The city clerk in the troubled border town of Sunland Park confirmed the meeting scheduled for tonight to appoint a new mayor has been cancelled.
Meanwhile, State Auditor Hector Balderas has been meeting with city officials all morning to review his long-anticipated audit.
It has been non-stop controversy in Sunland Park for nearly three months. Late February, investigators said mayoral candidate Daniel Salinas leaked video of his opponent, Gerardo Hernandez, getting a lap dance from a stripper in an effort to get him to drop out of the race. Salinas went on to win the election, but he has been arrested numerous times and charged with more than a dozen counts of fraud, receiving illegal kickbacks, bribery, etc.
As part of his terms of release, Salinas was barred from stepping foot in city hall and contacting city workers. He was not allowed to be sworn in.
City council then appointed businessman Javier Perea, 24, as mayor, but the attorney general’s office said the city violated the Open Meetings Act because the overflow crowd was locked out of the meeting.
Councilors must hold another meeting to appoint a new mayor.
About ten city workers have been arrested and charged with crimes related to Salinas.
We are awaiting the auditor’s report and will relay information as soon as it becomes available.
James Lawrence Sanchez of Belen has been appointed to the bench of the 13th Judicial District, Gov. Susana Martinez’s office has announced.
Sanchez of Belen has been a lawyer in private practice in Valencia and Bernalillo counties since 1986 and holds a business degree from New Mexico State University and a law degree from the University of New Mexico.
He replaces District Judge John Pope who resigned from the bench at the request of the New Mexico Supreme Court and the state Judicial Standards Commission.
The 13th Judicial District includes Valencia, Cibola and Sandoval counties.
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Two Bernalillo County commissioners will try again today to censure Commissioner Michael Wiener over photos of his visit to an Asian red-light district.
Commissioners Maggie Hart Stebbins and Michelle Lujan Grisham first tried to advance their censure motion during a special meeting last week but failed for lack of a quorum when the three men on the commission didn’t attend.
The meeting begins at 5 p.m., and KRQE News 13 will be there.
Wiener has been in political hot water since the photo surfaced of him posing with a group of women on a street in the red-light district of a city in the Philippines.
He has said he was simply playing tourist during a layover between planes.
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Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver announced Monday that Early Voting will begin on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at the Clerk’s Annex My Vote Center, 620 Lomas Boulevard, NW from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
“This location will be open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday through Saturday, June 2, 2012,” says Clerk Toulouse Oliver. “We have also been accepting applications for Absentee Ballots and the mailing will begin tomorrow as well.”
Voters have until tomorrow by 5 p.m. to register to vote to participate in the 2012 Primary Election on June 5.
Please visit the Clerk’s Office at One Civic Plaza, NW, 6th floor or state services offices such as the Motor Vehicle Division to complete the form.
For voter information that is customized to each voter, including registration status, a sample ballot and detailed information about how to cast a ballot, please visit: www.bernco.gov/mvi
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Coverage of New Mexico politics and political news from around the country in KRQE.com OnPolitix.
Mayor Richard J. Berry will submit to the City Council Wednesday a key piece of legislation that will clean-up, provide accountability, and revise the reporting structure within the Administrative Hearing Office. This proposed Ordinance follows several concerns raised within the Office. It was discovered after an external investigation that several employees were working for outside agencies and accumulating profits while on city time.
Councilor Dan Lewis is carrying the legislation, which will mandate that the City Administrative Hearing Office report to the City Clerk’s Office; which is now an independent agency. The Ordinance also prohibits hearing officers from engaging in outside employment or representation of clients without approval from the Mayor.
“This is about accountability and good government. We’re taking a strong stand against corruption and the misuse of taxpayer dollars,” said Mayor Berry. “I’m eager to see this legislation passed and implemented within our city.”
The Ordinance which will go before the City Council next week is being sponsored by Councilor Dan Lewis.
“As benefactors of our community’s hard-earned tax dollars, all city employees are culpable for their actions. This is a necessary step towards creating a transparent and accountable municipal organization,” said Councilor Lewis.
If the City Council approves the legislation it will go into effect immediately, and the Administrative Hearing Office will report to the City Clerk’s Office.
First lady Michelle Obama will be in New Mexico Tuesday.
We’re told she will meet with service members and their families at Kirtland Air Force Base.
Mrs. Obama will then attend a fundraiser later in the afternoon.
She met with injured service members in Colorado Monday and she will also make stops in Arizona and Nevada.
The tour is in celebration of the one year anniversary of joining forces, the initiative she and the vice president’s wife started to honor those who serve.
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Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Heather Wilson released her first TV spot Monday.
In the ad, Wilson talks about her service and the need for Washington to adopt the same principles she learned in the military: leadership, responsibility and integrity. The ad airs Tuesday.
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Coverage of New Mexico politics and political news from around the country in KRQE.com OnPolitix.
Attorney General Gary King announced that April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect, especially in New Mexico.
Funding for the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (NMICAC) is administered by the AG’s office.
The task force consists of 68 Federal, Tribal, State, and local law enforcement agencies. Also included are prosecutors and nonprofit organizations that are actively addressing the exploitation of children via Internet activity.
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Coverage of the 2012 New Mexico politics and political news from around the country in KRQE.com OnPolitix.
The Albuquerque city budget for the next fiscal year will be released at an afternoon news conference held by Mayor Richard J. Berry and staff from the Budget Department.
The budget for the year beginning July 1 then goes to the City Council for debate, amendment and approval.
A statement from the mayor’s office says highlights of the budget include neither increased taxes nor personnel layoffs and the local purchase of additional police cars.
Reporter Alex Goldsmith is covering the news conference and will provide details on the city’s financial plan on KRQE News 13 at 5:30 p.m. and here on KRQE.com.
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May 14th, 2012 at 1:47 pm by Katie Kim under N.M. Politics
May 12th, 2012 at 9:27 am by 
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