Sunland Park Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Salinas
The secretary of state has completed her probe of the Sunland Park election and could present her findings to the district attorney today.
Sunland Park mayoral candidate Daniel Salinas bonded out of jail late Thursday night, but his ability to campaign could be hampered by his conditions of release; meanwhile, the question of whether Tuesday’s election will even take place remains unanswered.
NMPolitics.net received automated notification from Doña Ana County’s VINE system that Salinas, the city’s mayor pro tem, had posted a $50,000 cash-only bond and been released. City Manager Jaime Aguilera remains jailed.
The two are facing extortion and other charges for allegedly using a lap-dance video to try to force one of Salinas’ opponents, Gerardo Hernandez, to drop out of Tuesday’s mayoral race.
Who has the advantage in Tuesday’s mayoral contest – which also features Jose Luis Hernandez – isn’t clear. Salinas faces felony charges that could land him in prison for a maximum of 7.5 years. Gerardo Hernandez has been shown on El Paso television and elsewhere in a video with a topless dancer. And Jose Luis Hernandez didn’t do any active campaigning until earlier this week and isn’t known by many residents.
Salinas could be further hampered by his conditions of his release. He’s not allowed to have contact with the other defendants in the case, which includes Martah Alondra Lozano, one of his active supporters who faces tampering with evidence charges; he must avoid contact with all employees of the City of Sunland Park; and he must stay away from city hall, where voting is being held.
Will the election even happen?
But it’s not clear that Tuesday’s election is even going to be held. Secretary of State Dianna Duran completed her probe on Thursday and returned to Santa Fe. She will present a report on the situation to District Attorney Amy Orlando, who could decide whether to petition a judge to delay or cancel the election.
Officials have been tight-lipped about Duran’s investigation. Her chief of staff, Ken Ortiz, has declined to share any details with NMPolitics.net, as has Orlando, though the Las Cruces Sun-News has quoted the DA as saying she expects the report to identify a “number of improprieties.”
NMPolitics.net has confirmed that among the concerns Duran looked into was potential voter fraud. Whether she found such fraud isn’t clear.
The Sun-News reported that Orlando could receive Duran’s report today. KFOX-TV in El Paso reported that some Sunland Park residents want the election postponed.
Possible scenarios
Between Duran’s probe and the state audit of all city departments that starts next week, there are many potential scenarios for what happens next. They range from the election being held Tuesday and a new mayor taking control shortly thereafter to the election being cancelled and the state taking control of the city – or anything in between.
The Sun-News quoted State Auditor Hector Balderas as saying his office will start its work Monday. He’s concerned about the safety of his auditors and requesting security. And, according to the newspaper, Balderas is “committing a ‘robust amount of resources and time’ to the investigation and compiling a task force of people with ‘broad expertise’ from other state agencies and possibly the federal government.”