Gov. Wes Moore (D) has offered a second chance to Ellicott City businesswoman Yolanda Maria Martinez, his controversial pick for a seat on the Maryland Stadium Authority board whose nomination ran aground during the General Assembly session earlier this year.
Moore announced Thursday that he has appointed Martinez special secretary of the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs. Her appointment, which does not require state Senate confirmation, takes effect July 5. She will be paid $150,000 a year, according to Moore’s spokesperson, Carter Elliott IV.
“As one of our state’s most respected business, community, and philanthropic leaders, Maria brings vision, heart, and experience to this critical role,” Moore said in a statement.
Moore had originally nominated Martinez for a seat on the stadium authority board, but she never received a vote in the Senate Executive Nominations Committee, after Maryland Matters reported about her checkered financial history extending back more than three decades. Her troubles included a $7.2 million personal bankruptcy and scores of lawsuits filed against her for unpaid debts. These resulted in millions of dollars in judgments entered against her in court — some paid, others not — and she has had her wages garnished, automobiles repossessed and properties she owned foreclosed upon, according to public records.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Josh Kurtz over at Maryland Matters
