State Police clear Quezada
Election papers were signed properly
The New Mexico State Police said Monday it has closed its investigation into Bernalillo County Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada about whether he failed to properly sign election materials, finding the allegations from a citizen to be unfounded.
The investigation revealed all the handwritten contents of the candidacy were true and correct, police said in a news release.
Patricia Paiz, who was defeated for the County Commission seat Quezada won, claimed that Quezada’s wife filled out his election documents, which could have been a violation of campaign laws.
His campaign released photos showing Quezada at the candidate sign-in table in county offices, smiling as he held up election forms and posed for pictures with county staff.
“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Quezada said at the time. “They’re just grasping at straws.”
He said his wife and campaign manager helped him fill out the forms, but he signed the documents himself.
Quezada — a school board member, comedian and actor known for his role as Agent Gomez in “Breaking Bad” — won 62 percent of the vote in November to defeat Paiz, a retired police detective who now works in real estate. The district covers much of the southern West Side and South Valley.
Because of Quezada’s role in “Breaking Bad,” he even received international publicity from the story when celebrity website TMZ published an article on it.
Paiz also filed a lawsuit in state District Court on the same topic, asking a judge to overturn the election results and declare her the winner instead.