Congressional Rivals Stand Off Over Tax Forms, Transcripts
By KATE NASH
Rivals: Lujn offers diploma, but not records
I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.
That’s how the conversation between the campaigns of the leading Democrats in the race for the 3rd Congressional District is sounding less than a week before the primary election.
Developer Don Wiviott on Tuesday called on Ben Ray Luj n to release his college transcripts. And, in turn, Luj n wants Wiviott to release his tax returns.
“We have no problem releasing the pertinent tax information from his accountant,” said Wiviott spokesman Webster Cash. “But we’re not going to do anything until we get that transcript.”
Luj n spokesman Mark Nicastre said the Wiviott campaign is free to see his diploma from New Mexico Highlands University but didn’t offer a copy of the transcripts. The transcripts are irrelevant to the campaign, Luj n’s workers have said.
“Commissioner Luj n is on the road talking to the voters of the 3rd Congressional District about his record of standing up for New Mexico. Upon his return, Commissioner Luj n will be happy to send Don Wiviott an autographed photo, suitable for framing, of Commissioner Luj n holding his college diploma,” Nicastre said in a statement.
“In the spirit of fair play, we’re asking Texas multimillionaire developer Don Wiviott to release his full tax returns. Furthermore, if Don Wiviott has nothing to hide, he’ll release his full tax returns for the last
15 years,” Nicastre said.
Wiviott at a forum in early April said he would release how much he had paid in taxes but didn’t promise to release his entire return.
Asked why the Wiviott campaign wants to see Luj n’s transcripts, Cash said: “They haven’t been straightforward with people in this campaign. They misled people with what they did on the Telehealth Commission, and we want to make sure there’s nothing else going on like that.”
Cash is referring to a reference on Luj n’s campaign Web site touting his work on the commission before it was revealed he missed 13 of 14 meetings of the panel. Wiviott focused on Luj n’s absences in one of his recent television ads as the contest has turned more negative in the days leading up to next Tuesday’s primary.
Luj n has said he missed some of the meetings because of meetings of the Public Regulation Commission, on which he serves, although the Wiviott campaign says only three of the meetings overlapped.
In 2007, Luj n received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas.
Contact Kate Nash at
986-3036 or e-mail her at knash@sfnewmexican.com.
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