Mel Martinez joins La-Z-Boy board of directors (Bush's old H.U.D. head)

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Thu, Mar. 04, 2004

Mel Martinez joins La-Z-Boy board of directors

Associated Press


MONROE, Mich. - Mel Martinez, a former member of President Bush's Cabinet, has been appointed to the board of directors of La-Z-Boy Inc., the furniture manufacturer announced Thursday.

Martinez, 57, resigned Dec. 9 after nearly three years as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Florida. Martinez has lived in the Orlando, Fla., area since age 15, when he fled his native Cuba.

Martinez was a personal-injury lawyer before entering politics. He was Orange County, Fla.'s chairman - the equivalent of county mayor - before Bush tapped him as HUD secretary.

"His global experience while at the Cabinet level will prove invaluable in helping La-Z-Boy successfully navigate within an increasingly global furniture industry," La-Z-Boy Chairman Patrick H. Norton said in a statement.
(snip/...)
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8106352.htm

DU'ers, don't forget Mel quit his position at H.U.D. because _{George W. Bush} wants him to run for Florida Senator Bob Graham's position this year.


Mel

[dryan]

1. Mel Martinez

I have known Mel Martinez for over 20 years. He goes to my church and I taught his two eldest children in Sunday School. We always got along and I worked and voted for him when he ran for County Chair. Althought a Republican, the other guy was an absolute nutcase and I felt Mel was the better choice because he was pretty moderate. Mel Martinez would not have won without the support of the Democrats in Orange County, Florida.

I don't know what happened to Mel in 2000 (he was elected in 1998). Suddenly he became "Mr. Hispanic Republican". I found that very ironic because I speak Spanish better than his children!!! Anyway, he really became partisan during the Elian debacle. He brought Elian and his parasitic relatives to Orlando as his personal guest and showed them around Disney World. Then the Gore campaign made a stop in Orlando and Mel gave this speech at the Bandshell in downtown Orlando which was very partisan and blamed just about everything wrong in America on the Clinton/Gore administration. It was one of those speeches that blamed Clinton for everything except maybe the Lindbergh baby kidnapping if you know what I mean. Many Democrats who supported Mel when he ran for County Chair (me included) let him knew how we felt. Then Mel went on the Spanish Radio Station and gave several statements about how the Clinton administration was taking the hisptanic community for granted. This from a man who never acted like he was hispanic.