Critics worry that special interest influence will grow
UPDATED: The Coral Gables commission this Wednesday may change the date of city elections from April to November, forever altering the way electeds are elected in the City Beautiful.
It’s not just about a date. This change will make it harder for grass roots candidates with little funding or establishment support to get elected. It seems to be a direct consequence of the election this April of commissioners Ariel Fernandez and Melissa Castro.
And the decision will fall on Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who has become the swing vote on a very divided commission.
The charter amendment would shorten the terms currently served by Menendez, Mayor Vince Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson. Rather than having the next election in April of 2025, this change would mean the next election is in November of next year. Commissioners talked about this last month, and the supporters say the decreased cost — the city saves about $100,000 by piggy-backing on federal, state and county elections — and the increased turnout that comes with a November vote are the main reasons to make the change.
Read related: Coral Gables commission considers moving elections to November
By supporters, Ladra means Lago and Anderson, who have sponsored the charter amendment item on Wednesday’s agenda. It’s on for a “time certain” discussion at 9:30 a.m. This is totally about Fernandez and Castro being elected against Lago’s will. It would be harder for either of them to get elected on a November ballot.
It could also be difficult for Lago to get elected in April — when only the most engaged and educated voters turn out. With his fundraising ability — he’s got $700,000 sitting in his political action committee — he can drown out any opposition with the federal and state partisan voters who know nothing about him or the issues in Coral Gables.
Fernandez and Castro are against the change. That leaves Menendez as the swing vote. He did not return a call and text message. But when this was discussed last month, he wanted to get citizen input and bring it back to the dais in or after October. Lago seems much more hurried than that.
He wrote an op-ed piece for the Miami Herald and he sent an email blast Tuesday — shortly after the first version of this story was published in Political Cortadito — with a video defending his November stance.
“In our last municipal election, one 20.92 % of us cast our vote. yet in the November election, we’ve seen turnout numbers quadrupling. That difference is not just staggering, it’s a call to action,” Lago said, quoting academic studies and noting how he is willing to cut five months from his own term “to make this change happen.”
In her own email blast, Castro — who worries that this would lead to more overdevelopment — wrote about how the change could favor outside interests.
“While it may increase exposure to a multitude of candidates and issues, it can also make it challenging for local candidates with limited funding to gain visibility and communicate effectively,” Castro wrote in her piece, where she cited sources. “This situation might inadvertently favor candidates backed by powerful interest groups, potentially affecting the overall representation of community interests and the
democratic integrity of the election.”
Fernandez, who proposed having the Gables join the August primary ballot, has an item on the agenda to create a new charter review board. Which is the way charter amendments should be presented.
Doesn’t this seem rushed? Wasn’t this supposed to come back in October? Wasn’t the city going to poll residents about this before making a decision? Is Lago pre-empting them again?
Read related: November vote in Coral Gables = a power play by bitter Mayor Vince Lago
The board of the Coral Gables Neighbors Association, a group that helped get Fernandez and Castro — as well as Anderson — elected and whose influence could be diminished or dulled in a November contest, has also publicly come out against the charter change.
“Our non-partisan elections would turn partisan and usher in money from political parties and special interest groups from outside our area and beyond Florida, all in the interest of gaining a foothold in the City Beautiful, getting their candidates elected and taking control away from residents,” reads an email sent Sunday, urging residents to email commissioners with their objections.
“Can you imagine what our city would become if that happened?
“Don’t listen to the bull about ‘saving money’ and ‘we want to get more voters out to the polls.’ This is nothing but a ploy by the already-dirty to stay in power and keep residents from having a voice.”
The meeting is at City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way, and can be seen online on the city’s website and via Zoom.
Coral Gables moves quickly to move city elections from April to November added by Ladra on
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