NM Supreme Court Rules Against Sunland Park Mayor-Elect Salinas
The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled against Sunland Park Mayor-Elect Daniel Salinas this afternoon.
Salinas submitted the case to the court, asking the justices to allow him to take office this week. Salinas has until Thursday to take office.
The case was heard by a panel of three justices who ruled unanimously against Salinas.
“I don’t know what other avenues Mr. Salinas or his attorney have,” District Attorney Amy Orlando said. “This is the highest court in New Mexico. He has till (April) fifth, so I don’t know if there are any other remedies. It reaffirms our position that as the district attorney and with our team investigating this case, that we are moving forward and showing the citizens of Sunland Park that we are going to deal with corruption and that we’re going to fight it every step of the way.”
Salinas and other city officials face criminal charges for allegedly trying to force an opponent out of the mayor’s race by secretly recording the candidate with a topless dancer and threatening to release the video.
After his arrest, Salinas was released under terms that prohibit him from entering city hall or contacting city employees, including the clerk who administers the oath of office. Salinas contends those restrictions violates his constitutional rights to assume office.
