Ramona Martinez

Ramona Martinez (born September 1943cite news |author=Staff Reports |title=Off the Bus - DNC Colorado Superdelegates
url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/off-the-bus-reporter/dnc-colorado-superdelegat_b_88981.html?view=print |work=The Huffington post |date=28 February 2008 |accessdate=2008-04-18 ] ) is a member of the Democratic National Committee from Colorado. A businesswoman and former president of the Denver city council, Martinez has served on the DNC since the 1990s. As a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Marquez has publicly supported Bill Richardson, and then Hillary Clinton.

Biography

Active in politics since the 1970s, Martinez was named chair of the Colorado Voter Registration Project in 1976 and worked for the Denver, Colorado city council. In 1987, she was elected to represent District 3 on the Denver City Council and served for a total of 16 years. During her tenure, she was elected the first Hispanic female city council president.cite web |url=http://www.remassociates.org/about.html |title=About Us |accessdate=2008-04-18 |work=REM & Associates ]

With her sister, Joelle Martinez-Prutch, Martinez launched a successful travel agency. After leaving the Denver City Council, Martinez helped found REM Associates in 2003, a campaign management and public relations firm with corporate and political clients. Martinez is married; she and her husband, Lawrence, have three grown children: Larry, Laura, and Leonard.cite news |first=Lynn |last=Bartels |coauthors=Chris Barge |title=Meet state's superdelegates |url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jun/09/meet-states-superdelegates/ |work=Rocky Mountain News |date=9 June 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-14 ]

Appointed as an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee during the Clinton administration, Martinez has been an active member of the DNC's Hispanic Caucuscite news |author=Staff Reports |title= Colorado DNC Hispanic Caucus Members Applaud the Selection of Denver to Host the 2008 National Democratic Convention |url=http://www.hispanictips.com/2007/01/19/colorado-hispanic-caucus-members-applaud-selection-denver-host-2008-national-democratic-convention/
work=HispanicTips |date=19 January 2007 |accessdate=2008-04-18 ] serving as vice-chair and later acting chair from February to November 2007; she was elected to head the Hispanic Caucus at the November 2007 DNC meeting.cite press release | title=DNC Hispanic Caucus Elects New Leadership |publisher=The Democratic Party | date=4 December, 2007 | url=http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/12/dnc_hispanic_ca_1.php | accessdate=2008-04-18 ]

Martinez has also served as secretary of the DNC Women's Caucus; and has been an executive committee member of the DNC since at least 2005. She has also served as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for NALEO (National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials) and as the first Chair of the Hispana Leadership Institute. In 2005, Martinez supported Howard Dean's successful bid to become DNC chairman.cite press release | title=53 New Votes for Gov. Dean |publisher=Democracy for America | date=1 February, 2005 | url=http://www.democracyforamerica.com/press/view/63 | accessdate=2008-04-18 ]

As a member of the Democratic National Committee, Martinez has been a superdelegate to the 2000 and 2004 Democratic National Conventions,cite web |url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/martinez.html |title=Index to Politicans: Martinez |accessdate=2008-04-18 |work=The Political Graveyard ] and will be a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. In 2007, she announced her intention to vote for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson;cite news |first=Steven K. |last=Paulson |title=Some Colorado superdelegates lining up behind candidates |url=http://www.politicswest.com/democratic_national_convention/12294/some_colorado_superdelegates_lining_behind_candidates
work=Denver Post |date=30 October 2007 |accessdate=2008-02-16 ] after he withdrew from the race in January 2008, she endorsed New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.cite news |first=Tim |last=Hoover |title=Colorado's "superdelegates" |url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_8003428?source=rss
work=Denver Post |date=18 January 2008 |accessdate=2008-02-16 ] cite press release | title=Richardson Colorado Campaign Co-Chairs, Superdelegate, and Steering Committee Members Endorse Hillary Clinton |publisher=Hillary for President | date=17 January, 2008 | url=http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=5265 | accessdate=2008-04-18 ]

Although Martinez faced pressure to switch her convention vote to Illinois Senator Barack Obama after Obama won Colorado's caucus in February and became the Democrat's presumptive nominee in June, Martinez remained the lone holdout in the Colorado delegation to remain committed to Clinton as late as early August.cite news |first=Tina |last=Griego |title=GRIEGO: Divisions mean party is no picnic |url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/11/griego-divisions-mean-party-is-no-picnic/ |work=Rocky Mountain News |date=11 August 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-11 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.remassociates.org/about.html Biographical sketch] at REM Associates.