Jerretta Nance Pate

LINDALE — Lindale City Council Place 2 incumbent and mayor pro-tem Yvette Martin’s term began in 2020, and she is up for reelection, facing challenger Jerretta Nance Pate in the May 4 election.

The council comprises a mayor and five councilmembers representing single-member districts, all elected at-large for three-year terms.

Yvette Martin

Martin, a Lindale resident for 14 years, relocated from San Antonio, choosing small-town life.

Martin’s parents were actively involved in their city and school. Her father worked for government housing and urban development, while her mother volunteered behind the scenes for festivals, PTA and other events.

Martin was constantly on the move, with her parents going to and from meetings.

“It just kind of follows you,” Martin said. “You unknowingly just learn it all.”

After graduating from Providence High School, she attended a college in San Antonio before transferring to a Dallas design school, where she obtained a degree in fashion, interior design and marketing.

“When we moved here to Lindale, I was a new mom in a new town … and I came from a big city, so I was trying to understand small-town living,” Martin said, “inject myself, I guess, into the community a little bit.”

She was a Lindale Parks Advisory Board member from 2015 to 2019. Then, she wanted to know more about the city and was appointed to the Planning and Zoning Committee. Martin filled the unexpired term of Place 2 councilman Clyde Harper in October 2020.

Her experience with parks and zoning boards gave Martin insight into the city’s growth, benefiting her as she served on the council.

“It helped me to understand … how to plan for new business … and integrating your business with the community,” Martin said. “How to keep it a small town, but of course, it’s never going to stop growing so you have to learn how to merge small town and new growth.”

Having been hands-on in developing parks like Darden Harvest Park and the growing Cannery District, Martin expressed her commitment to seeing these projects through to completion.

“I have the experience to continue in this role,” Martin said. “I have a good heart for the community.”

Managing the influx of new businesses and residents while maintaining Lindale’s small-town atmosphere is challenging. Martin understands strategic development within the city’s infrastructure to preserve community character while accommodating growth.

“The hardest part is keeping it small while growing big,” Martin said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

A busy mother, Martin has owned Fantastic Inflatables with her husband for 11 years. They attend Cross Brand Cowboy Church in Tyler.

Jerretta Nance Pate

Challenger Jerretta Nance Pate is a Lindale high school graduate and city resident for 39 years.

Following in her parents’ entrepreneurial footsteps, Pate has been a business owner in the community her entire adult life. Her experience includes bookkeeping for a building business, working as a Realtor and property manager and owning Precision Express Car Wash in Lindale.

“I haven’t worked for somebody else,” Pate said. “I’ve just been very self-motivated, a go-getter and a leader.”

Pate has served on several local boards and has been involved with many local organizations. She has been a member of the Lindale Chamber of Commerce since 2008 and was a board member from 2013 to 2014. She also served on the Friends of the Lindale Library board and Lindale Pilot Club, is a Lindale Rotary Club member and is a past member of the Hideaway Lake Kiwanis Club.

She currently serves as a board member and treasurer of her homeowners association. She has two daughters, is a member of Grace Community Church and also attends Lifesource Community Church.

Pate expressed her availability to the community, emphasizing her support for first responders and fellow business owners.

“I have a little more freedom as far as being able to go out into the community and to be involved,” Pate said. “Between the business owners and the first responders that come to our business, I really felt a desire for me to do this, to help them.”

Pate aims to represent local business owners who reside outside the city limits and lack voting rights or significant influence in local governance. She seeks to advocate for their interests and be their voice within the community.

“I just really have felt a passion for that to try to be there for them,” Pate said. “That’s kind of where my main heart is.”

Passionate about supporting first responders, Pate is dedicated to ensuring they receive the necessary resources to protect and serve the community effectively. She advocates for competitive pay scales, adequate staffing to meet the community’s growing needs and preparation to support its inevitable growth.

“I’m around our community all the time…I live here. I grew up here. It’s just this is my town,” Pate said. “I’m just excited about the growth of it.”

Early voting begins Monday. Election Day is May 4.