Lager Blocks Martinez

HELD UP

As expected, Senate confirmation of Governor Jay Nixon's nominee to head the Department of Economic Development has been delayed.

But the surprise is that it is Sen. Brad Lager --- not Sen. Jim Lembke --- who is putting on the breaks.

FROM THE A.P: Linda Martinez, (far left-top above) previously worked as an attorney for clients who sought economic development incentives. Lager, the Republican nominee for State Treasurer last year, wants a list of the clients Martinez worked for during the past year to guard against potential conflicts of interest. Martinez says she would recuse herself from making decisions involving those clients. Senators postponed her confirmation Thursday but are expected to bring it back up next week.

Senators did confirm Nixon's appointees to direct the departments of Agriculture, Corrections, Labor and Industrial Relations, Public Safety and Social Services.