A Friday-night outing to the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino in an unmarked police vehicle has landed Mesilla Mayor Michael Cadena in the hot seat, and some members of the town’s Board of Trustees plan to try to force him from office.
Mesilla Mayor Pro Tem Jesus Caro and Trustee Nora Barraza will meet with District Attorney Susana Martinez this afternoon to determine their options. The two trustees have told Cadena they plan to seek his ouster if he doesn’t resign, and Cadena said publicly at Wednesday’s meeting of the trustees that he won’t do that.
According to the Sunland Park Police Department incident report, the trouble began Friday night when Cadena and a woman identified as his wife drove into the valet parking area at the casino in the unmarked police vehicle owned by the Town of
That got the attention of an off-duty police officer who began a police search for whoever was driving the vehicle.
Police didn’t find Cadena for 45 minutes but, when they did, he was dancing with a group of women. According to the report, police administered field sobriety tests to Cadena and determined, despite his assertion that he had only one beer, that Cadena “had consumed more than one beer and was not safe to operate a motor vehicle.”
After that, Cadena was not allowed to drive the vehicle, instead getting a ride home. He wasn’t arrested or charged with any offense. He and the woman both told police she accidentally set off the siren.
In an interview, Cadena disputed many assertions contained in the police reports. He also apologized for using poor judgment and creating a bad perception, but said he had done nothing improper.
He told the Las Cruces Sun-News he took the official vehicle because he was in
Cadena told me today that he has been authorized since July to use the vehicle and was in
According to police reports, Cadena also gave contradictory statements about whether he had been drinking. During the field sobriety tests, he failed to follow instructions to keep his hands to his side and out of his pockets, swayed back and forth and was not able to smoothly follow a pen with his eyes. He had blood-shot, watery eyes, slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, the reports state.
Cadena told me he was not drunk.
Cadena says he’s being unfairly attacked
The incident has turned the focus on the town’s police, firefighters and at least some trustees on getting rid of Cadena, but he says that’s not fair.
In a meeting with marshals on Wednesday morning, Cadena suggested stripping officers of take-home vehicle privileges. At Wednesday afternoon’s meeting, it was announced that the marshals and firefighters had taken no-confidence votes in Cadena, the Sun-News reported.
Cadena said he made the suggestion because of budget constraints and said that’s why the police and firefighters are upset with him.
Trustees had harsh words for Cadena at Wednesday’s meeting, and indicated they might seek his removal under a town code that allows such action by a district judge for malfeasance. In an interview this morning, Caro confirmed today’s meeting with
“If he’s out there and he’s in an accident, and somebody gets killed, you know, it’s going to come back to us,” Caro said.
Caro noted the inconsistencies between the police reports and Cadena’s public statements, and said the mayor is to blame for the controversy.
“It’s not like we’re trying to get him. He’s done it to himself,” Caro said.
Cadena said trustees “who are interested in the position” are behind the attacks on him. Though the mayor didn’t name anyone, Caro said Barraza plans to run against Cadena if he’s still mayor in 2009. Caro also said he might have planned a mayoral run if he weren’t already running for state representative next year.
Cadena said he’s considering “taking a little time off” from his job and also said he is leaning toward not seeking re-election in 2009. But he said the likely decision to not run again has nothing to do with the current controversy, and he was already leaning toward not seeking re-election before it. He’s been mayor for 12 years.
Now he’s not certain what he’ll do, but he said he won’t resign before the end of his term.
“I don’t want to leave under these nasty conditions,” Cadena said.