Originally published August 4, 2011 at 6:14 PM | Page modified August 4, 2011 at 10:47 PM

New Mexico mayor says he was drunk when he signed deal

Sunland Park Mayor Martin Resendiz was drunk when he signed nine contracts with a California company that is suing the New Mexico city for $1 million, according to a deposition in the case.

By The Associated Press

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Mayor Martin Resendiz, of Sunland Park, N.M.

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That is such a bad excuse that it just may be the truth. (August 4, 2011, by Savoir Faire) Read more

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This may explain why our politicians are always making excuses...."I had too much... (August 5, 2011, by Loannightmare101) Read more

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sunland Park Mayor Martin Resendiz was drunk when he signed nine contracts with a California company that is suing the city for $1 million, according to a deposition in the case.

"The day I signed I had way too much to drink. It was after 5 p.m. and I signed (the contracts) and I didn't know what I was signing," Resendiz wrote in response to questions from lawyers for the architectural design firm Synthesis+. "My sister had to pick me up."

The lawsuit claims the company is owed $1 million for work performed under the nine contracts signed in 2008, according to a report Thursday in the Albuquerque Journal.

Sunland Park contends the contracts were not valid because they weren't approved by the City Council.

Resendiz is a former El Paso, Texas, police officer and Sunland Park municipal judge. He has been mayor since March 2008 and has said he plans to seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce.

Synthesis+ officials said the mayor signed the documents in July 2008 at the Sunland Park city hall and that the mayor was sober.