Gov. Susana Martinez, a critic of her predecessor's use of state airplanes for travel, used a state police helicopter to ferry her from Santa Fe to the Albuquerque airport so she wouldn't miss her commercial flight to Republican fundraising events in Texas.
According to Martinez spokesman Enrique Knell, it was in public interest for Martinez to use the state helicopter because it enabled her to attend a November 2011 state Board of Finance meeting that ran late.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Martinez was at the finance board meeting much of the day and that she left about 20 minutes before it ended.
Martinez during her 2010 campaign criticized the administration of then-Gov. Bill Richardson for its purchase and use of a $5.5 million state jet.
Information from: Albuquerque Journal.
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