Lyons flew on developer’s plane to Aggie NCAA game

New Mexico Land Commissioner Pat Lyons flew in March on a plane either owned or chartered by Las Cruces developer Philip Philippou to a college basketball game in Spokane, Wash.

The New Mexico State University Aggies were playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time in several years, and Lyons was one of a number of people who flew to the game on Philippou’s plane and on a second plane owned by the university.

Philippou currently has an agreement to develop 3,200 acres of land controlled by Lyons on Las Cruces’ East Mesa. Both men have come under fire in recent weeks because Philippou gave more than $20,000 last year to a political action committee that gave most of it to Lyons’ re-election campaign. Then Lyons bypassed his own process for seeking bids to lease the land by giving the contract to Philippou in December, before the announced time to submit proposals had ended.

The Las Cruces City Council is scheduled to vote Monday on whether to annex the state land and approve the master plan for the 6,000-acre Philippou development of which it’s a part, The Vistas at Presidio.

Kristin Haase, spokeswoman for Lyons, said the land commissioner was invited to the basketball game by university President Michael Martin and believed NMSU had chartered the plane.

“Come to find out later, after asking questions, that Philippou chartered the plane. But Pat was under the impression that Martin chartered the plane,” Haase said. “I think Pat was naïve about that.”

Haase said she didn’t know who paid for Lyons’ accommodations in Washington, but said the university gave him a ticket to the Aggies’ game and he paid for his own ticket to another game.

Philippou said he made a jet “available to the university” but didn’t invite the land commissioner. He refused to say how much the trip cost and whether the jet was his or one he chartered.

“I don’t think it’s anybody’s business,” Philippou said. “It doesn’t matter.”

Martin said that, after the Aggies learned they would play in Washington on March 16, the university began looking for ways to get fans to the game. They used one plane owned by the university’s Physical Sciences Laboratory and, when Philippou offered his plane, Martin agreed.

“I thought, ‘Gee, that’s a good thing – a rich guy willing to get some fans to the game,’” Martin said.

There was no monetary exchange and Philippou’s plane flight wasn’t a donation to the university, Martin said. He was simply a private citizen flying to the game and willing to take others.

Martin said the university’s costs were paid through private donations.

“We had a whole block of tickets. I invited the governor, the lieutenant governor, everybody,” Martin said.

Lyons was the only elected official to attend, he said. Two regents also attended.

Martin said he took Philippou’s plane on the way to Washington and flew back on the university plane.

Lyons was on Philippou’s plane for the entire trip. Each plane seated about a half dozen people.

Asked if she knew anything about Philippou’s motives for offering the flight and the political contributions, Haase said, “I didn’t even know until last week that he paid for the flight. I think he was just trying to be a nice guy.”

“I know it looks really bad, but I think that Pat, he genuinely thought it was Martin who paid for the flight,” Haase said.

More contributions to Lyons

What’s been reported in the media in recent weeks is that Philippou gave $20,500 to Blue & Red PAC last year. The PAC gave $17,642.50 of it to Lyons’ re-election campaign. Philippou says he didn’t direct that the money be given to Lyons, and Lyons says he didn’t know where the PAC got its money.

The PAC is run by Republican lobbyist David Kimble and Democratic lobbyist Domonic Silva. Kimble is a lobbyist for Philippou.

I found some more gifts that haven’t been reported by the media.

In a lobbyist report filed with the Secretary of State’s office in January, Kimble reported spending $360 in May 2006 on radio advertisements for Lyons’ re-election campaign. Then in September, he reported spending $1,750 on advertisements for Lyons on the “Aggie Network.”

The May gift is listed as an in-kind contribution on a report Lyons filed last year. So is the September contribution, but Lyons reported that it was for $1,991.03.

Silva reported giving $1,100 in cash to Lyons’ re-election campaign. According to Lyons’ reports from last year’s election cycle, he also gave $400 in in-kind contributions. Though Silva isn’t listed as a lobbyist for any Philippou company, when I asked if Silva works for him, Philippou told me Silva and Kimble work together.

Philippou gave $6,000 in cash to Lyons on Feb. 5, according to a report filed Friday.

Philippou didn’t answer some of my questions about his motives for giving, saying he would talk to me if I wanted to ask “questions of substance,” but he did say that he “gave a few dollars to Mr. Lyons because I like him.” He also said he has given money over the years to a number of Democrats and Republicans.

“To give money to political figures or election committees… I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that,” Philippou said. “Why is there an issue? There is no issue.”

Lyons for governor in 2010?

I also asked Haase why Lyons is still raising money when he can’t run for land commissioner in 2010 because of term limits.

“We’re talking about governor in 2010, but he has not made any decisions,” she said. “Just because a dozen people tell you you should run for governor doesn’t mean you should.”

A prior version of this posting contained two quotes from Haase that have since been reworded because of miscommunication during the original interview.