Lawrenceville Councilman Readies for State Senate District 9 Race

Lawrenceville City Councilman P.K. Martin attended his last council meeting Wednesday (Dec. 4) as he resigns to get ready for his race for the Georgia Senate District 9 seat.

Martin first announced in October that he would be running for Don Balfour's seat just days after a grand jury indicted the Georgia Senator on 18 charges. In November, a review panel unanimously approved to suspend Balfour from office, but a week later, his attorney told the Gwinnett Daily Post that his client would not be resigning.

In a recent press release, Martin says his goodbyes to the city of Lawrenceville.

"It has been an honor to serve the people of Lawrenceville for the last eight years," he said. "The trust my neighbors have placed in me has been humbling, and I am proud of the accomplishments we have had during my time on the council. We facilitated the move of the Aurora Theatre that has attracted thousands of people to downtown Lawrenceville. We have also made vital improvements to the community, increased transparency in our budget process, attracted new jobs and protected taxpayers by spending money wisely and lowering taxes."

He also explained his reason for running for Balfour's seat.

“I am running for Senate because I’m tired of seeing politicians skirting just inside the parameters of legality, instead of doing what’s right," he continued. "The people have simply lost trust in government, particularly here in Gwinnett County where we have seen a lot of news reports about our leaders and their ethical challenges. It’s time to restore that trust. We have a tradition of addressing our elected officials as honorable, and we need elected officials who will earn that title. That’s what I’ve done on the city council, and that is what I will do in the Senate.”

Martin is a Lawrenceville native and works for the family-run business Hood Insurance Agency. Martin serves on the board of the Professional Insurance Agents of Georgia as well as on the board of Providence Christian Academy. 

Martin and his wife Amanda have two children, Charlotte and Kuhl.