Remembering Frank Martin

Longtime West Memphis public servant passes away

By JOHN RECH

news@theeveningtimes.com

The man that loved and served the City of West Memphis the most has died. City Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Frank Martin passed away Saturday, May 23. The boy who was part of the last class at Hulbert and the first class at West Junior High grew up in true blue love for the Blue Devils, the Memphis Tigers, and the city.

“We always joked about loving West Memphis,” said West Memphis Mayor Marco McClendon. “He would say you may love West Memphis, but not as much as I love West Memphis. He was more than city treasurer; he was my friend for 20 years.”

“He embodied the spirit of West Memphis,” said State Senator Keith Ingram. “He was a true public servant. He was somebody the city council and the business community respected. The excellent fiscal position this community enjoyed was primarily the collaboration between Mayor Johnson and Frank Martin. If there was a community event, if he wasn’t heading it, he was darn sure going to be there.

“He embodied the best of what West Memphis has to offer. He was a great father. He was very active in his church. Holy Cross has lost its stalwart member. He was Blue Devil through and through and loved Memphis

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State. He never met a stranger. If there was an event in the city he was there and behind it. He will be missed so very much.”

Martin gave life to the Delta Office Supply business before winning election to the city treasurer’s office in 1999. His seat on the local board of Southland provided a conduit of goodwill between the city and the casino going back to the heyday of dog racing.

“With Southland he was always looking out for the community,” said Ingram. “He was active in promoting the community at Southland, promoting everything from their charitable donations to pushing for hiring as many local people as possible. He was a strong advocate for our community.”

Mayor Marco McClendon said Martin had been his longtime guide and helped to the very end working from home battling cancer, navigating the city financially through the coronavirus crisis. The mayor reported Thursday the city administration had saved nearly a million dollars against the budget during the pandemic. “Working with the numbers, he is the reason the city is in the fine financial shape it is through this COVID-19,” said McClendon. “He was our treasurer, our city financial director, but I know he loved West Memphis.

“I am broken. I talked to him the previous day. He was trying to walk again and looking forward to coming back to work for West Memphis.”

Martin mentored McClendon.

“When I first ran for city council, Frank Martin was one of the first people that reached out to me,” said Mc-Clendon. “We used to have lunch on Dover Road, and talk about strategy. He has been in my corner a longtime. It meant a lot to me. When I became mayor he said, ‘Mayor you have a lot of wide-eyed ideas. We may not always agree with each other but I respect your office. As long as it is right and legal you have my 100 percent support.’ He gave me all that right up until he left this world.”