Flown In NMSP Helo To Albuquerque Airport To Catch A Commercial Flight

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez (pictured) has come under fire for asking the State Police to give her a lift to the Albuquerque airport so that she could catch a commercial flight to a fundraiser in Houston, TX.

The incident occurred on November 15, 2011, according to a report from the Albuquerque Journal. Martinez had reportedly chaired a meeting of the state Board of Finance in the morning, and was in and out of the meeting all day.

The meeting ran longer than anticipated, making the Governor late for her flight to Houston, where she was attending a series of private fundraisers for the Republican Governors Association. She asked for a lift to the airport from the state police. The flight to the airport and back took about an hour at a cost of about $800 to the New Mexico taxpayers.

Martinez spokesman Enrique Knell said that the use of the helicopter was appropriate under rules that limit the use of such vehicles to trips that are "in the public interest." Knell said that using the helicopter allowed her to spend more time with the Board of Finance, and that the Governor would have used a car if the meeting had not gone far longer than anticipated.

Martinez ordered the sale of the state's Cessna business jet her first year in office, and records show her use of other aircraft has been "sparing." Knell said her use of the aircraft has been “consistent with what we’ve said before – that (aircraft are) used in emergency situations or when her schedule simply won’t easily accommodate traveling in any other way.”

FMI: www.governor.state.nm.us