing more openness to the selection process.
Also as the chief of staff, Martin was involved in the firing of Scott Eckersley, the governor’s then-deputy counsel. Eckersley filed a wrongful termination lawsuit, alleging that he was fired over his advice to the governor’s office that they were mishandling e-mails by deleting some that needed to be preserved. Martin contended that Eckersley was fired for professional and personal misconduct. The lawsuit was settled in June with $500,000 being paid to Eckersley. The parties from the governor’s office denied all allegations of wrongdoing in the lawsuit.
His time in the governor’s office may have been contentious, but Martin touts his achievements in heading a leadership time that designed and implemented the Missouri Accountability Portal, an Internet search engine that tracks state government spending in order to increase transparency and better identify and eliminate government waste. According to a release, he was instrumental in helping pass a major tax cut for seniors, increasing and expanding education funding, while decreasing the size of government.
Martin was previously chairman of the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners. He was also appointed to the Missouri State Parks Advisory Board in 2007 and remains an active member. He has been a president of the Missouri Roundtable for Life, a not-for-profit pro-life group and was the immediate past executive director of the Missouri
Club for Growth, the low-tax, small government advocacy group.
Martin announced his intention to run at McArthur’s Bakery in south St. Louis County. Owners Dave and Randy McArthur have spoken out against Carnahan after he voted on the “Cap-and-Trade” national energy tax, which they said they believe would force them and other businesses to shut down.
“I have heard the people of this district and know that we feel ignored and discounted by the powers-that-be in Wash-ington D.C.,” Martin said in a statement. “Now it’stime for us to stand shoulder to shoulder and take on Washington – and make clear to them this simple fact from here in the heartland; some things are worth fighting for.”
