Rollback of commission salary increases also coming
What happened in Coral Gables Tuesday has been described by some as a “red wave.” While the biannual city election is officially non partisan, it has increasingly become so in nature and some have openly feared what they call the “MAGAfication” of the City Beautiful.
Mayor Vince Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, and newly-elected Commissioner Richard Lara — who will all be sworn in on Friday — each ran their campaigns on issues that matter to Republicans, namely lowering taxes and reigning in government spending. They also promised to move the elections to November, which will certainly make the elections even more partisan.
There are already the anonymous, venomous online trolls and the frivolous defamation lawsuits, and threats, like in MAGA.
The first thing this new crew might try to do is roll back the salary increases that the commissioners gave themselves in 2023, less than five months after two new commissioners were elected earlier that year. It was a campaign promise hammered by both Lago and Lara. It’s been a thorn in the mayor’s side. All they need is a 3-2 vote, which they have now.
Some people think that they won’t roll the salaries back, that because Lago and Anderson got the raise, too — and won’t tell anyone what “charity” they donated it to — they won’t give it up so easy now. But that’s gonna be awkward after everything they said during the campaign.
Read related: Vince Lago scores with Richard Lara’s Coral Gables commission runoff win
Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez better start making the necessary budget cuts in their personal finances. Get new cars. Or find side jobs, like Lago has.
The new majority will also likely, and rather quickly, push to move the elections from April to November. They can either move it themselves — because the charter doesn’t seem to be clear on that — or vote to put it on the ballot. If they are truly for “accountability and transparency,” as they claim, they will do the latter .
Fernandez said his concern with the November election is that it will make the local races even more partisan. “It takes away the focus of the local issues,” he told Political Cortadito.
But Lara said moving the elections to November was among his priorities in an email sent Wednesday morning, thanking voters for their support and pledging to deliver on the promises he made during the campaign.
“I’m proud to share that — thanks to you — we won,” Lara wrote. “With the highest run-off election turnout in over five years, 
Coral Gables residents sent a clear message: we are ready for civility, for accountability, and for a commission that puts residents first.
“This victory is not just mine — it belongs to all of us who believe in honest leadership and a better future for our City Beautiful.”
He said that his mandate is to roll back the salary increases, move elections to November, and put tax dollars back into the community — all Lago issues that were key to his election.
Tom Wells, who lost the runoff with 45% of the vote Tuesday, send his own email thanking supporters and saying that the city can do other things to generate more voter participation, before they consider moving the election a November ballot. The trolleys could add a stop at the library during early voting days (why doesn’t it stop at the library all the time?), and there could be electronic signage to announce voting dates. Wells, who got campaign support from the Coral Gables Democratic Club, also says candidates should be allowed to purchase booths at the Farmers Market events and have city-sponsored forums for residents to meet the candidates.
“I would like the City to encourage voter engagement for April elections before bundling our local election with so many other elections in November like the City of Miami,” Wells said. “Coral Gables is so important that we deserve to be the only issue on the ballot as we have done for the last 100 years.”
Lara also said in his email that he would fight overdevelopment, “restore transparency and public trust,” “end dysfunction and chaos at City Hall,” and focus on “real results, not political theater.”
For those things, Ladra suggests he talk to his buddy, Vince.
Read related: Coral Gables commission considers moving elections to November
Lago is going to be setting up his priorities now that he has a clear path for his agenda with the majority on the vote. But that means he is also going to be under additional pressure, said Fernandez, who came into office as part of a minority and says that more than 90% of the commission votes are unanimous, anyway.
“Now, he’s in the driver’s seat, so he can’t blame somebody else for issues,” Fernandez said. “He’s got to deliver results.”
The induction ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m. Friday in the community meeting room of the Coral Gables Police and Fire Headquarters, 2151 Salzedo St. There will be a reception immediately after at the Bachour Coral Gables Courtyard. Ladra is not sure if it is open to the public. City spokeswoman Martha Pantin did not get back to Political Cortadito with the answer Wednesday, which was the deadline to RSVP anyway.
The first meeting of the new Coral Gables commission will be on May 20.
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Coral Gables electeds to be sworn in, will push for November elections added by Ladra on
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