{"id":39836,"date":"2012-05-14T19:34:43","date_gmt":"2012-05-15T01:34:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=39836"},"modified":"2012-05-15T10:37:02","modified_gmt":"2012-05-15T16:37:02","slug":"state-suspends-two-sunland-park-officials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2012\/05\/state-suspends-two-sunland-park-officials\/","title":{"rendered":"State suspends two Sunland Park officials"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sunland<\/a>

Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p>

Sunland Park City Hall (Photo by Heath Haussamen)<\/p><\/div>\n

Following the release of an eagerly awaited special audit, the state suspended two city officials today and assumed control of their duties; meanwhile, the city council opted once again to postpone the appointment of a new mayor.<\/h4>\n

The state Department of Finance is suspending the finance director and purchasing agent in Sunland Park, assuming control of those employees\u2019 duties and taking control of the disbursement of city funds.<\/p>\n

The action \u2013 believed to be the first time in state history that DFA has suspended local-government officials \u2013 followed the release of an eagerly awaited special audit that identified statutory, regulatory and criminal violations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have met numerous times with the state auditor and his team and we will continue to work together to methodically and diligently ensure the proper expenditure of taxpayer dollars in Sunland Park,\u201d Gov. Susana Martinez<\/a> said in announcing the suspensions. \u201cThe extraordinary level of financial mismanagement in Sunland Park is unacceptable; protecting public funds will be our highest priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Sunland Park City Council had been scheduled to appoint a new mayor tonight \u2013 an action that would not be affected by DFA\u2019s decision. But, during the course of the chaotic day, the city briefly cancelled the meeting, then held it anyway, then decided at the meeting to postpone its decision until Friday at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

DFA suspended Finance Director Helen Gonzalez and Purchasing Agent Neryza Rivera. Each will receive a hearing within five days unless they request additional time. The city might also have suspended several other officials, including the former mayor, two city managers and the city clerk, but they\u2019re no longer in those positions so they\u2019re not subject to suspension.<\/p>\n

Details of the audit<\/h3>\n

Many of the violations identified in the audit, which you can read here<\/a>, weren\u2019t surprising because they\u2019re allegations that have already been made public as part of the criminal cases against numerous city officials. A summary of the more serious violations from the audit, from a news release sent out by the State Auditor\u2019s Office:<\/p>\n