He made a mistake.
As many people (and voters) now know, Coral Gables Vice Mayor Vince Lago signed a letter from parents and alumni at the Carollton School of the Sacred Heart way back in September that opposed increased education about racism and black history in the wake of the George Floyd murder and ensuing protests for justice and police reform.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
And wrong. The letter’s position is misguided.
Lago didn’t write that letter, but Ladra assumes he read it before signing his name to it and agrees with it.
“This was about my children’s Catholic education. I don’t want teachers politicizing that,” Lago said Friday. He said it was not just about critical race theory but also about changes to education about abortion and euthanasia.
“We were getting off track. There’s a way, under Catholic auspices, to teach this material,” he said.
The fallout has been huge. Outsized. Even though almost 4,000 people had voted by the time the news of the letter came out last weekend, and even though this is not an issue among his base and the people who are livid were already voting for Pat Keon, it is going to hurt him. He has had two endorsements withdrawn, including a drawn-out cancellation in the Miami Herald that could move the needle.
Not because anyone who would vote for Lago is suddenly going to vote for Keon. That’s not going to happen. She is condescending and disrespectful to residents at public meetings, she defended the former city manager and tried to get rid of the police chief. So, she’s got a low ceiling.
Read related: Miracle Mile reboot on hold as Vice Mayor Vince Lago seeks more input
But this late scandal, breaking a couple of weeks before Election Day, could mean some people who were going to vote for Lago over the weekend or on Tuesday won’t bother to make the effort. And because of a third candidate with no chance, this might force the mayoral race into a runoff.
Remember, this is a city where the current mayor won by 123 votes two years ago and 180-some votes two years before that.
Does Lago deserve some pao pau for the stupid signature? Yes. Does he deserve to lose the mayoral race because of this? No.
Not because he has helped the Black Gables more than any single commissioner in Gables history. Not because he helped get the trolley extended to their neighborhood. Not because he voted for a black city manager when they were looking for someone after Pat Salerno left.
Not just because he is not racist or anti-Semitic.
Lago is the hardest working public servant you could find in Miami-Dade. He has regular open-door hours, like a professor, and is accessible every day via email and cell phone. He calls back. He responds. Even to his critics. He has written and passed tons of legislation. Keon has done three, and that includes a cut-and-paste urging legislation about anti-semitism — at the behest of a pushy resident, not because it was her own idea.
Keon has all the above mentioned baggage, plus she has benefitted from multiple attack mailers that are funded by dark money through shady political action committees.
She’s loving this. In fact, las malas lenguas say that Stephen Bittel — the former Democratic Party chairman who wants to build an 8-story hotel on Miracle Mile — is among those in the community who lobbied Miami Herald editorial board members to completely withdraw the endorsement that they had only tempered a few days earlier. The Democratic Party, which is very engaged in this race, has also been pushing for a reversal.
Read related: Desperate Pat Keon attacks Vince Lago with more dark money in Coral Gables
“We don’t operate that way,” editorial board member Nancy Ancrum told Ladra. “We really, really don’t.”
First, Ancrum said that the board just decided to do a “deeper dive” on the letter after tempering their support of Lago. “We re-re-thought it,” she said.
But then she admitted that some of the other editorial board members were lobbied by people in the community, including twitter political influencer Billy Corben. Not her, though.
“No one mentioned it to me. I’m really surprised,” she said Friday.
Still, it stinks of a backroom deal.
Lago said he was not provided an opportunity the second time to discuss his position with the editorial board. Maybe they didn’t want him to talk them out of it. SAVE didn’t even give him a chance at all to explain. That withdrawn endorsement hurts him more.
“My voting record and commitment to this community speaks for itself,” he said.
Ladra hopes the voters are listening.
Despite one stupid, preachy letter, Vince Lago deserves to be Coral Gables mayor added by Ladra on
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[…] mayor presenting Sue as a racist is rich. Remember when Lago signed a letter in 2020 with other parents and alumni at the Carollton School of the Sacred Heart, where his daughters attend, against teaching any critical race theory? Los […]
[…] — who signed a nasty, racist missive to his daughter’s private school in 2021 ranting against critical race theory even though the school didn’t teach it — likes to […]
[…] to bring these issues up for debate and force him to defend some of his stupid moves, like that racist letter he and other parents at the Carollton School of the Sacred Heart signed in 2020 that opposed increased education about racism and black history […]
[…] Read related: Despite one stupid, preachy letter, Vince Lago deserves to be Coral Gables mayor […]
As a protestant that attended a catholic high school in South Florida, I never recall my catholic education to include intolerance and racism. The signers of that Carollton letter reflects values that are not compatible with a catholic and nor a christian education. The letter is a masking of the worst characteristics of South Florida! Lago, Barreiro and et al represent an immoral minority that wrongly hide behind their faith to justify their racism! I remember confederate christians did the same thing 160 years, but maybe they never studied American History…..IJS
Vince Lago is a TROJAN HORSE.
He is a contractor/developer, financed by developers, pretending to be sympathetic to residents, while meeting in relative secrecy with developers — for 2 1/2 years while deliberately NOT informing residents like me, who regularly met with him — to devise and enact a Zoning Code Rewrite that ends Coral Gables as a suburb.
He claims to be transparent, but I can prove he has told many lies.
Sincerely,
Jackson Rip Holmes
Has the letter been published anywhere? Ladra is there a link to the letter? Did Fabiola Santiago and the Miami Herald editorial board read the letter and not publish it?
I have little trust in the Miami Herald because it is so politicized. I have ZERO trust that they can provide an accurate and authentic interpretation of Catholic teaching.
This entire store appears to be a politically-orchestrated “hit job” but I would like to read the letter before forming an opinion.
Dear… all of you suddenly WOKEs are full of shit! Oh my! You are going to talk about racism??? Look at yoursel in the mirror querida Ladra… o… Ladrona? You have the audacity to call who a racist? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 oh my! Can contain la risaaaa!!! Tuuuuu??? Ladra? La jefa de los racistas? O ya te quitaron esa posicion… tambien?
😇😇😇😇
Good for you parents of Carrolton! I aplaude and back you all 100%! Look how this smack call a parent stupid… ha!
” Party affiliation in local politics matters little, it’s the track record of both of these candidates that matters.”
I agree and IMO the letter ‘ R ‘ and ‘ D ‘ is the biggest con game going in Miami politics , it is the lesser of the self serving , pocket lining evils who gets your vote .
As someone told me ” In Miami politics regardless of political affiliation the city construction crews dilute the white and yellow paint used for street lines 4x over and charge the city for 4x the paint they never used and not one city inspector could care less regardless of Mayor or city council as it is just the norm here “.
” Your mistake is to criticize someone for a very personal opinion, thus taking his right to free expression away.”
Look up what freedom of speech is .
He can give his opinion , say what he wants but others have the same right to disagree and to criticize him.
I think Cuban politicians are the worse thing to happen to Cubans in Miami but you and everyone else has the same right to disagree and more .
See my point ?
lago made a mistake, and it happens… my concern is he lies often, and the lies are intentional… he lied about Keon supporting a Venezuelan website, about a former comissioner endorsing him, and about not voting for a 10 story miracle mile development (built by his donors)… I am still getting facebook ads that the Herald endorses him!!! (not true)… when a politician lies so much does it shows disrespect for his constituency
Rip is going to perform better than expected (you heard it here first).
Ladra, you are signaling your silly woke credentials big time. Most people know by now that wokeness is a movement based on the absurd. Kudos to Lago for standing up and resisting the pushing of this leftist-globalist nonsense on our children.
Why are these woke ideas suddenly urgent? Because Soros, Dorsey, Zuckerberg, Obama, Clintons, and Pelosi say so? Por favor.
The left is intellectually bankrupt; no new ideas…”Let’s keep minorities dependent on government handouts!” Wow. how original.
Just recycled reverse-racist rubbish is all they have left to promote until their final collapse (stealing elections will only delay their final downfall.)
Vice Mayor Lago has always been available to answer my questions as I head up a crime watch group. He responds the same day that I call or write him. He came out this past year in the height of the pandemic to address our residents concerns over an important issue when others were still too cautious to do so. He stayed for over an hour and asked if there were other concerns that needed to be addressed. He got to work immediately on starting the process to resolve our issues. He listens to residents and acts on their behalf. We need a mayor and commissioners in our city who will listen to us and act if possible in the same way.
Mayor Lago has been and continues to be the best elected official in Coral Gables. He’s done more for the city than anyone of the commissioners in the last 20 years. Keon has been a disaster, extremely rude and disrespectful and should be ashamed of the way that they have governed the city. With Keon there is no accountability , no improvement, and multiple sunshine state violations. I have no idea how she made it into the commission but has been a disaster and useless commissioner without anything to prove. It will be a better day in the city of Coral Gables once she is gone. Keon instead of taking cheap shots because you have no other way to win please- the sooner you leave the better it is for the city.
Vince Lago will be a Mayor for the Residents. I have been depceptioned by Pat Keon, never thought she would steep so low to use Vince personal faith to go after him, when she herself is also Catholic. Mayoral race should not be Democrat nor Republican nor your personal faith issued. Should be about what you have accomplished for the City and it’s Residents and future outlook for the good of the City and it’s Residents. I personally can vouch that if you call Mr. Lago he will return your call and or give you an appointment to meet at his City office. (Opponents has to be very desperate to use this card to benefit election) that is not what Coral Gables is or has been about. I agree with you “Laura” , Vince Lago the best choice for Coral Gables Mayor, Vote #71.
What Mr. Lago believes should or should not be part of school curriculum has nothing to do with whether he is suitable as mayor. One has nothing to do with the other.
Will The Least Corrupt Politician Please Stand Up ?
Vince Lago had my support early. That support has only grown because of the actions of his opponents PAC and the back room dealing by the Democratic Party in what is a non partisan race.
The Miami Herald has acted disgracefully. By also defaming a local institution in the process of their totally fabricated “fake news”, they reveal themselves as the feckless minions of their masters.
I’m urging everyone to vote for Vince Lago
Excuse me. I beg to differ.
The letter was not stupid or misguided in my opinion.
The teachings of the catholic church have always been on the side of justice and equality.
That is what the signers of the letter meant. We don’t need anyone else to tell us how to be catholic or to impose their reasons for racial justice.
The mistake if any was to apologize for having signed a letter.
The mistake would have been to fall into the pack of wolves who are trying to force us to express things in their way.
Your mistake is to criticize someone for a very personal opinion, thus taking his right to free expression away. What right do you have to say to somebody that he deserves “pau pau” (even in the way my grandmother administered it) for having an honest opinion?
On the other hand I applaud your fair assessment of him as a politician.
Thank you.
Andres
Ladra is right. I am a Democrat but I am not voting for Keon. Party affiliation in local politics matters little, it’s the track record of both of these candidates that matters. Lago has consistently stood by us citizens for eight years, listening to us, conversing with us, caring about us, and encouraging an open debate and dialog. He brings leadership and a long track record of accomplishments during his tenure on the commission. Yes, I don’t agree with the message of the letter he signed, but it was his personal faith that led him to do it. Carrollton is not a public school, it is a private Catholic school. And yes, in this political environment everything a candidate does is fair game, but I choose to look at the entirety of their record, not just at a few items I may not agree with. For eight years Lago has stood by the residents of Coral Gables, it is time for us to stand by him.
I’ve known Vince for many years, he has always demonstrated a commitment to his Community unlike most elected Officials in this or any County, he will make a great Mayor and if we are lucky enough this is only the beginning of his ascension to higher Office.
Thank you for this timely piece. I’m voting today and it’s Lago’s negative ads against Keon that have hit my mailbox. I hadn’t received keons negative postal trash against Lago. Im disgusted by the cards that darken the photo and make her look sickly while making Lago look young and healthy. I was changing my vote to her due to his meanness on these. Who are the assholes who create these?
Your previous blogs discounted Rhonda Anderson. She has my vote. No negative ads against her opponents.
Thank you for covering this local election. Much appreciated.
Coral Gables is getting too many large ugly projects. And residents complain about high taxes.
Ladra……this is the first time,I fully agree with you. He is the best choice by a
mile!!
Keon’s shady PAC have been annoyingly texting me all week.. so Lago will get my vote.