[citation needed] His wife Judy left a career in corporate America to become a reading teacher at one of Stamford's elementary schools, where she worked since 2007 until the week of her death from cancer on November 10, 2016.

[citation needed] David Martin was elected to Stamford's Board of Representatives in 1983 on the promise of improving city services.

[3] During his time on the board, he helped persuade former Stamford mayor Louis Clapes to provide municipal waste services to the city's condominiums.

[3] In November 2013, David Martin beat Republican contender Michael Fedele in a narrow election to become the mayor of Stamford.

[11] With support from Martin, the Stamford Board of Representatives unanimously passed a Complete Streets Ordinance, making it the third city in Connecticut to do so.

[14] In February 2015, Martin announced plans to construct a new police headquarters to replace the existing building, which was built in 1955 and was found to contain asbestos.

[13] Martin announced his support for body-worn cameras in May 2015, and pledged to apply for federal grant funding from the Department of Justice.

[17] At the time of the purchase, Martin and education officials announced their hope to use the property to address overcrowding in the district's elementary schools.

[18] Martin urged the Connecticut State Senate in 2014 to help improve Metro-North's New Haven Line, citing it as an important factor influencing the future success of the city and region.

[19] On April 6, 2020, before any cases of COVID-19 were reported in Connecticut, Martin was the first state or city official to announce new protocols to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

[22] In compliance with state guidelines, on October 29, 2020, Martin ordered new limitations in the number of people allowed in public spaces, businesses, and at various gatherings.

[23] In addition to frequent "reverse 911 calls,"[24] both in English and Spanish,[citation needed] providing information on testing and free mask giveaways.

[citation needed] Martin began a live weekly streamed update on the state of the virus in Stamford,[25] which then became bi-weekly in late 2021.

[33] Martin credited the city's health and public safety departments, volunteers, and non-profit organizations for their assistance in reaching and vaccinating the diverse population in Stamford.

[2] Before competing in the general election, Martin won in the Democratic primary against State Representative William Tong in September 2013 with 52% of the vote.