Office of the Governor of New Mexico(SANTA FE, N.M.) — New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez found herself in a bit of a pickle Thursday after she allegedly failed to pony up some dough for a meal she ordered at a local burger restaurant in Santa Fe.
Martinez, who was first elected as governor in 2010, did not pay her bill at the Five Star Burgers restaurant in Santa Fe, according to Robert Gonzales, the general manager of the restaurant.
“At about 1 p.m. [Governor Martinez] came in with a member of her security detail, they ordered and asked for separate checks,” said Gonzalez. He claimed that “when it came time to pay she crumpled hers up and threw it in the trash and left.
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Martinez’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the alleged non-payment of the $15 bill.
Gonzales, who did not file a police report, says he felt compelled to call out the governor’s alleged actions.
“A lot of government officials feels like they are owed something,” Gonzales said, “I felt like it was a slap in the face, we’re a locally-owned, locally run business, and I thought it was my duty to stand up for it.”
This is not the first time Martinez’s conduct in office has come under scrutiny.
In 2015, Martinez apologized after police had to be called to a hotel room where she and her staff were holding their annual holiday party.
Audio recordings later surfaced that showed the governor told the police there was no need to send officers to the hotel.
She later apologized in a statement, according the the Santa Fe New Mexican.
“I believe in people accepting responsibility and that is why I’m owning (up to) what happened, and I sincerely apologize,” Martinez said in a statement about the incident.
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