Congressional rivals stand off over tax forms, transcripts

Kate Nash | The New Mexican

5/27/2008 - 5/28/08

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 Luján to release his college transcript. And, in turn, Luján 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."

Luján 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 transcript. Luján's workers have said the transcript is irrelevant to the campaign.

"Commissioner Luján 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 Luján will be happy to send Don Wiviott an autographed photo, suitable for framing, of Commissioner Luján 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 Luján'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 Luján'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 Luján'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. Luján 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, Luján 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. Read her blog, Green Chile Chatter, at www.sfnewmexican.com.