Sunland Park mayor delivers state-of-the-city address

Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea acknowledged recent problems the town has experienced during his state of the city of the city address.

Perea delivered his first address since 2014.

“Although many may not want to see, as a community we have come a long way,” Perea said. “Although these las several year we encountered many challenges, including the one to keep our own existence, the state of our city is good.”

Scandal rocked Sunland Park in 2012 after former mayoral candidate Daniel Salinas was arrested for recording an opponent receiving a lap dance from a topless woman. Salinas pleaded guilty to extortion last year. The year before, former Mayor Martin Resendiz admitted he was drunk when he signed $1 million contracts with a California company.

“The state of New Mexico took over the city’s finances,” Perea said. “the city’s financial accountability was poor. Audits had not been completed. Assets and inventories went unaccounted. Policies were outdated. And operations were bleeding the city to bankruptcy. We were in a hole and people were afraid to take any action.”

But, Perea said, since 2012 it has been Sunland Park’s focus to get out of that hole and get into in a position where the city can sustain and launch itself toward the future.

“First, it was imperative that our finances were a focus, so we got to work,” Perea said. “Under this administration we were able to catch up on all the city’s audits.”

A former New Mexico Oil and Gas Association president was named interim city manager of Sunland Park this week.

The Sunland Park City Council voted 4-3 during a heated meeting to hire former New Mexico State University regent Bob Gallagher to a $56,000 six-month contract. Under the terms of the deal, Gallagher will work two weeks per month.

The vote comes as two Sunland Park city councilors face legal issues stemming from separate arrests.

One councilor was arrested recently during a council meeting on drug charges and another was arrested on allegations he gave beer to his 19-year-old girlfriend.

Councilor Sergio Carrillo voted against the hire and said Gallagher shouldn’t be getting full-time pay for part-time work. But Perea said the city needs quality individuals and because of that he’s willing to pay quality salary.

Last year, Carrillo was taken into custody at city hall in connection with drug possession charges.

Carrillo, 29, was charged with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia stemming from a previous traffic stop.

His attorney, Jess Lilley, said Carrillo has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Sunland Park has been without a full-time city manager for a year now, after the firing of Vernon Wilson.

Nearly 40 percent of people live below the poverty line in the city, where the main source of income comes from the Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. It’s the only American border city that sits south of the Rio Grande.