Art Martinez de Vara is the mayor of Von Ormy, Texas, business attorney, historian and publisher. He has a Doctor of Law and Master’s degree in Theology from St. Mary’s University. Born in Houston, Texas, Martinez de Vara attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he founded the internet service provider AustinNet. In 2003, Martinez de Vara returned to South Texas to attend law school and led the effort to organize the City of Von Ormy (Bexar County). When elected as the town’s first mayor, he was among the youngest serving Mayors in the United States. Martinez de Vara has a proven record of leadership and accomplishment having been elected by his peers to serve as Chair of the South Texas Partnership of Governments, Vice-President of the Texas Municipal League, Region 7. He has been selected by Texas Monthly as a SuperLawyer Rising Star (2014) and profiled in the ABA Journal (January 2011). Martinez de Vara is a noted historian specializing in the Tejano experience in Texas and 18th and 19th Century Texas. He has been published by the Texas State Historical Association and his biography of Sen. Jose Francisco Ruiz, one of two Tejano signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, is being edited for publication.

During the 82nd Legislature, Martinez de Vara served as Chief of Staff for State Rep. John V. Garza. His duties included drafting legislation for the member in areas such as restrictive covenants, appraisal district reform, housing development tax credits, regulation of alternative health care providers, land use regulation in extra-territorial jurisdictions, water utilities and reform of property owners associations. Martinez de Vara’s combined professional, political and academic experience has given him unique understanding of the legal, legislative and political cultures of Texas. In Texas, where public figures are lauded for their maverick individualism, Martinez de Vara exemplifies what Texans admire most.