Gary Martin
Gary Dale Martin retired on February 28, 2009, after a 36-year career with the City of Ponca City, serving as city manager for the past 15 years. Born in Okemah, his family moved to Ponca when he was four. He received an Associate degree in Business Administration from Northern Oklahoma College and in 1973 his BS degree from Oklahoma State University. Martin worked as an accountant before joining the city as Park Superintendent in 1973. He subsequently served as Public Works Director from 1977 until 1993 when he became City Manager. He served in 1991 as President of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Public Works Association and in 2002 as President of the City Management Association of Oklahoma.
Known as an innovator, his leadership in projects for advanced meter infrastructure and energy-efficiency programs and a citywide free wireless internet service for local residents and businesses continues to garner national attention for Ponca City.
Despite a daunting list of accomplishments at Ponca City, Martin also reserved time and energy to be involved in numerous professional and organizational endeavors affecting local government. His expertise is tapped often when issues arise that threaten the ability of local officials to set policies for their local communities. In this regard, he served on the Governor’s Infrastructure Advisory Task Force in 1986, the state Department of Environmental Quality, Air Control Council from 2001 to 2007 and on the board of the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority from 2005 until 2008.
He also served on two special gubernatorial committees. The first of these was in 1990 to examine recycling options for Oklahoma economic, environmental, and energy impacts, and in 1991 on state program and policy options for promoting minimization of hazardous waste.
He is a recipient of the 1994 Solid Waste Association of North America Professional Achievement Award and the 2000 Don Rider Award from the Oklahoma Municipal League. In 2007, the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce created the “Gary Martin Outstanding City Employee Award” to honor annually a deserving city employee in that community.