When David Martin walked to Crawford Elementary School in the 1970s, he never imagined he would develop game music for LucasArts; he also never imagined he would run for city council in his hometown of Ames.

One has happened, the other is happening. Martin is a candidate for the third-ward seat being vacated by Peter Orazem.

Martin learned computer science by working in a local computer company through high school and sitting in on classes at Iowa State. When Martin graduated from Ames High School, he didn’t feel ready to go to college.

Martin moved to Berkeley, California in January 1984 with $300 to his name. He found work with various computer start-ups and even worked on music and programming for LucasArts.

After three years, Martin returned to Ames and attended Iowa State. Martin felt the three years he spent away from school were critical for him, as when he returned, he was engaged and interested in his studies.

Martin double majored in math and computer science, with a minor in German.

With Martin’s background in computer science, it is no surprise that Martin’s belief that quality, affordable internet should be seen as part of infrastructure is part of his platform. He also believes that government has a responsibility to ensure that to citizens.

It was through Martin’s minor in German that he found himself in a U.S. Department of State exchange program and spent a year living and working in Germany. 

“It turns out I ended up at Hewlett-Packard in their German branch and I worked in one of their computer aided design groups,” Martin said. “I taught them about some tools I was familiar with and they were not. That was a great experience for me.”

Martin returned from Germany after one year and finished his undergraduate at Iowa State. He went to Boston University in 1993 to pursue his doctorate.

Martin met his husband, Steve Godfrey, in Boston and the couple moved to Denver, where Martin became an assistant professor at the University of Denver.

“[Working at the University of Denver] was a great situation. I loved my colleagues, I thought the school was really neat,” Martin said. “We would have stayed but my now-husband Steve [Godfrey], he got an opportunity to go to seminary and get on an ordination track for a minister and it was clear to us that was not going to be possible in Colorado basically because of the fact that we were a gay couple.”

Martin said being a gay couple in Denver was not a problem but their relationship was too controversial in the region as a whole for Godfrey to pursue becoming a minister. Martin and Godfrey moved back to Massachusetts in 2001 where Godfrey completed seminary school and became an Episcopalian minister. The couple held a church service in 2003 and were legally married in 2004 following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.

Godfrey is currently a minister at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Des Moines, although Godfrey’s first minister position was in Des Plaines, Illinois. Martin and Godfrey lived in Des Plaines for five years until moving back to Ames in 2013.

Martin said his appreciation of Ames and Iowa State and the opportunities he found here help fuel his aspirations to be in public service.

“I went away to pursue interesting opportunities at the time and then as I got older and recalled what it was like here, it became clear to me that there is something special here,” Martin said.

Martin now works full-time as a consultant in intellectual property cases related to technology, a job he started in a freelance capacity in Denver, even being involved in a case where Microsoft was sued that went to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Martin said his decision to run was catalyzed by his gratitude for the opportunities he had in Ames, his desire to be more involved with the community and feeling the presidential election did not turn out how he expected.