CD3: Don Wiviott makes his case

Santa Fe builder Don Wiviott at the Democratic Pre-Primary Nominating Convention on March 15.

SANTA FE – Besides a sign in the campaign’s signature green and blue, the brown building that serves as the Don Wiviott campaign headquarters is an otherwise non-descript building along Cerillos Road.

In the small parking lot in the back, a massive green and blue van, which runs on low-sulfur diesel and canola oil, with a big picture of Wiviott is parked. A step through the door, up a step and into the main office reveals two desks, two computers and the walls decorated with homemade campaign signs from supporters. The back seat of the van –seatbelts included—serves as a couch for visitors,

Down the step and down the narrow hallway is the office. Four mismatched chairs sit in a circle, none of which match any of the others. In the chair with his back to the window is Don Wiviott, the van taking up much of the window frame.

“We get between 21 and 24 gallons in that thing,” Wiviott says of the van, “And it weighs 4,000 pounds. It’s a very efficient car.”

The fuel itself for the large van serves as an example of Wiviott’s assertion that “it all gets back to how we consume energy.”

“That oil was grown in Colorado.” Wiviott says. He says there is no reason why northern New Mexico farmers couldn’t grow the same crop.

The idea goes back to two key themes one takes away after a conversation with Wiviott: helping small business and the environment.

There used to be this divide where people said you can’t be in business and be an environmentalist at the same time. Now, thirty years later, people have come around to what I’ve been preaching for thirty years. It makes sense for business people to be environmentalists. It makes sense for environmentalists to understand small business.

Wiviott himself is a businessman. He opened The Lofts, a “green” housing and business area in Santa Fe. 

The Lofts, Wiviott says, have “always been energy efficient. It’s always been low-water utilization. We now recycle gray water , so we’re not flushing 70% of our potable water down the toilet.”

For him, environmentalism was never about some grand save-the-world vision. “There were no labels for it, no one was a green builder cause there was no label for it,” Wiviott said. “We would build sustainable non-toxic housing, water-friendly housing, energy-efficient walkable communities just cause it made sense.”

It was because he was a businessman that Wiviott has the money to lend to his campaign. As of this printing, Wiviott has loaned his campaign $990,000. Much of that money has gone towards television ads, but Wiviott argues against those who criticize the large loans of money.

“What could be more important in my lifetime than ending the war, fixing the economy, improving health care and providing education for our kids?” Wiviott asks with emotion. He leans forward in his chair. “The issues that we’ve been talking about, the economy, the environment, the war, health care, education, what’s the price tag on fixing those things?”

Because Wiviott is lending his campaign so much money, he has to be taken seriously in a race that also features Ben Ray Lujan and four other candidates, said pollster Brian Sanderoff of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling, Inc.

All things being equal, the edge would go to a Hispanic candidate in the 3rd Congressional District, Sanderoff said. 

"Here not all things are equal," Sanderoff added. "Wiviott is going to spend more than $1 million. That allows him to be considered as a serious candidate."

U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, who is giving up the seat to run for U.S. Senate, also has shown that the "district is not out of reach for an Anglo."

It is with that in mind that Wiviott is pressing ahead with his campaign.

Ending the war in Iraq has become a big part of Wiviott’s campaign. Wiviott is the only candidate in New Mexico to endorse the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq. The plan, spearheaded by Washington Democrat Darcy Burner, has over fifty people signed on to the plan.

“When you look at the Iraq Study Group plan, this incorporates a lot of what their recommendations were, and that was a bipartisan plan to get out of Iraq,” Wiviott says. “So the foundation of this plan goes back to the Iraq Study Group plan.”

Wiviott sees more good coming from ending the war in Iraq than just ending a war.

NMI: So what do we need to do about it?

DW: First of all, stop spending $300 million a day in Iraq. That’s number one. You got to balance the books, you got to balance the federal books.

The economy is listed among the top concern of voters in many polls. And, like on so many issues, Wiviott can bring it back to the environment.

One issue where Wiviott speaks passionately is how to make the price of food lower. And one way, Wiviott says, is by growing and buying locally.

“We could be growing locally, we could be growing more of our food locally so there’s not that fuel cost embedded in it.”

So it was no surprise that Wiviott attended a meeting in Farmington Saturday that addressed that exact issue.

“I believe there are local solutions to global problems,” Wiviott told the group at the meeting.

Wiviott credits his status as an “outsider” and not a career politician to a new look at the issues.

Wiviott originally intended to run against Pete Domenici for the Senate seat. “No politician wanted to get up and run against Pete Domenici.” Wiviott said. “They were all hedging their bets. They didn’t want to do that. So I started running against Pete.”

When Domenici announced that he was retiring, Tom Udall stepped into the race. Wiviott stepped aside and instead announced he would run for the Third Congressional District seat, which Udall was leaving behind to run for Senate.

While he may not have any formal political experience, he feels he has something that is even more valuable.

“It’s on the ground doing it, making it happen. I think that’s different than spouting theory or policy. It’s hard to roll up your sleeves and make it happen.”

He speaks of helping blunt an attempt by US West to block competitors from bringing in Internet to Santa Fe. The legislation “sailed through” both the House and Senate – but thanks to the Internet Professionals Association and him, Wiviott says, then-governor Gary Johnson vetoed the bill.

Wiviott can speak at length on a number of issues. From how health care:

There are 402,000 uninsured New Mexicans right now. That is amazing.

to changes to the GI bill

I would support an amendment to the GI bill that would allow not only for education provisions and housing provisions for returning veterans, but also where they could get partial loan guarantees if they have a small business

to updating the federal grid

The federal grid has to go from an AC-based grid to a DC-based grid so that states like New Mexico can export clean and efficient energy.

It all comes down, ultimately, to one reason: this election, to Wiviott, is extremely important.

“Just look how important this is! I don’t know how else to say it. There is nothing more vital.” 

print Share

Register or log in to rate