The possibility that Miami-Dade Aviation Director Ralph Cutié would become the next city manager in Coral Gables was very short-lived.
On Tuesday, Cutié — who oversees operations at the beleaguered Miami International Airport — was named as a potential (preferred?) replacement for City Manager Peter Iglesias, whose third vote for termination from Commissioner Kirk Menendez seemed contingent on that point. On Thursday, the word was out: Cutié ain’t jumping.
Political Cortadito could not reach Cutié, but many sources said that he was no longer interested in the job — after telling Menendez he was ready and willing to start a conversation. The Miami Herald’s Doug Hanks tweeted Thursday that Cutié was staying put.
What changed?
Well, maybe he took a closer look at the government and the commission dynamics at the meeting where Mayor Vince Lago — who has been in a Cold War with commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez since they were elected last year — basically bashed Cutié’s job performance at the county. Maybe someone forwarded Cutié the text message blast sent out on Wednesday.
Read related: Coral Gables manager fired, MIA Director Ralph Cutie could replace him
“Yesterday, Commissioner Kirk Menendez joined Commissioners Fernandez and Castro to fire City Manager Pete Iglesias,” the text message reads after an image with a bunch of headlines over the terrible conditions at MIA. “Not happy with giving himself a 101% raise, he’s now determined to bring as city manager the bureaucrat that has presided over the demise of Miami International Airport, first a facilities director and now as airport director.
“In addition to enriching himself at taxpayer expense, Commissioner Menendez is focused on dismantling the fabric of the City Beautiful,” the text says.
The reference is to a salary increase the three commissioners — Castro, Fernandez and Menendez — passed in September at budget time. Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson voted against it.
There’s no disclaimer on the message, but everyone thinks that Lago is behind it. He is really the only one with money in his political action committee and the quite, bitter rage to do this. Who else could it be? La ratoncita Anderson? Don’t make Ladra laugh. This text blast has Lago written all over it.
“He has the only PAC that raises funds and launches negative campaigns,” Fernandez said. “And he is somebody who has said publicly that he is going to destroy me and Melissa Castro. He said it during the campaign and on Election Day he told me.”
The PAC text, the trolls on X (what was formerly Twitter), the public outbursts at restaurants and verbal attacks on Miami Herald journalists… Lago is losing control because he is losing control.
Read related: Three Coral Gables commissioners say they have been stalked, threatened
“Nobody said this was going to be an easy process,” Fernandez said. “We knew there would be immense opposition, as we saw on Tuesday.”
Members of the establishment and many of Lago’s friends and apologizers spoke at Tuesday’s meeting in support of the city manager. “They keep saying that the division is being created by Melissa and myself,” Fernandez told Political Cortadito. “They’re entrenched and they want to hold on to power any way possible and ensure we don’t bring someone in who won’t do their bidding at City Hall.
“We’ve taken the first step in moving the city into a residents-first form of government by removing Peter Iglesias,” Fernandez said, indicating that Iglesias was not much more than a puppet for the mayor and his developer friends. “There has to be questions about why people are so entrenched on ensuring the they are in control and that they have a controllable city manager in place. It begs a lot of questions.”
Questions that might be answered now that Alberto Parjus is the acting city manager. He now has access and oversight of the development and finance departments, which he did not before.
“He is already working to ensure that the city is moving forward in the right direction and making sure the residents are a priority. I think he’s going to do phenomenal work and I trust that he will start moving the needle in the right direction,” Fernandez said, adding that nobody had resigned following the manager’s exit and that he was not targeting any other employees.
Read related: Political retaliation in Coral Gables as Mayor Vince Lago loses his cool again
“I’m not seeking any more resignations or termination. I am trusting the city manger to see where our weakness are and where our strengths are,” Fernandez said. “That’s not what Im about. I’m about ensuring that residents have the best government in place and that they are the priority of Coral Gables.
“Now it’s about finding the person who is willing to put themselves through this. I’m living through it. My family is living through it. Kirk and Melissa are living through it,” Fernandez said, regarding threats against them and their families that they feel is politically motivated.
So who would want a job like that?
“I’m confident that there are people out there who are prepared and ready to take on this challenge,” Fernandez said, “and help us clean up the public corruption that we have in Coral Gables.”
Ralph Cutié picks Miami-Dade over Coral Gables after PAC text attack added by Ladra on
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The tragicomedy that has become Coral Gables politics has only gotten more tragic and comedic. Fernandez is channeling his inner 1959 Cuba Fidel Castro, complete with the inferiority complex and extreme narcissism.
Ariel wants us all to buy that he, Menendez, and Castro are not the sitting majority swinging from the bully pulpit. What public corruption does he speak of? Come on, put it out there in the sunshine. He has had the magic number three votes to expose and clean up this supposed corruption for months. He has nothing substantive, much less constructive, to advance, so he builds straw men, such as the establishment – who happens to be anyone that opposes him; he declares the manger insubordinate and takes him down without any actual reason other than for a long-standing personal grudge; he invokes made up mafia thugs organizing to intimidate the majority and foment division. Sorry, but some nasty comments on X, do no an organized crime organization make. These come with the territory of being a public official in these times. Grow a thicker skin if you won’t be bullied.
The majority are the dividers, and they are destroying the city. The wanton incompetence on display this past Tuesday – sponsoring an item which he named “City Manager Succession Plan” which, as many witnessed didn’t actually have a plan. The item becoming a train wreck, essentially trying to appoint a hand-picked replacement manager, without any process whatsoever, and rightfully blowing up iin their faces. I feel for Cutie, who is a decent guy, dragged into this circus by his friend, Menendez. When did Menendez speak to him? Was he on board when they had the conversation? What actually changed his mind?
Now, it’s time for damage control with this piece, and what damage control it is! Besides making allegations of public corruption, Ariel talks down the city. In reference to the manager’s position, “who would want a job like that?” Great question! These comments only further soil the city’s image in the eyes of all, including potential manager candidates. This borders on the moronic. But hey, “residents first’ and all that. Not this resident or anyone else who is paying attention.
Coral Gables has among its residents excellent business managers. I know some of them, among my neighbors.
Question is: would anybody among them be willing to take a job, and work for self serving politicians, like Ariel or Melissa ? Short answer: no.
Great people like to work for great people. Ariel and Melissa do not pass such bar. They failed in the private sector. They use their elected jobs to self approve massive salary increases. They use strong, emotions based, rhetoric against anybody not willing to tolerate their whims.
As long as Ariel and Melissa, with Kirk’s endorsement, are there; the City of Coral Gables will have a hard time to find a competent leader to accept the City Manager job.
What a sick man Ariel is. So, No one had resigned”??? Yeah, idiot, people want to resign but they got to pay the bills. Not everyone has a wife that maintains them and a “job” where they can give themselves a raise. Honestly, he is sick!
Is Lago missing the articles that talk about the Mayor’s own questionable behavior? Can’t believe he has the gall to question Cutie.
Taxes are covered in the renters’ rent.
Taxes go up, rent goes up to cover it.
Sounds like a class based argument, only those with means should serve, just like the defunct argument only landowners should have the vote.
Please enter this century already.
I say who ever comes, MUST have property owned homestead, pay Coral Gables property taxes, trash, and all what residents , who are property owners pay in the City.
NO MORE elected officials, Comiisioneers or City Manger that renat or do not live in the CITY.
How can someone who rents, does not have to pay texes, trash pickup and other items that we MUST pay, be calling out the shots…NOT FAIR.
They decide their own wages, do not lower our milleage rate, and then do not even own property in the City…..YES that is Melissa Castro. You should refrain from voting on any costs for Coral Gables Taxes, or any item related to what we pay. (SHAME on you)…Just found out at the meeting Tuesday that she rents, not own, not pay our taxes in the City.
SHe voted against lowering out milaege rate,of curse not her pocket and only giving $100.00 for lower income citizens,…… while giving herself and Ariel and KIrk, 101 percent salary increase
Why don’t you look and investigate KFC. They went behind the residents to give themselves a raise and car allowance. Wow talk about fair journalism. There are so many residents in the Gables that don’t agree with KFC! The firing of the City Manager was disgusting the way they handled it. These people have no scruples. INVESTIGATE ALL!
This is great news. We don’t want or need Cutié in the City Beautiful. He can continue screwing up MIA, for all I care.
Fernandez has to turn up something or he will have no credibility going forward. If he does, he must clearly and cleanly prove and present it to residents.
But, Lladra, you are too quick to accept Lago was behind the text message. I am very distrustful of politicians, like Coral Gables’ commissioners, and their lust for power.
I have a theory, and I’m gonna call it the “KFC Affair” because it sounds neat. It goes like this:
What if F, who has been in cahoots with K and C before (pay raise scandal), orchestrated everything behind the scenes (perhaps on their unaccompanied group trip to Tallahassee) so that Parjus (F’s preferred candidate) would be in a better position to win permanent appointment as CM?
You may ask why. I’ll tell you: F getting his way on (1) firing Iglesias and (2) permanently hiring Parjus without any opposition at this week’s meeting (other than from Lago and Anderson) would have made it difficult for Parjus to do the CM job without people thinking he’s “F’s tool.” F needs Parjus as CM so F can acquire more power and achieve his goals (and I’m not necessarily saying F’s “goals” are out of line with some residents’ wishes. I voted for him). K helped F by insisting on Cutie as a condition for his vote to fire Iglesias.
F needs Parjus to appear independent so it won’t look like Parjus is always doing F’s bidding (just like everyone said of Iglesias and Lago/”The Establishment”). By Cutie pulling out (the text would have to have been sent by someone associated with K,F or C), Parjus is best positioned to be CM without having been installed there by F. K’s preferred candidate (Cutie) pulls out, and KFC can now install Parjus without any (or at least with much less) taint. Parjus can then do KFC’s bidding, whatever that might be.
The point is that KFC were always going to put Parjus in as CM. They just had to do it in a roundabout way so Parjus can be more effective (especially helping F) and would not have the same baggage Iglesias had at the end.
Sorry I took so long to explain, but I think it is a good theory. Clearly KFC have been playing chess while Lago and Anderson are playing checkers. Let’s see if they can get to mate.
The “BOTELLA at MIA” is Very Hard to pass By Since Every Thing is done by Lobbyist and where RFP is Only a Term of Legality . CORRUPTION & DISCRIMINATION CENTRAL ?
very glad that Ralph is staying away. he has totally screwed up MIA. no need for that skill set in CG.
CG has to do the right thing and look for candidates in a national search.
I believe the right candidate is a person from outside Florida with no strings attached.
No more recycling bureaucrats going from one public job to the next.
I always say that city managers should live in the city at worse, have deep ties to the city at best. In this way, they have to literally live with the consequences of the decisions they make.
Coral Gables should offer Alina Hudak who is currently Miami Beach city manager the job!
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