Heath Haussamen
Sunland Park Mayor Martin Resendiz says now isn’t the “proper time” for him to run for Congress because of the “bad publicity” he and the city have received recently.
I have news for the mayor: It’s not the bad publicity that makes this not the “proper time.” It’s the fact that he was signing city contracts while drunk at a restaurant in 2008. He admitted to being so drunk he didn’t know what he was signing.
It’s the fact that the city is flippantly threatening growth in the area by wavering on an agreement with Doña Ana County to form a joint regional utility that has been in place for six years.
It’s the fact that the Resendiz got into a physical or nearly physical altercation with the mayor pro tem during a recent public meeting that had to be broken up by the cops.
It’s the fact that Resendiz is the mayor of a city that has long been plagued by corruption, political pettiness and infighting, and financial mismanagement, and there’s no indication that the situation is improving under his watch.
All of that leads to a point Resendiz doesn’t seem to understand: The “proper time” for him to run for Congress is never going to come.
New Mexico deserves better
It’s no surprise that Resendiz doesn’t understand. He doesn’t seem to recognize when the “proper time” is to sign city contracts. He doesn’t seem to understand the proper way to hash out differences with the mayor pro tem.
He doesn’t seem to understand the sacred nature of the public trust placed in him.
Resendiz should understand. He’s a former El Paso police officer and Sunland Park municipal judge. He’s been paid to take the public trust seriously for a long time.
The reality is that New Mexico doesn’t need another Jerome Block Jr. We need leaders who understand that they shouldn’t be getting drunk with people who are doing business with their government agencies, let alone conducting business with such people while they’re drunk. We need people who not only act their age, but also act with the maturity being an elected official requires.
The problem in Sunland Park isn’t just Resendiz. It’s a culture that plagues the various political factions and the entire government. But Resendiz has appropriately become the poster boy for the problems.
New Mexico deserves better than a congressman who acts this way.