Angelo Vega remains the Mesilla town marshal after trustees on Monday declined to act on a replacement nominated by Mayor Michael Cadena, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

Cadena offered the name of Sgt. Heriberto "Eddie" Flores to replace Vega as marshal, but town trustees sat silently and took no action, in contrast to their approval of all other regular and exempt employees nominated by the mayor, the Sun-News said.

"The good news is that Marshal Vega is still Marshal Vega," Jolene Youngers, one of two attorneys hired by Vega, told the Sun-News. "The bad news is there is still no resolution to his situation."

Vega has not worked in about two weeks, since Cadena announced he was not recommending that Vega continue in his job and ordered the marshal to return all town-owned equipment and to clean out his office, the paper reported.

But four days after the announced firing, Cadena was given a letter from Las Cruces attorney Matt Holt that a tort claim was being filed against the mayor and Mesilla town government on behalf, the Sun-News said.

Holt also threatened to file a lawsuit on Vega's behalf in U.S. District Court, claiming the marshal had been wrongfully terminated. 

Cadena then told a special board meeting on March 14 that Vega was instead being placed on paid administrative leave, the Sun-News reported.

Monday's board meeting included a 28-minute closed session during which trustees reportedly discussed Vega's status, but no decision was taken, the paper said. 

7:35am 3/12/08 -- Mesilla Marshal Abruptly Dismissed: Town's top lawman fired by mayor with whom he clashed last year.

Mesilla Marshal Angelo Vega, who would have marked his first full year on the job as the town's top law officer today, was abruptly dumped from his job on Monday by Mayor Michael Cadena, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

Vega, who was appointed March 12, 2007 to replace Joe Mendez as town marshal, said he was baffled by the sudden firing, the Sun-News said.

"I don't know why it happened," Vega told the Sun-News on Tuesday. "It's just a horrible feeling. I just signed a bank loan and I have my two babies here with me."

Cadena wouldn't talk about his reasons for dismissing Vega, calling it a "personnel matter," the Sun-News said.

Vega told the paper he had never been reprimanded or gotten complaints about his job performance.

But Vega and Cadena clashed several months ago over the mayor's driving a marshal's vehicle to Sunland Park, where officers reported that Cadena had flunked a field sobriety test, the Sun-News said.

Vega reportedly had asked that the sobriety test be conducted on whoever was driving the vehicle, and Cadena said at the time that he was upset by Vega's request and his comments to Sunland Park police, the paper reported.

Vega had been making $50,000 a year, and Deputy Marshal Jeremy Hash has taken over Vega's job on an interim basis, the Sun-News said. 

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