Updated: That fight over development on Miracle Mile at the last Coral Gables Commission meeting between Commissioner Pat Keon and Vice Mayor Vince Lago was just a preview of the mayoral race to unfold over the next few months in the City Beautiful.
Keon told Ladra Monday that she was, indeed, going to run for mayor, as rumored for months. She said she was waiting until after the election to announce because it was taking up all the oxygen in the room.
She could always change her mind at the last minute and run for re-election. Gables candidates are famous for switching groups right before qualifying. But Keon already has three people running for her seat so she has a challenge either way. Might as well.
“I know government and understand it,” said Keon, who was first elected in 2013. “And I certainly know this community.
“I’ve lived in Coral Gables since 1974. I have raised children here, my grandchildren live here. I’ve worked with schools, with [former District 7 Miami-Dade Commissioner] Jimmy Morales,” said Keon, 70, who has served on the planning and zoning board and who started her political career as an activist against the 1990 spread of residential street closures.
“I know how government works and how it should work,” she said.
That comment could come back to bite her: “I know how government works. Wink, wink.”
Read related: Pat Keon proves ‘Chip’ Withers can’t win on name alone
Lago, who was elected the same year and also has another term left before he is termed out, announced in September of 2019 that he was going to run for the post that will be vacated by Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli. He wanted everyone to know his intentions as early as possible.
“I want to remain transparent and open about my aspirations to continue serving the people of our city as I have always been. I would like to let Coral Gables residents know way in advance by making my run official,” Lago, 43, said in a statement. He indicated he was running on a track record of transparency, efficiency, progress and environmental consciousness.
“A lot of important milestones have been accomplished. I can proudly say that we are a better City Beautiful today, then we were six years ago,” Lago, who was first elected in 2013, said.
On Monday, he told Ladra that the challenge was expected.
“I welcome the competition. I think it’s good for democracy,” Lago said.
“But you have to show what you’ve done. I’m not going to promise anything. I’m going to show people what I’ve done,” Lago said, adding that he has all the legislation he has written on his website. It includes a lot of traffic calming and “green” initiatives — an electric car fleet, recycling, a ban on plastic grocery bags, sustainable building practices, preserving green space.
“There’s a stark difference between Pat Keon and me. She doesn’t have a track record. She hasn’t written any legislation in seven years,” Lago said.
He has voted in favor of some controversial developments, but he has also voted against others while there is no development that Keon doesn’t love.
“I’m not going to make everybody happy but I will work hard,”said Lago, who also serves on the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization, the Coral Gables Museum board and the Business Improvement District board.
Most importantly, however, is the transparency and accountability that Lago has brought to his position and that should be an example to all electeds countywide. In addition to regular email blasts and town hall meetings — even when there’s nothing controversial going on — he has his open door Fridays where he sees residents from 2 to 6 p.m. Even during the pandemic, he’s had the meetings online.
‘And he has robust social media accounts he uses to alert and inform residents. Lago has raised the bar on constituent services. In comparison, Keon’s twitter page was created when she first ran for office in 2013 — and abandoned since.
Read related: Bicycle lanes, a conflict of interest complaint and intimidation in Coral Gables
Conversely, Keon has not always returned Ladra’s calls and apparently did not let everybody speak at a town hall zoom meeting about banning fertilizer she had last week. She has come under fire for bending to developers, pushing an unwanted bike path along historic residential streets and, mostly, for being an apologist for former City Manager Cathy Swanson, who was forced to resign after she led a witch-hunt against Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak.
He has raised $106,418 already, as of the latest campaign finance report through the end of October. But Keon, who will likely get financial backing from developers like Terranova and Allen Morris — as well as the hourly hotels along Eighth Street that Lago waged war on last year — is “not worried” about her late start.
Keon’s campaign consultant will still be Stan Adkins, who had a $48,000-a-year contract to help Swanson Rivenbark that commissioners did not know about until they found out until eight month later. Lago will be working with Jorge de Cardenas, who has run the successful mayoral campaigns since Jim Cason‘s first.
The election is in April. There will be a lot more coverage in Political Cortadito between now and then.
Coral Gables mayoral race in April shapes up as Pat Keon vs Vince Lago added by Ladra on
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