FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept.

22, 2013

Big Question for Tonight's Debate: Will Pete Dinelli Release Itinerary for Canada Junket?
Dinelli has a lot to explain about his risky record ALBUQUERQUE Pete Dinelli continues to cover up his risky record, but the people of Albuquerque deserve an answer to a very important question during tonight's debate: Will Pete Dinelli release his official itinerary to account for his shady four-day junket to Canada? "Pete Dinelli took a junket to Canada and stayed in a castle where he was wined and dined by a foreign corporation. That same company was then awarded a half-million dollar furniture contract by the District Attorney's Office, where Pete Dinelli served as Chief Deputy District Attorney," said Chris Sanchez, a spokesman for the campaign. "Pete Dinelli refuses to release the official itinerary from his four-day junket that would help answer a lot of questions. If he has nothing to hide, he should release it immediately." Dinelli's four-day junket was blasted by an Albuquerque Journal editorial, which among other things questioned why it took 10 county officials four days to inspect a floor system. That's a good question that Pete Dinelli hasn't been able to answer for 14 years. BACKGROUND When Dinelli was Chief Deputy District Attorney, he took a junket to Calgary, Canada, with county officials. A Canadian Corporation, SMED, paid for Dinelli and the delegation to stay four days at a high-priced resort that was described as a "castle" by a critic in an Albuquerque Journal article. Then the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office picked the same Canadian corporation over a local business to provide furniture for the DA's office. The local business had offered a lower price. The selection of the Canadian corporation created an enormous controversy. Dinelli personally defended the selection of the Canadian corporation by saying the lessexpensive furniture from the local business was "dated" and apparently not up to Dinelli's standards. The local business disputed that notion, saying they were offering the same furniture and that Dinelli's office never even looked at it. ###