In their first run-off ever, Coral Gables voters on last week picked Mike Mena, a land use attorney who has never 
served on any city board or committee, over longtime activist Marlin Ebbert, a retired schoolteacher who was backed by the a group of residents irate about recent development decisions. It was 54 to 46 percent.
Everyone saw it coming after the first round two weeks ago, where Mena captured a whopping 44 percent in the four-way race. Ebbert, in second place, got 32 percent. He would have won outright if voters hadn’t changed the charter to require runoffs. And even if Ebbert had gotten every single voter that cast for her on April 11 to go out again two weeks later, and she didn’t, she would not have won.
Read related story: Ebbert, Mena head for runoff in Gables commission race
Sadly, the commission seat was decided by just over, 5,100 voters and neither candidate got the numbers they got in the first round. Funny enough, Ebbert got the closest, with 2,392 votes (296 fewer than on April 11) while Mena got 2,794 — 849 votes fewer than his 3,643 earlier showing. It only proves runoffs are not the perfect pill some thought.
Mena was sworn in Friday with the two winners from the earlier election: Commissioner Patricia Keon — who won a challenge from former Commissioner Wayne “Chip” Withers — and returning Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli, who beat Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick in a close race to win his seat back after 15 years out of office and out of sight.
Developers must be drooling. If the City Beautiful was attractive to them in the last few years, people with the right connections can now get their properties upzoned and secure variances for everything from height restrictions to setbacks. That Jeannett woman is out of the way. Her heir apparent was summarily dismissed. Ladra can see them now, licking their chops.
Read related story: Hoff, Mena stand out in four-way commission race
Mena spent more than five times what Ebbert spent to get this seat. 
His total as of the last campaign report filed, which was at the end of March before even the first round, was $136,540. Hers was $21,595.
Someone want to tell me again how you can’t buy an election?
It’s going to be up to Gable residents to keep these people honest. Ladra hopes they stay involved outside the election as they were during the race. Mena’s first meeting with the new Mayor Valdes-Fauli is next Tuesday, May 9.
Mike Mena (read: developers) win Gables race, as expected added by Ladra on
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There are lots of wealthy suburbs where rich voters oppose developers. Look at CA and WA and areas around DC. But in FL, the voters are in on the real estate pyramid scam. Everybody is a real estate investor. There are no community activists or stakeholders upholding “values.” No Jane Jacobs, except for Roxy, and nobody has a real job. FL is a single industry town. Tourism, healthcare, real estate all feed into each other. No other industries. The kind of revolution you seek does not exist in FL.
Dear Publisher DeValle:
Thank you for your expert analysis.
I am seeking to study these Election results, which confounded me, as being the opposite of what happened in 2001, and different than the past decades of preservationist sentiment in Coral Gables.
Factors include:
1) declining media income, ergo declining media ability to inform voters;
2) absence of community activist Roxcy Bolton;
3) Necesito mencionar, yo, aqui, para aclarar, que mi esposa es Peruana; mi sagrada esposa no habla Ingles; hablamos Espanol, y apoyamos absolutamente a los Cubanos y a los inmigrantes!;
4) latinization of voter base? (Reportedly from 40% to 50% in past 10 years, such that voter preference may Not have been based on development vs smart growth issue, but rather on Campaigns ability to communicate with (hablando Espanol) the emerging dominant voting base, e.g. the importance of Spanish radio? —
5) Citizens United (the unliimited spending issue you cited);
6) younger voters fed up with The Great Recession;
7) better focus on and mobilization of vote-by-mail voters by winning campaigns (clearly the margin of victory in both contested races).
My greatest writing, since my return to Miami in 1998, is my 2-page photo history of Miami, “The Internationalization of Miami … The Hispanic Miracle.”
What happened in this Election? To be determined, in my opinion. Maybe a professional post Election Poll of the voters would be a giant help.
Sincerely,
Jackson Rip Holmes
“Someone want to tell me again how you can’t buy an election?”
You just insulted the thousands of people that voted for Mena. You implication is that voters are generally dumb and cannot decide for themselves; is that what you are really trying to say.
Campaign finance law is no different than climate change: Chuck full of false arguments, data and restriction of freedoms.
When will we ever learn?
How long you been a Miami guy? Because this is not new.
Ladra is not insulting anyone. Mena had more money to communicate more with the voters. That’s just true. We have seen other candidates (Ken Russel, Kristen Rosen Gonzalez) break that trend recently, but usually the best financed candidate wins. Because votes are “bought” with campaign funding. Otherwise why raise money?
I can’t wait to see the final tally so I can tell you exactly how much he paid for every vote.
Love, Ladra
Gables residents are demonstrating their stupidity – beyond providing carte blanche for a mini-Brickell, they recently voted to have runoffs … just so we can spend an extra $100,000 to have a 15% turnout and confirm the guy who would’ve won the first time around.
Over development is a huge problem.