Mayor uses salary hike to smear commissioners, critics
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago is a liar.
Last week, on his damage control PR tour, Lago went on the radio and said that Ladra had extorted him for money. He actually said that he had texts to prove I said I would write negative things about him unless he ponied up. Strangely enough, “journalist” Nelson Rubio didn’t ask Lying Lago to show him those messages. He should have. Because they don’t exist.
Lago also has said that he was completely surprised by the significant pay raise that three Coral Gables commissioners gave themselves last month. But he met with the manager about it before the budget hearing. City Manager Peter Iglesias told Ladra he met with all five commissioners, or the other four after Commissioner Kirk Menendez suggested raising the electeds’ salaries. Iglesias also said that Lago and Anderson did not want the raise, but that he could count to three.
Frankly, this was not the best time for commissioners to propose a raise, giving Lago ammunition to (1) beat up on the new commissioner who were diminishing his power and (2) distract from his own significant problems, which include increased scrutiny into his side gigs, such as the dealings with a developer who is under an FBI investigation.
Read related: Vince Lago has conflict of interest with High Pines, Little Gables annexations
Lago is milking this raise issue as long as he can. He’s been on every Spanish language radio and TV station there is. But he’s beating that drum practically alone. Sure, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson followed his lead, like always. But the only “outside” critics have been former assistant city manager Ed Santamaria and Nick Cabrera, son of former Commissioner Ralph Cabrera, who spoke at a public meeting, likely egged on by Lago, who called and texted people to go. But they work for developer Venny Torre, a Lago ally.
And he has former Commissioner Wayne “Chip” Withers calling people to tell them that newly-elected commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez, who agreed to the raise, are driving around in a Maserati and a new SUV and that even Fernandez’ wife had a new car. Well, both commissioners changed their vehicle months ago and may even be paying less than they were before. And Fernandez’ wife is a successful attorney who can pay for her own car, Chip. Don’t be misogynist.
More people have actually spoken in favor of the raises. Those residents said it’s about time.
Ladra will admit: I don’t love it. Public service is supposed to be just that, public service. It is not paid service. This is not a full time job. That is what staff is for. The electeds are there to provide guidance and policy and priorities, or rather reflect those of their constituents. If they spend more time than necessary, that’s their choice. But it’s not supposed to be a career.
Any salary increase should have been put to voters.
The supporting commissioners say it’s so that anyone, regular working class people, can run and it is not just left to the affluent residents to run. But we don’t want people to run for office because it’s lucrative — even though that is what we get sometimes anyway. And there aren’t too many working class people out there driving Maseratis.
Still, these salary hikes are not something that should be so polemic. But the mayor needs it to be.
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While Lying Lago loves to emphasize that it’s a 104% raise when you include the new and improved benefits, 100% hike of $5 is $10.
The mayor’s salary would jump from $44,905 a year to $69,000 a year, although he said more than once that he would not take it. His annual expense account would jump from $6,000 to $9,600 and he would get a brand new car allowance — there isn’t one now — of $8,446 ($704 monthly).
The vice mayor’s salary goes from $39,285 to $67,000. Commissioners’ salaries would go from $36,488 to $65,000 a year. Commissioners also doubled their expense accounts to $800 and gave themselves a brand new $704 monthly car allowance. Withers hates that this helps Castro pay for her fancy car.
Lago said he won’t who take a salary hike and he has an item for next week’s meeting that would set his and the vice mayor’s salary at the same rate as this year, with just the typical CPI increase. But he just wants to talk about it some more, do a little more grandstanding. Because he could easily decline the raise quietly, or donate it back to some city department. After all, he won’t always be the mayor. Maybe the next mayor — who won’t be Anderson, even though it’s what he wants — won’t have as many side gigs making him or her rich.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has business with accused money launderer
No, the item on Tuesday is absolutely about milking this issue more and distracting everyone from all the conflict of interests and abuse of power that Lago is involved in. Maybe it’s also payback because he has lost the majority on the dais, being on the losing end of three of his big issues: a tax rate cut, an election in November of next year and a contract with the fire union.
Of course, expect more lies. Lago, whose huffing and puffing about legal action sounds more like wheezing, should realize that he could be the one sued for defamation. First, he said Ladra was fired from the Miami Herald, while the publication has been on the record about my taking a buy-out during a forced reduction even though they discouraged me. Then, he said he had the smoking text messages.
He also attacked Roberto Rodriguez Tejera from Actualidad Radio and Billy Corben from the platform Ladra still calls Twitter. So Ladra is in good company.
So all his critics are paid? Or working for the Democratic Party? Another lie he said about Rodriguez that he could be sued for.
Lago knows what he’s saying about his critics isn’t true. But it’s another way to distract from his own shenanigans.
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Ladra, lets be real and put personal matters to the side. Ariel came into Coral Gables and tried to fire the Manager, constantly is Maria Cruz’s megaphone, raises his salary + car allowance and is becoming an egomaniac.
Melissa on the other side of Lago, rents in Coral Gables yet buys a Maserati since she now gets $700 a month.
Ariel and Melissa plotted behind closed doors with Kirk to unite and avoid cutting their term short (moving the election) and giving themselves an increase in salaries.
Don’t get me started on Kirk. Guy must have some serious skelotons in his closet. No one goes from being as quiet as Kirk to then in the last commission meeting having the confidence to make a motion to censure Lago.
FAIR REPORTING LADRA. TALK ABOUT ALL OF THEM.
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…and who is going to talk about the salaries of the “so-called” staffers that All don’t even reach the median salary threshold? You people make me sick. So glad I left public service.
Lies screamed loud enough and long enough become truth to the clueless.
The City Manager could easily clarify who instigated the salary increase and who knew about it and when they knew.
Elections in Coral Gables are currently patronized by citizens who love their neighborhoods and their City. If the elections were aligned with state and national elections they would become a partisan contest of who could out Trump Trump.
Sleazy elected officials love to scheme to give themselves increased pay and benefits. “Public Service” WTF
We’ve gone from silencing leafblowers, to vizier.
I get that Lago is trying to distract from his ethics issues, which should be investigated.
NONETHELESS, I am against the raises and in favor of moving the election dates be abuse both moves save the city money.
Alberto,
Ariel & Melissa in it for the money? really? at $69k? that’s a failure of imagination. $690k, ok. but 69? you can’t even afford a house in Coral Gables if you make $69k.
I don’t even agree w Ladra about her public service point. why should public service require near poverty level wages?
Only Four Words ? WE NEED A SHERIFF!
Winter is here. It’s so damn cold outside, I just farted snowflakes.
Frankly, a $65,000 annual salary for a full time job in 2023 is not excessive at all. That’s $5,416.67 per month, around $4,000 monthly take home pay. Add to that the $6,000 annual expenses allotment, the total take home pay would be $4,500. What we should really be worried about are the multi-million deals that are made behind the scenes by some elected officials using their positions, that corrupt our democratic institutions and impact the quality of life in our city.
Well, Ladra. Interesting how he now turns on you after giving you ammunition so you could go after his enemies. Funny how you never mention that. But alas you have come to the light and seen the hypocrisy and vindictiveness firsthand. Lago is a narcissist liar, much like our former president whom he secretly admires.
What you, Tejera, and Corbin need to do is file a complaint with the FCC and get Nelson Rubio and whatever trash radio station he is on now fined. After the last election and the fatal consequences of disinformation on these channels during the pandemic, these things cannot continue to go unchecked. Lago, Suarez, DLP, Carrollo, and every other elected official in this county who uses these platforms to spread their lies and cover their corruption need to be eradicated. Enough is enough.
Make as much negative noise as possible, lie, deflections, self promotion, bullying of others not in your tribe, these are the methods used by today’s politicians. Since this pay issue occurred, I have received 4 very negative texts, of course anonymous. Pretty easy to track the source.
I trust Ladra. Vince Lago and his lobbyist brother belong in jail.
I’ve made a public records request for all emails and voice messages about the raises. Did you get them? I haven’t gotten them yet. This is the second time I’ve heard “more people support” the raises without quantifying/verifying.
Still, the activist Commissioners, Ariel and Melissa, are there for the money they can get. They use rhetoric with emotional content inwritten text and in videos, to captivate the hearts of the residents. But at the end of the day, it is all about how much money they can pocket for themselves, and how many free meals they can get from local eateries. Thank you, Ladra for not disputing how Ariel and Melissa are scheming to get pay raises.
A mi lo que mas me gusta de estas juntas es que Lago tiene a Castro de un lado y a Fernandez del otro. Me recuerda cuando yo era niña y mi hermana y yo peleabamos y entonces mi mami nos sentaba a las los junticas en el sofa y nos hacia pegarnos bien y hasta que no dejaramos de estar enojadas no nos separaba. Claro que nos decia que si siguiamos en la disputa hiba a sacar la chancleta…….
What I like the best about these meetings is that Lago has Castro at one side and Fernandez at the other. Reminds me when I was a child and my sister and I would fight. My mother would sit us in the sofa and we had to sit very tight against each other until we stopped being angry at each other . Of course, she would warn us that if she heard a beep out of us arguing then the “chancleta” would come out……