State Rep. Richard Vigil has taken a lot of criticism in recent years, from me and plenty of others, because of the situation that led to his wife’s conviction on felony charges last week.
Now the Republican Party of New Mexico is calling for the resignation of the Democrat from Ribera, pointing out that some of the money Roberta Vigil was convicted of misspending was directed to the program she ran by her husband through a capital outlay appropriation.
“Mrs. Vigil’s trial revealed that Rep. Vigil used his elected position to steer money to his wife, money that she ultimately misspent,” GOP Chairman Harvey E. Yates said in a news release. “Richard Vigil has betrayed the trust of the citizens of New Mexico and should step down immediately. These hard-earned taxpayer dollars were intended to improve education for New Mexico youth. This money was not intended to hire bands and throw parties.”
Roberta Vigil was convicted last week of fraud over $2,500, a third-degree felony, and conspiracy to commit fraud over $2,500, a fourth-degree felony. She faces a maximum of 4.5 years in prison. She was accused of misspending state and federal money on a number of items, including an annual, invitation-only party — one that took place late at night and included an expensive band — under the guise of a staff training event for employees of the West Las Vegas Public Schools’ bilingual education program, which she used to run.
It’s worth noting that Yates is wrong on one point: The trial didn’t reveal that Richard Vigil used his position to steer money to his wife’s program that was used for the party. That’s been reported by media outlets and known for years.
Richard Vigil’s name comes up in this scandal one other time: The funding he got his wife also helped pay for a number of plush items for her program, including a 42-inch plasma screen television — a TV that was picked up from Sears, according to the receipt, by Richard Vigil, and later vanished.
I’ve raised these questions about Richard Vigil before, but they’re worth repeating: Why was someone who wasn’t an employee of the district picking up equipment for the district? Shouldn’t Vigil have known the party he was funding was inappropriate? Should he have been seeking funding for his wife’s program in the first place?
The situation has already cost Richard Vigil his spot on the House Education Committee, which he voluntarily gave up in 2007. Should it also cost him his elected position? If we had a state ethics commission, we might have a better answer to that question.