Senate panel does not advance Martinez
She was Moore’s pick for Maryland Stadium Authority
A businesswoman appointed by Gov. Wes Moore to serve on the powerful Maryland Stadium Authority board made a passionate plea to state lawmakers who are considering whether to confirm her but are concerned about her past legal and financial issues.
Yolanda Maria Martinez said she had moved on from those issues — which include a personal bankruptcy and lawsuits against her for unpaid debts — and would bring a “fiscally responsible” background to the role that, among other duties, makes decisions about leases and renovations for Baltimore’s sports stadiums.
“My challenges have had root causes and I don’t make excuses for anything,” Martinez, 60, of Ellicott City, told members of the Senate Executive Nominations Committee, which ultimately did not advance her nomination Monday. “Situations have occurred and I think I’ve handled them and tackled them head on.”
Those situations include a personal bankruptcy in 2019 when she owed $6.2 million, mostly related to a respiratory health care company she founded in 2001 and shut down in 2018, according to a report Monday from Maryland Matters. At least 64 lawsuits or liens for unpaid debts have been filed against her over the past 35 years, the online news organization reported.
Martinez held up a printed copy of the Maryland Matters story when addressing the committee, which has passed every other major appointment made by the Democratic governor since he took office Jan. 18. Though the committee did not advance her with other nominees Monday, it could consider her again in the coming weeks.
“I am here to be transparent, to be vulnerable, to show my integrity. I’m here to tell you my story, as well. This is not my story,” she said as she held up the copy of the article.
As the committee listened silently, Martinez said the roots of her struggles began with an arranged marriage when she was a teenager that led her to live in South America for a time, and then continued with domestic violence in a different marriage, which she said created the residual effects leading to financial problems.
Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, a Wicomico County Republican, expressed sympathy for Martinez’s story after her speech. But she added that she and the other members of the committee had to consider Martinez’s issues in the context of the stadium authority board, which is responsible for projects worth billions of dollars.
“When our constituents raise concerns about a challenged fiscal history and background that’s being applied to an appointment to one of the most important and prestigious [boards] in the state, those are legitimate questions,” Carozza said. “And they ask the question, ‘Are there others that didn’t face these challenges that might have been better nominees?’ ”
Moore “fully supports” Martinez’s nomination, a spokesman said Tuesday. When nominating her last month, he highlighted her role in the now-shuttered respiratory health care company, Respira, and her past roles on numerous civic boards and organizations, including chairing the Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Governor’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
He said earlier Monday that he was excited about her getting a hearing.
“People will see that she brings a unique perspective, that she brings a unique view, and that the journey that she has had — the life journey that she has had — not only does it mirror many Marylanders’, but she is going to bring a unique additive to what we need to see on the Maryland Stadium Authority,” Moore said when asked about her at an unrelated event in Baltimore.
Moore’s pick to lead the stadium authority board, attorney Craig Thompson, was confirmed recently by the Senate as the board negotiates with the Orioles on a new lease for the state-owned Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Thompson served as Moore’s campaign chairman last year, just like his predecessor at the authority, Thomas
Kelso, who worked on Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s campaign before getting the same role.
Martinez, like Thompson, gave the maximum legal donation of $6,000 to Moore’s campaign. One other nominee Moore nominated for the stadium authority board, architecture firm CEO Lee Coplan, donated $4,900 to Moore’s campaign.
Coplan, who also has served on various boards and foundations, has not yet been scheduled for Senate confirmation.
Moore has nominated or renominated hundreds of people to state positions, including nearly two dozen members of his cabinet, who won approval from the Democratic supermajority in Senate with relative ease.
Only one cabinet-level appointee, Department of Juvenile Services Secretary Vincent Schiraldi, did not receive unanimous approval. Republicans voted against him after expressing concerns that Schiraldi’s philosophy on criminal justice for juveniles was not focused enough on accountability.
One selection withdrew from consideration before going through the confirmation process: Public Service Commission nominee Juan Alvarado. Environmental groups expressed concerns about his past work at the American Gas Association.
A final top appointment, that of Lt. Col. Roland L. Butler to lead the Maryland State Police, is expected to come before the Senate committee next week at the earliest.