With all the talk about racism in the recent Coral Gables election — a needed conversation on the heels of that terrible letter the new mayor signed opposing curriculum inclusive of marginalized communities at his daughters’ private school — nothing’s been said about other divisions that exist.
If many Gables residents aren’t outright racist — and that’s a big if, considering the city is the lone holdout on naming U.S. 1 Harriet Tubman Way — they sure are snobby. It’s not so much about black vs. white. It’s more about old Gables vs. new Gables. Cuban vs. Dominican. Private vs. public school.
Several candidates in the April 13 election were characterized as outsiders and unworthy of elected office in the City Beautiful simply because “they don’t look like us or talk like us.” Not just the obvious Mayra Joli — a black Dominican Republican who had the police called on her twice — but also Javier Baños, Claudia Miro, Tania Cruz-Gimenez and, to a certain extent, Jose Valdes-Fauli, who is running against the only gringa left standing.
“Somebody must have [Police Chief Ed] Hudak on speed dial,” Joli told Ladra, referring to the two times police approached her at the Coral Gables library branch.
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The first was on the early voting Sunday because the music she was playing was “too loud.” She insists it was Rhonda Anderson, who led the results with a 16-point lead over Jose Valdes-Fauli and is headed into the runoff. That’s because right before, one of Anderson’s poll workers approached Joli about the music and, well, everyone agrees he wasn’t very nice.
“Mayra Joli has a right to freedom of speech, but if someone comes up to her to express something, I can’t stop him either,” Anderson said.
She told Ladra it wasn’t her and Chief Ed Hudak said he got the call himself, direct, from a neighboring homeowner. Unfortunately, there is no incident report to reflect that.
And guess he is on someone’s speed dial, after all. Hudak came back himself on Tuesday to tell Joli her mobile sign truck couldn’t be parked there. It had to be roaming around or he would impound it and arrest the driver, Joli said.
Now, why didn’t the officer say anything about the mobile truck on Sunday? Was that a new law added to the city books on Monday?
And, as more officers showed up, even one on motorcycle, “flashing my corner,” Joli told Ladra, someone yelled for her to “go back to your master,” in what seems like a reference to slavery. Even if it was referring to former President Donald Trump. Would he say that to a white Republican?
Still seems a little extreme, even for the Gables.
But the widespread rejection of Joli wasn’t just on race. She’s too loud. She talks with her hands. She dresses too sexy. She is not diplomatic.
“My music is scandalous, my presence is shameful,” Joli scoffed. “But the presence of Alex Diaz de la Portilla and others isn’t shameful? My attitude is bad for Coral Gables but the corruption is not?”
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Many people remember when Raul Valdes-Fauli ran against Jeannett Slesnick for the mayoral seat how the whisper campaign was for Cubans to vote for the Cuban and how the gringos wanted to get control again (like that could ever happen). That talk hasn’t gone away in the Group 2 race, where the only anglo left is Anderson. But it’s been reversed, where non-Hispanic residents have urged voters to keep one non-Cuban on the dais.
Ladra has heard people say it and thinks it’s coming mostly from former Commissioner Chip Withers and his squad. But Sue Kawalerski, an active Riviera neighborhood resident, says it isn’t prevalent in this election.
“Most of my neighbors are Hispanic, but they’re not looking at ethnicity as much as in the past,” Kawalerski told Ladra. “This time, I’m not hearing that at all, which is surprising and maybe healthy. This time it’s ‘What have they done? Who’s going to stop this mess?'”
Baños, who got a slight majority of the votes and is headed into a runoff with soccer dad Kirk Menendez, said he did not feel like an outsider. “On the contrary, I feel everybody has been very welcoming. I’m a self made person. I don’t come from a long known family. If that’s the expectation of the voter, I don’t fit that particular mold.”
But Ladra has heard that residents don’t like his accent and the fact that he calls people he doesn’t know Mamita and Macho. They say things like “he doesn’t look like us. He doesn’t sound like us. He should run in Hialeah not Coral Gables.” And — oh my God — he went to public school!
Andy Gomez, the former University of Miami professor who served on the city’s retirement board with Baños, said the candidate “doesn’t have the temperament” to be a commissioner because he is too combative and divisive.
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“He doesn’t see how he can compromise to move forward. It’s his way or the highway,” Gomez told Ladra. “We don’t need that in Coral Gables.
“There’s a higher level of expectations, even though the political climate in this city for the last 10 years has somehow deteriorated.”
The whispers about Miro, the only single mother in the contest, was that she dates too much. Like that’s anybody’s business. The whispers about Cruz-Gimenez were similarly irrevelant to her ability to serve. Oh, and that she’s actually from New Jersey. You know, one of those Cubans.
Baños said that he’s only had two doors slammed in his face of the thousands he’s knocked on. “My impression is, for the most part, that voters in Coral Gables are very smart. They do expect a professional commission,” he said.
“I hit some bad doors, too,” Anderson said. “One guy came out with a gun. I was hanging a door hanger on his gate.”
Her campaign messages have been entirely about comparing her track record to the others. “I’ve been doing this since 2004, and the others haven’t,” she told Ladra. “And I used their best pictures,” she added. “How else do you do position campaigning?
“There was nothing about anybody’s garbage fees or parking tickets or inappropriate behavior in the past. I don’t work that way,” Anderson said, adding that there should be a conversation about this after the election.
“I would hope that we could do some healing.”
In snobby Coral Gables, ‘not one of us’ plagues some candidates at elections added by Ladra on
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snobby Coral Gables?
Enough with derision and diviseness!
Honestly, none of this surprises me at all. All I really want to know is where Mr. Mayor’s daughter goes to school…you know, free speech and whatnot.
Do Coral Gables residents really want to have “Jose Carollo 2.0” in the Commission by electing Baños? Really? Just take a look at the last few City of Miami meetings to see what could come to our City Beautiful… Go Rhonda and Kirk!!!
Dear Jane: I am sure Gables Insider will post your comments if you avoid Ad hominem attacks against me (and other individuals) and instead engage in a civilized debate with those you disagree with. PS- I agree that Rhonda Anderson has run an excellent campaign. She got my vote and will receive it again come the runoff.
Whoever you are, Jane or Robert, Ed or Miguelito, Pepita or Margarita, Robertico or Jessiquita, use your real name and perhaps you will be taken seriously! If what you are saying is the truth you should not be afraid to own it! As you may be aware, I never hide behind made up games; try it and see if it works. Just saying……..
I know this is the least important part of the story, but what genre of music was playing?
Time lived in the community, just like a candidate’s age, is a relevant consideration when deciding whether to elect someone to the commission. I really don’t want someone who is new to the community (or someone who, due to age, lacks sufficient life experience) holding such authority.
Thank you, Jane for saying why others have about Lagos Insider – that they only post some comments and exclude those they don’t like.
Based on his experience, professionalism and just plain smarts, I’m supporting Javier Baños in this contest.
Racism. Coral Gables officials and elected officials putting a bodega ie WaWa next door to a public school instead of the long planned affordable housing shows racism. It also shows that several black people profited off the backs of the black community. It was the black community who badly needed the affordable housing. Who took the money from WaWa? Who stabbed black people in the back?
Again you characterize the letter as “terrible”. Where is it? Did you read the letter? Other than a few screenshots of a few pages on Twitter I have not been able to find a copy. Have you?
” The whispers about Miro, the only single mother in the contest, was that she dates too much. Like that’s anybody’s business”
Lol it is in Miami and things like corruption , shady dealings do seem to take a back seat reminds me of one of Jenny Lorenzo’s Miami youtube skits ( Lejuan James also has great skits )
” Oh, and that she’s actually from New Jersey. You know, one of those Cubans.”
Lol yes , IMO MOST Cubans here are “Miami purist” and if you lived outside of Miami even though born in Cuba , you are an interloper , not a real Cuban .
God forbid you say ” The Emperors have no clothes ” as far as the politicos here are concerned , my cousins who were born in Miami and their friends go ballistics and rally to protect these assorted ladrones.
Miami is an fascinating place .
” “My music is scandalous, my presence is shameful,” Joli scoffed. “But the presence of Alex Diaz de la Portilla and others isn’t shameful? My attitude is bad for Coral Gables but the corruption is not?”
That is a good point but sadly the corruption, zero political standards is something voters here are used to , expect but not scandalous music and you are not going to win elections unless you tone it down .
You KNOW this so do you want to win office and be a serious candidate or you want some type media exposure ?.
I’m not one to throw stones in glass houses because I was not able to even get elected in a little gated community due to things I have said but toning it down if you genuinely want to get elected is the way to go.
Having said this allow me to share 2 of my original jokes ( I have countless ) which hurt my chances when I ran for the board 2 years ago but when I started telling jokes at board meetings I had no interest in running for a board position and again being an ” outsider ” due to way I see things here my chances were not good jokes or not.
Jose ” WOW you won’t believe what I just saw , just unbelievable ”
Person/s at board meeting ” What ?”
Jose ” I just saw a woman here in Doral driving and she wasn’t texting ”
Jose ” Miami shows that women and men are equal because women drive as reckless , depraved as men and men are as addicted to our cell phones and gossip even more then women “.
That joke is of course a FAR FAR reach because to say Hispanic men gossip as much or more then Hispanic women is insane but when I say these jokes they work.
People roll their eyes but do ask for more of my material which I have for every board meeting and my material on Hialeah is a crowd ”pleaser” but its pretty risque and for mature audiences over 30 .
Keep in mind I’m in Doral so Hialeah jokes are welcomed but not Doral jokes .
Good for Anderson. She has run a dignified campaign. If only the same could be said for Baños who continues sending attack pieces from the shadow PAC he claims to know nothing about even though it’s registered to his email. Yet another baseless attack piece this weekend from the PAC against Menendez. Wonder who could be behind that? Carrollo Jr.
Ps: I post comments on Gables Insider criticizing Baños and Ariel Fernandez and Fernandez doesn’t post them. Thank you Ladra for always posting what residents have to say no matter what and not putting a paying client over your journalistic integrity. Gables Insider has become Lago’s and Baños personal Granma. Shame on them for censoring residents and displaying flagrant biases.