Land commissioner spat comes to an end

Land Commissioner Pat Lyons fired what I’m going to call the final shot in the back-and-forth attacks this week on my blog, but not before a conservation group got involved in the fray.

Lyons’ campaign responded to challenger Jim Baca’s accusations that he is owned by special interest groups by saying Baca “is clearly angry that these industries don’t support him. He would be singing an entirely different tune if the money was rolling into his account.”

Democrat Baca started the attacks earlier this week by releasing an analysis of Republican Lyon’s campaign contributions that showed he has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from development and oil and gas companies. Baca said Lyons is selling the land office to special interest groups.

In response, Lyons said he is business friendly and Baca is antagonistic. Baca’s response was that Lyons is “special-interest” friendly and he is independent, not antagonistic.

One statement by Lyons created another stir. He said earlier this week that he was “singled out by the New Mexico Wildlife Federation for my continuous support.”

Jeremy Vesbach, executive director of the foundation, e-mailed me to say that “in no time during his tenure as commissioner of public lands has Patrick Lyons been ‘singled out by the New Mexico Wildlife Federation’ for his ‘support.’ … We do not endorse candidates for office.”

Lyons’ campaign responded this way: “Never was it said that the wildlife federation ‘endorsed’ Pat during his tenure (as land commissioner). He was recognized during his work as a state senator. … When Commissioner Lyons served in the Senate, they named him ‘Legislator of the Year.’”

That’s it. I’m putting an end to this fight on my blog.