SANTA FE, N.M., Dec. 20 (UPI) — New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez apologized on Saturday for holding an allegedly raucous party at a high-end Santa Fe hotel.
The Republican governor hosted her annual staff holiday party last Saturday at the downtown hotel’s ballroom. About 200 people attended the party.
After the party, Martinez and some staffers moved to a hotel room. The hotel clerk later called the police dispatcher, stating she received complaints about a noisy party where some people threw bottles from the balcony.
The clerk said the room’s occupants had been warned multiple times and she asked police to escort the occupants out of the hotel.
After the initial call, the clerk called the dispatcher back and passed him to Martinez.
“Hi, this is Governor Susana Martinez,” she said.
“What can I do for you?” the dispatcher responds.
Martinez began to ask about the complaint’s origin and why police were responding to it.
“Reference loud noise,” the dispatcher said.
“Loud noise? We’re in a room eating pizza,” Martinez said, continuously asking who complained and what room they were staying in. The hotel clerk said three times that she was not able to provide that information.
“Oh, you can give it to the police but they won’t tell you — you won’t tell me? I’ll get it from the cops,” Martinez said, also asking the dispatcher for the information.
“I can’t give you that information, ma’am,” the dispatcher said.
“Why not? It’s public record,” Martinez said. “Give it to me.”
Police eventually responded to the hotel but did not file a report or ask anyone to leave.
The NM Political Report recently posted audio clips of the calls on its website, followed by condemnation from Martinez’s critics.
“The way she behaved was unacceptable,” Joe Kabourek, the Democratic Party of New Mexico executive director, said in a statement. “She used her status as governor to try to intimidate an officer doing his job to ensure public safety, and she sought to bully the concerned citizen who made the complaint.”
“We can listen as an obviously drunk Susana Martinez spends six minutes on berating public safety workers trying to keep the peace,” Pat Davis, a spokesman for the ProgressNow New Mexico advocacy group, said in a statement.
In response to the criticism, Martinez delivered an apology through the Albuquerque Journal.
“I want to apologize for the conduct of my staff on the night of our holiday party,” Martinez said. “There apparently was a party in a hotel room earlier in the night that was disruptive. None of that should have happened, and I was not aware of the extent of the ruckus and the behavior until just recently.”
Martinez said she was not there when the allegedly more boisterous party took place.
“I also want to admit I made a mistake when I went to speak to the receptionist and asked her about the complaint,” Martinez said. “I should not have gotten involved in trying to solve the situation, nor should I have spoken to the dispatcher on the phone. I was wrong to speak to them like that, and I apologize.”
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