Former Officials Didn't Pay Plane Bills (NM-Richardson out of state trips)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | May 4, 2011 | Thomas J. Cole

[CedarDave]

The high-flying administration of Gov. Bill Richardson left town without paying all its air travel tabs.

Nearly $24,000 in bills for use of the state jet and other government aircraft still hadn't been paid when Richardson left office Dec. 31, according to the General Services Department. The flights were taken over several years, and one bill was 5 years old.

The General Services Department has four airplanes and bills agencies for their use.

On April 1, the department sent past-due notices to six executive agencies. The billings covered at least 15 round-trip flights between May 2006 and November 2010 and totaled $23,819. The actual costs of the flights were more than twice that, but General Services under Richardson charged agencies only 40 percent of costs and used its budget to cover the rest. The new administration charges agencies full fare.

As you might imagine, some folks in the administration of Gov. Susana Martinez aren't thrilled about paying the flight bills of their predecessors — particularly given that money is tight in government. Martinez also has sharply curtailed use of aircraft and put the state's Cessna Citation Bravo jet and another plane up for sale.

[CedarDave]

Those trips which have not been paid included a Washington trip to meet with the feds regarding New Mexico's spaceport, a meeting about border violence with the Mexican ambassador, and to give a speech to the Organization of American States. On the same trip he flew to Boston to give a speech on politics to students at Harvard University.

[CedarDave]

NM list PING! Click on the flag to go to the Free Republic New Mexico message page.

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[greyfoxx39]

King Bill’s legacy will linger on. More surprises coming.

[Tupelo]

Why? Another easy answer. one or more of the following reasons.
1: Poor self sacrificing public servants.
2: Poor elected self sacrificing public servants.
3: Poor over paid, self aggrandizing self sacrificing public officials.
4: all of the above.

[PENANCE]

I recommend reading Ben Franklin’s “Opposition to Executive Salaries” found in The Anti-Federalist Papers. While reading it, I suggest replacing the term “Salary” with “financial gain apart from salaries”.

I think that we should push for Constititutional Ammendments along the following lines:

a complete ban on the purchase or sale of ANY assets by legislators and their immediate family during their (term limited) period of service and for a period of years afterward;

an ineligibilty to hold any other public office or appointment for a period of years after their term;

the placing of any non-material assets in escrow during their period of service;

a full audit of their taxes each and every year they’re in office and for a period of years afterward;

and so on.

[Iron Munro]

How dare they bill him for this petty amount!

After all - he’s a democrat.

Don’t they understand he means well and that his every move, every thought, is important to the future of all mankind?