Nominee to St. Thomas CZM, VIHFA board passes Senate vetting panel

ST. CROIX — The Senate Rules and Judiciary Committee vetted two candidates on Thursday and favorably voted on the nomination of a candidate to not one but two critical board seats.

Calford Martin was nominated by Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. to serve on the V.I. Housing Finance Authority board and the St. Thomas Coastal Zone Management Commission. Martin’s resume includes stints as: a senior vice president at Banco Popular; owner, accountant and manager of The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy in Havensight; St. Thomas Regional Manager for the United States Small Business Administration; and internal revenue agent for the V.I. Internal Revenue Bureau. Martin previously held a position on the VIHFA board but left to take a job with Banco Popular, according to testimony he delivered on Thursday.

Amid questioning from lawmakers, Martin repeatedly referenced his observations as an avid sailor to explain his interest in the positions. Through sailing, he told lawmakers, he repeatedly noted the amount of blue tarps covering homes in the territory — seven years after the 2017 hurricanes — as well as beaches that are inaccessible to Virgin Islanders because of development.