Javier Perea (Screen shot from KFOX-TV’s website)
Sunland Park Mayor-elect Javier Perea says he plans to leave the Democratic Party in the next few days.
Perea told NMPolitics.net his views have changed since he first registered to vote in January 2008 as a Democrat.
“For me it’s not necessarily about being a Democrat or a Republican,” he said. “I look at the candidates and who’s qualified.”
He said he hopes to change his status to declined to state – more commonly called independent – by the end of next week.
Earlier today, NMPolitics.net reported that Perea is a Democrat. That was noteworthy because, earlier in the week, Perea told a reporter that he claimed no party affiliation and was an “independent.”
Perea told NMPolitics.net he was asked about his political affiliation in front of a number of reporters just after being appointed by the city council. When he made that comment, he said, he had decided to change his status but not yet done it.