Thompson picked to lead Maryland Stadium Authority

Craig Thompson was born in Baltimore on the same day that the city’s pro football team first played in the Super Bowl. Now, he could head the Maryland Stadium Authority which, among other responsibilities, serves as the landlord for the Orioles and Ravens.

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore nominated Thompson — an attorney at Venable LLP who chaired his campaign for governor — to serve as the authority’s chairman. If confirmed by the state Senate, he would replace Thomas Kelso, who was picked by former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan to lead the authority in 2015. Kelso served as the chair of Hogan’s reelection campaign in 2018.

Thompson, a longtime sports fan, said that if confirmed, he would be “extremely excited about this opportunity.”

He was born the day that the Colts lost to the New

York Jets in Super Bowl III in 1969, and was raised by a single mother in East Baltimore and then in Reisterstown. He earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Maryland and has been an attorney at Venable since 2006.

“The idea that a kid from East Baltimore could have the opportunity to assist in generating the economic development and community impact of our sports and entertainment industries is really, really appealing to me,” he told The Baltimore Sun in an interview Friday.

Thompson would replace Kelso as stadium authority chair, an unpaid post, as soon as he is confirmed by the legislature.

First established in 1986 to build stadiums to attract an NFL team — two years after the Colts left — and keep the Orioles in the city, the stadium authority’s role has grown in recent decades. It is the landlord for both professional teams, is tasked with managing improvements to the Pimlico and Laurel Park racetracks, and oversees school construction projects.

One of the stadium authority’s most essential tasks in 2023 is to negotiate a lease with the Orioles. The initial lease — signed when the club moved into Camden Yards in 1992 — expires at the end of this year. Earlier this month, the Orioles declined to exercise an option to extend it a further five years.

Although an expiring lease could cause concern that, theoretically, the team could relocate (something forbidden by the current lease), the club has maintained it will remain in the city.

“This is an extremely important endeavor and one that I’m anxious to work with the MSA team and Gov. Moore and the Orioles to generate a positive result,” Thompson said.

Thompson worked for the law office of Peter Angelos — the longtime owner of the Orioles — from 1998 to 2005. He said he does not have a personal relationship with Angelos nor with any member of his family. John Angelos, the ailing patriarch’s older son, is the Orioles’ chairman and CEO. Thompson noted that the law office is a separate entity from the Orioles.

“It’s a place that I was employed as a younger lawyer,” Thompson said, “and I enjoyed my time there, but I don’t think that will impact anything that I do in this role.”

Thompson is the chair of the board of trustees of the University of Maryland College Park Foundation and has served on the boards of the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital, McDonogh School and the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women.

Over the years, Thompson has made significant donations to Democratic candidates, including the maximum individual amount, $6,000, to Moore in June 2021. He also gave to Lt. Gov Aruna Miller, Attorney General Anthony Brown and Comptroller Brooke Lierman, per campaign finance records. All took office last month.

Thompson said he has known Moore for 25 years and the two “have a longstanding relationship that goes beyond my service to him and the campaign as his campaign chair.”

“We’ve had conversations over the last several years about the importance of economic development, about the importance of civic impact and community impact,” said Thompson, adding: “I feel well-positioned to do a good job in this role.”

Thompson said he received a “very kind and thoughtful email” from Kelso, who offered to assist in the transition. Kelso held the role for eight years under Hogan.

Moore also nominated Yolanda Maria Martinez and Lee Coplan to the authority’s board, which consists of nine members. They would begin their four-year terms on July 1.

Moore’s announcement said he was “proud” to nominate Thompson, Martinez and Coplan.

“With backgrounds spanning law, negotiation, entrepreneurship, and planning and design, they will bring a wealth of expertise and valuable perspectives to the stadium authority,” Moore stated. “The MSA has important work on its agenda this year, including establishing a new longterm partnership with the Baltimore Orioles and implementing the state’s $400 million investment in the Blue Line Corridor.”

The corridor is an effort to develop an area near FedEx Field in Landover by adding sports facilities, an amphitheater, a library and a plaza.