Augusta County Commonwealth's Attorney Tim Martin announces re-election bid
STAUNTON — Augusta County Commonwealth's Attorney Tim Martin announced his re-election bid Friday as the county's top prosecutor seeks a third consecutive four-year term.
And Martin, 45, will have a significant war chest to back him up. In a press release, he said he'll be seeking the Republican nomination for the seat.
"We have accomplished so much here since I first took office in 2016," Martin said in the release. "In that time, we have significantly strengthened our relationship with our local law enforcement community. We have achieved outstanding results for the citizens of this County. This success includes multiple high profile cold-case homicide convictions along with life sentences for the offenders.
"Perhaps my proudest achievement has been the establishment of a unique alternative program for low-level, first time offenders. Rather than receiving a criminal charge, these nonviolent offenders have the option to pick up roadside garbage. If they stay crime-free, they can avoid a criminal charge altogether. This has positively impacted many lives, and has contributed to the safety of our community."
Martin said his team will be rolling out a new website and social media presence, as well as formally engaging "a Virginia consulting firm with a national track record of success."
The re-election effort will be aided with a campaign fund that holds a tad more than $200,000. "I understand this might seem excessive," Martin said in the release. "However, it is incredibly important that the chief law enforcement official for this County is free from the influence of bad actors. The 2019 race for Sheriff demonstrated that those with ill motives are prepared to spend a lot in order to control the local justice system. Should the same occur in this race, we will use our money to spread the message about our record of success and to call out those with connections to criminal organizations attempting to influence our justice system to their benefit."
In the Augusta County sheriff's race, won easily by Sheriff Donald Smith, he was the target of a nasty ad campaign led by a political action committee that poured in more than $20,000 in its unsuccessful bid to oust him. Smith blamed the owners of Nexus Services Inc., a Verona-based business that is currently in legal turmoil.
"They are a propaganda tool, they are one-sided, they hate law enforcement, they hate me, they hate my agency and they hate what we stand for," Smith said during his victory speech.
In October, without naming the Verona business, during a county supervisor's meeting Martin went after the embattled company. "These lies and deceptions have been incredibly harmful to our law enforcement community," Martin said at the time.
Martin earned his law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law, and did his undergrad work at the University of Mary Washington. He also has a masters in criminal justice from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Martin said he plans to formally register his re-election bid within days. According to the Augusta County Voter Registration Office, nobody has yet filed to run for the position.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Tim Martin, Augusta County prosecutor, announces re-election bid
