After being raised in Russellville from the age of four, it wasn’t his choice when Guadalupe Martinez’ family moved to Florence before his junior year of high school.
Five years ago, it was Martinez’ choice to move back to the town he’s called home since he was four years old. And now, the 30-year-old wants to represent the people in his hometown. That’s why Martinez has decided to run for mayor. And he made his announcement well in advance of the August 26, 2025, Russellville municipal election.
“Moving from Russellville was a decision out of my control at the time, but I decided to come back,” Martinez said. “I grew up here. This is my home, so I saw myself being settled here and starting my own family and raising my children here.
“I love this community and its school system. I want my kids to experience what I experienced as a child growing up in Russellville. There’s a lot of opportunity in Russellville that hasn’t been tapped into yet and I would love the chance to work on that,” he added.
Martinez, who goes by ‘Lupe,’ attended Northwest Shoals Community College then transferred to the University of North Alabama, where he’s majoring in Political Science. He is employed by CB&S Bank, where he’s worked for two years.
While Martinez embraces the fact he’s the first Hispanic resident to seek local elected office, he doesn’t describe himself as a Hispanic candidate. Instead, Martinez said he’s a young candidate who’ll offer a fresh face with new ideas on how to move Russellville forward.
“I understand my being a Hispanic candidate will be brought up,” Martinez said. “People are not big fans of identity politics. I hope the voters will make their choice on merit, not based on who you are or what you look like.”
But that doesn’t mean Martinez doesn’t have a message for Hispanic voters as well.
“We have a lot of young Hispanics who have already graduated from high school and more about to graduate and they haven’t registered to vote because they haven’t found a candidate to resonate with,” Martinez said. “So this is a great opportunity to reach out to Hispanic voters and young voters to let them know there’s someone young with a fresh face who they can invest in at the ballot box.”
Martinez believes the values instilled within Russellville’s Hispanic community are the same for most residents.
“Within the Hispanic community, those values include hard work and a love for God. Those are hallmarks of the Hispanic community and I see those resonate across the entire city, not just one segment,” Martinez said.
“And we need someone outside the same political circles in this city who can solve problems through an objective lens,” he added.
Those problems include a ‘fragmented’ trust between residents and local leaders with a lack of what he describes as ‘sincere discourse.’
“This campaign has a real chance at creating a new voting block comprised of younger voters who struggle to find a candidate they can relate to and to help Hispanic voters find a candidate they can trust,” Martinez said.
Martinez, who said he attends Russellville First Baptist Church, is concerned about diminishing of faith among Americans.
“We can’t allow the erosion of faith in our families, regardless of who you are,” Martinez said. “If we lose that, we lose ourselves. Faith alone send a very powerful character message about who we are. Faith reinforces the fact that family is the most important institution in our society.”
A foundation of Martinez’ campaign is his pledge to encourage growth of small businesses in Russellville, as well as bringing some chain restaurants to town. His father Juan owned and operated Tortilleria Daisy in downtown Russellville for many years, so Martinez was raised understanding what it takes to maintain a small business.
“Any new addition to the city is an addition for its residents. Where are the restaurants we were told about but haven’t seen yet?,” Martinez said. “When we see growth in business, it generates excitement and people see their city is growing.
“Over time, with the right people and right leadership and encouragement, you will actually see progress in Russellville you probably haven’t seen in a while.”
Martinez isn’t shy about calling out what he believes to be a lack of transparency between Russellville’s leaders and its residents.
“We need new leadership and something different here. That’s a common message among a lot of voters I’ve spoken with,” Martinez said. “They want to see progress. They see our city having plateaued in the last few years. I believe we haven’t tapped into our potential yet. We need to rebuild a transparent relationship that’s missing between city leaders and the citizens they represent.”
Martinez wants to interact with as many voters as possible in the next 10 months. He invites any resident to call him at 256-284-5155 with questions, comments or concerns.
You can learn more about Martinez’ campaign for Mayor of Russellville by following his political and/or personal Facebook page, or by following ‘LupeMartinez2025’ on Instagram.
“I welcome hearing you share your thoughts and concerns. I will return a message as soon as I can, and I’ll take time to talk with anyone who contacts me. Whether it’s face-to-face or through social media, communication is so important for city leaders who forget they are serving the public, not the other way around,” Martinez said.
“I don’t come from a wealthy family nor do I have a municipal apparatus backing me. My choice to run for office is not due to an inflated ego of myself to enrich my name. This won’t just be another job for me, nor his this election about my future. It’s about yours,” Martinez added.
