Featured
City councilor took private flight to presidential inauguration from local developers
Published
Modified
Albuquerque City Councilor Ren茅e Grout took a private flight to President on the plane of a prominent local developer.
Grout said Peggy Daskalos, managing partner of her family鈥檚 real estate company, , invited her, adding the two are longtime friends who attended high school together.
鈥淚鈥檝e never been in a private jet. It was fun. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing,鈥� she told the Journal in an interview.
Grout said she did nothing wrong by accepting the invitation and reimbursed Daskalos for the flight.
鈥淚 paid her for my flight. According to the Charter, I am not obligated to include this on my annual disclosure, but I will get a second opinion from the State Ethics Commission,鈥� Grout said.
Grout did not respond to questions sent Friday afternoon 鈥� and a follow-up request Wednesday 鈥� asking when she paid and how much.
The flight, on the plane of both a developer in her district and a past campaign donor, may raise ethical questions.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e an elected official, you have to be careful that you don鈥檛 do anything that鈥檚 improper, but also you have to be careful that you don鈥檛 do anything that appears to be improper,鈥� said Edward Chavez Jr., a local attorney and former policy analyst for the Albuquerque City Council.
The city 鈥渉as different laws which implicate gifts and public officials,鈥� Cristobal Rocha, a spokesperson for City Clerk Ethan Watson, wrote in an email.
He said the clerk could not comment further.
鈥淏ecause alleged violations of the City Code of Ethics may come before the Board of Ethics, I cannot comment on the specifics of how these laws might apply to alleged conduct,鈥� Rocha said.
The Journal tracked a super midsized jet that traveled from the Sunport to Baltimore-Washington International Airport on Jan. 18. The jet, registered to the address of the Daskalos shopping center, returned on Jan. 22, roughly two hours before a . Trump鈥檚 inauguration took place on Jan. 20.
Peggy Daskalos did not return a call seeking comment.
According to campaign finance records, the family company donated $1,000 to Grout鈥檚 successful 2021 bid to represent the far Southeast Heights and foothills. Of the 19 properties the family owns and lists on its website, one 鈥� a strip mall with 34 units 鈥� is in her district.
The round trip cost for a private flight from the Sunport to BWI could cost anywhere from $70,000 to $80,000, according to Kolin Jones, founder and CEO of , a private chartering company.
鈥淚f they own their own airplane, usually you鈥檙e just paying direct operating costs, which is a lot cheaper than on the charter side because you鈥檙e not paying all those other fees,鈥� Jones told the Journal in an interview Wednesday.
Operating costs range from $3,500 to $6,000 an hour, the cost of gas is around $2,000 an hour and contracted pilots cost $1,000 to $2,000 a day, according to estimates from Jones.
By comparison, a first-class commercial flight from the Sunport to BWI costs anywhere from $1,229 to $2,003 round trip.
Staff Writer Nakayla McClelland contributed to this report.
