Sunland Park back to square one

KRQE TV

Updated: Apr 27, 2012 1:06 PM

ALBUQUERUQE, N.M. (KRQE) — From being drunk on the job, to stealing on the job, to using a sex tape as blackmail to get the job, Sunland Park just can’t seem to pick a mayor worth keeping. Now, the state says the mayor city councilors abruptly picked last week, does not count.

The Attorney General’s office sent a letter to Sunland Park’s City Council Thursday notifying them that when they voted in a new mayor last week, they were breaking the law.

During a crowded April 18 meeting at the Sunland Park senior center, the council appointed an unknown 24-year-old who had previously worked in retail.

“I started seeing people wanted some changes people wanted something different,” new appointed Mayor Javier Perea said at the time.

After that vote, people complained they were not allowed in the meeting, in fact video captured people peering through windows and police standing guard at the doors, keeping the overflow crowd out.

On Thursday the Attorney General’s office informed Sunland Park that it violated the state’s open meetings act by not making accommodations for everyone who wanted to hear what was going on.

Last week’s meeting was the border town’s second attempt at voting for a new mayor.

In March Daniel Salinas won the mayoral race but could not be sworn in because he is not allowed on city property after three separate arrests for extortion, bribery, fraud and more.

The new mayor, Javier Perea, was sworn in on Monday but that is most likely now void.

In the letter to the city the AG’s office said any action taken at that meeting is not valid.

Now the troubled border town has two options, either prove it did not violate the rules, or hold another meeting and take another vote for mayor.

“I mean if we have to do this all over again, we’ll do it all over again,” said Perea.

City Councilor Isabel Santos told News 13 Thursday evening they will more than likely just hold another meeting and take another vote, whether or not they will vote for Perea again she did not know.

City councilors have been criticized for choosing Perea as mayor so quickly at the meeting last week without a background check or interviews other candidates said they did not get a fair shot.

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