Coral Gables commission considers moving elections to November

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Coral Gables commission considers moving elections to November
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Change could give Mayor Vince Lago an additional 20 months in office

To increase participation and reduce costs, the Coral Gables Commission may move the city’s biannual elections from April to November. But the question is, will they start in 2024 or 2026?

The earlier option, moving the April 2025 election to November 2024, means that the mayor and commissioners Rhonda Anderson and Kirk Menendez will have their terms cut short by five months. The later option means that they will get an extra 20 months in office.

This will be a topic of discussion at Tuesday’s commission meeting. Anderson has asked that it be taken up at time certain 2 p.m.

Mayor Vince Lago didn’t return calls and texts from Political Cortadito. But sources close to City Hall say Lago, who was just re-elected without any opposition, wants to go with the 2026 implementation of this change. That would give him almost an extra term that he wouldn’t have to run for.

Read related: Developer who paid Miami mayor also rents from Gables Mayor Vince Lago

Pero por supuesto this is the move Lago is going to support. Because he knows that getting re-elected will be more difficult if not impossible after all the shenanigans he’s pulled lately — particularly his brother’s connection to the trailer park in Little Gables and his financial gain from developer Rishi Kapoor‘s purchase of 1505 Ponce de Leon Blvd.

Commissioners Rhonda Anderson and Kirk Menendez could shorten their terms by 5 months or grow them by 20

Vice Mayor Anderson, on the other hand, says she is willing to give up almost 1/8th of her term to get more voter turnout — Coral Gables gets close to 80% in November — and save about $120,000.

“We should shorten our terms by five months, otherwise we’re taking away the people’s right to vote,” Anderson told Ladra. “It’s a lot of months,” she said about the 2026 option. “It’s two years, basically, which makes a two-year term a four-year term.

“I don’t think it’s ethical to take away a person’s right to vote.”

She also says that the new November date will mean voters don’t get annoyed over and over again. “When I went to knock on doors after the November election, they were like ‘Again? Ugh.’ People were just tired of politics. I don’t blame them.”

South Miami made the change from February elections to November after voters approved it in 2020. Last November was the first election held with the rest of the world and the turnout doubled from the participation the February two years earlier.

Read related: South Miami has new mayor Javier Fernandez and 2 new council members

There are some community concerns that the change could make the nonpartisan city elections even more partisan and that a candidate with a big bankroll will be able to drown the others’ messages with their own. But we’ve had at least two elections in the Gables that show that the one with the most money doesn’t always win in the City Beautiful.

Commissioner Fernandez, who beat a better funded candidate, has been talking about moving the elections for years — but he favors August to November. That would make the choice between cutting the terms by 7 months or making them 18 months longer.

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16 Responses to "Coral Gables commission considers moving elections to November"

  5. Moving the election date to November is a logical decision that will lead to a higher voter participation. It appears that those opposing this change may have questionable intentions.

    Let’s uphold the essence of democracy and allow the voice of the people to be heard through their votes. A mere 20% turnout is an embarrassment.

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  9. Lago calls the Miami Herald and this publication propaganda… if the community does not discuss these important issues in a free and open press, are we to get the truth from his instagram posts? By blasting the free press, Lago continues his dictatorial streak fueled by self-importance and developer dreams.

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  10. Moving these elections to November is an attempt by Limp Lago and his lap dog Rhonda Anderson to silence neighborhood groups.They are trying to avoid people like Ariel Fernandez and Melissa Castro from ever winning again. In a November race you need money to communicate because it’s a presidential race, and voter turnout will drown out neighborhood groups. Don’t be fooled. This isn’t about saving money. This is about silencing neighborhood groups who care about their community and are engaged. Unfortunately Limp Lago didn’t get his way and is creating havoc. Lago will stop at nothing to regain control of the commission. Sad truth is, Menendez doesn’t even see himself as being on chopping block. If he votes in favor of this it’s his own demise.

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  11. There are many reasons not to reschedule municipal elections to coincide with general election
    – Municipal candidates will be lost in the many many many races on the ballot at county, state and federal level being run simultaneously
    – It will serve to make these elections even much more partisan, since voters showing up in November may have little grasp of actual issues affecting the City and will only be asking if the candidate is a Donkey or a Pachyderm
    – More votes does not necessarily equal more quality or informed votes.

    There’s more but these should suffice to leave CG elections as they are.

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  12. I think that it is a fabulous idea to change voting dates in coral gables from April to November. After what will be a very stressful 2024 voting season, packing it all together will alleviate voter burnout.

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  13. The decision to make the change in 2024 or 2026 will be a test of statesmanship for the three elected officials impacted.

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  16. Thank you for explaining what is being discussed and proposed publicly, but anyone who has been following what is going on probably sees one of the options as an attempt by Vince Lago, who has said many times that he is not running again, to almost double his term in office. It is obvious to me that he would not like to face the voters again after the debacle he has created by his actions!
    You point out that South Miami changed the election dates, however they held a referendum on the matter. Voters expect to have a say on this very important issue!
    If in fact it were a good idea to do so, no one’s term should be altered. They need to serve out the time that they were elected to serve. The next election in 2025 could be announced as being for a shorter period of time to accommodate the change voted for by the taxpayers/voters.
    As to the savings, perhaps there are other ways to save money!

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