3 commissioners say public corruption is the reason
UPDATED: The Coral Gables city commission on Tuesday decided to skip the national search for a new city manager and instead hired Amos Rojas, Jr., a former U.S Marshal and special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement who can “clean up” City Hall — and starts immediately.
The vote was divided 3-2, typical in the City Beautiful these days, with the mayor and vice mayor dissenting and the new three amigos majority prevailing.
Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, the leader of the three amigos, sprung the surprise nominee at the commission meeting during discussion of an item sponsored by Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson on beginning the process of replacing the former City Manager Peter Iglesias, who was fired earlier this month. Yes, this is the same Fernandez who is constantly complaining about being left out of the loop and getting surprised at the meetings. Los pajaros tirandole a la escopeta.
Read related: Coral Gables manager fired, MIA Director Ralph Cutie could replace him
Ladra would bet her kibble that if Mayor Vince Lago had been the one with a surprise, unvetted, hand-picked new administrator, Fernandez and his allies would have screamed bloody murder.
Fernandez told Ladra he had no choice, that he would have loved to have taken the more traditional search route, but he was certain Lago — who admitted to taking a potential candidate to breakfast himself — would manipulate the process to get a manager he could control.
At the meeting, Fernandez reminded his colleagues about the multiple anonymous text messages that went out attacking Commissioner Kirk Menendez after he floated the name of Miami International Airport Director Ralph Cutié. The commission voted Feb. 13 to negotiate with Cutié, but he apparently changed his mind after those anonymous text messages went out and, Fernandez said, Lago threatened that “if he took the job, he would make his life a living hell.”
Lago denied sending any anonymous or threatening texts. “The best way to do this is to use a national search firm,” the mayor said. “You can continue to blame me… but at the end of the day, it was their decision not to come here.”
Menendez, however, said he could “confirm that a message with that wording was communicated,” to Cutié. He later cast the swing vote to hire Rojas.
Read related: Ralph Cutié picks Miami-Dade over Coral Gables after PAC text attack
“The city of Coral Gables is adrift in a cesspool of public corruption, and I’m here to help navigate our beloved city out of the muck and to safe harbor. So I vote yes,” Menendez said. He told Ladra he had no idea that Fernandez was going to nominate Rojas and that he wrote the statement during the meeting.
Fernandez said that the anonymous texts and shakedowns were “a clear sign that we need a manager who can deal with threats, lies and intimidation tactics and is unfazed by them.” And as he spoke, another text blast went out attacking Kirk for going along with Fernandez on the appointment.
After reading off a list of qualities that a new city manager would have to possess — and among those was “no ties to special interests or developers who seek to control City Hall as evidenced at the last meeting” — Fernandez said someone with those qualities had approached him with interest in the position, which means either that Rojas is certfiably crazy or someone else prompted him.
“This individual also has the ability to address the number one concern our residents have today: ‘Is there public corruption in Coral Gables?’ This is the pressing concern that we must take to the forefront as this commission,” Fernandez said.
In the 10 months since he’s been elected, Fernandez — who has launched investigations into Amazon purchases and cash box accounting — says that he has had “brave members of our staff” and the community share information that has bothered him. “We must look into these concerns and ensure our city is clean of impropriety and corruption and that our processes are being faithfully followed.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Rojas, who graduated from Gables High and Miami Dade College, spent 24 years working for the FDLE, including the last eight as special agent in charge of the Miami Operations Center. After that, he served as deputy director of the South Florida Money Laundering Strike Force for two years before he was nominated by President Barack Obama and sworn in as the U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Florida.
“If he is good enough for the president of the United States to nominate to serve in such an administratively challenging and crucial office, he is not only good enough, but he is exactly what the city of Coral Gables needs,” Castro told Ladra after the meeting, during which she googled and researched Rojas while the others squabbled.
At the meeting, she peppered him with softball questions. Does he live in Coral Gables? “I could never afford to live in Coral Gables,” said Rojas, who grew up in neighboring Shenandoah.
Read related: Coral Gables commission votes to audit Amazon buys on city-issued P-cards
Anderson said she wanted to do a professional search with background checks, even if the city prioritized someone local and, thus, “familiar” with the county and state issue and policies. “This is not a normal process,” she complained. “This is not a process where we’ve had input from the community.”
She said she didn’t know anything about Rojas’ finance experience or public works experience. You know, because he’s going to be a city manager not a police chief.
Lago said an independent executive search with in-depth background checks would be best. “To draw the most people, we have to send a strong message that it’s an open playing field,” he said.
Both the mayor and vice mayor actually appealed to Rojas because they knew that the three amigos would be a waste of time. And they knew they were facing a 3-2 vote from the start.
Said Fernandez: “This man commands respect because he gives respect. He commands hard work because he puts out hard work. He believes the solution to a problem can most of the time be found to being faithful to the ordained process.”
Rojas, who said he could start as early as Wednesday, had agreed to work for the same salary and compensation package as Iglesias. Maybe now he can afford to live in Coral Gables.
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The three amigos are really the three conspirators. They are playing off a plan employing a poorly scripted playbook. Lamentably, one would be right in saying that, thus far, the plan is working, though. Sure, they have the majority, something Ariel doesn’t want you to recognize. Sure, they have all the votes they need to legislate policy. A lot of backroom deals were cut to achieve this. November elections, pay and benefits increases, the head of Manager Iglesias, the appointment of Rojas, these were all scripted in the shade. As were other votes.
Now, without a shred of evidence, they talk about the “cesspool of corruption,” further tarnishing the image of the city, defaming staff and dividing the community. If such a cesspool exists, one would think that the commissioner captaining the ship towards safe harbor, Mr. Menendez, would have noticed the cesspool seas he has been sailing for the past three years. The playbook may be working now, but the truth always comes out. In the meantime, the electorate might as well have handed a monkey a machine gun in last April’s elections.
A!!!!!! Gift To All in Coral Gables and Miami To get Commissioners AGAINST CORRUPTION !
Fernandez’s claim he had to rush because he was afraid Lago would manipulate things is nonsense. He, Castro and Menendez would have stuck together if there was any issue with a candidate, which is a majority against a Lago-favored candidate, so his claim makes no sense.
This is the second time these three have sprung something significant on the city; the first was the salary/benefit increase. Then other, less significant, surprises pop up here and there, like Menendez pulling Cutie out of his hat and Fernandez’s censure motion against Lago. Their penchant for surprise make them seem like agitators in it for themselves rather than us/the city.
All five have a lot of damage control to do with us. I, like most residents, am pretty middle-of-the-road on how the city should be run. Most blog commentators, however seem, a little nutty, and very vested in whom they support and very against those they don’t. None of the commissioners have the support they believe they do, and they will lose more with their continued gamesmanship.
I hope they all begin outreach to residents to assuage our concerns about how the city is being run and whether they are right for the job. I voted for all five of these folks, but they are all backsliding in my eyes. I also hope that the new city manager is everything promised and more, including being independent of everyone on the commission.
Lastly, I am still waiting for Fernandez to publicize the “corruption” he keeps harping about. So far its much ado about nothing with the petty cash “scandal” and P-Card-Gate. Let’s have it, Commissioner. In the immortal words of Judge Smails, “Well??? We’re waiting!!!”
Ariel = Fidel
Rip = Moron
Melissa Castro = Puppet
How we, as a City, are going to be taken seriously… after the stuff pulled at the last 2 commission meetings…I’ll never know. Ethics have taken second place to egos and “mememe.”
There have been no majority of residents involved in the out of control crazy train.
No, the KFC doesn’t look strong and stalwart, that trio has behaved completely unprofessionally. You do not fire a City Manager at a commission meeting, with showing him the door immediately. Then one of the trio mentions a candidate ready to start immediately, except his boss, the County Mayor, says he’s not planning on going anywhere… OOPS. So, behind closed doors ONE commissioner finds another to start immediately. Interesting that his two besties are clueless as to the man’s qualifications. Let alone the mayor and vice mayor, caught unawares this was going down. And… BOOM!!! Coral Gables has a new City Manager no one knows much about. Excellent creds for law enforcement, but what about managing multiple departments while balancing a budget and making sure the specs for a big project aren’t completely haywire?
I don’t know a thing about our incoming CM. I doubt most people do. There was no search for a qualified candidate, not that THAT process guarantees a viable candidate… this has been thrown at the City residents and property owners as fait accompli. Brilliant. NOT.
Ariel, after all your self-promoting as a guy to work with the City you have come off as a bombastic dictator. So much for all your campaign promises.
Kirk, I’ve met you once. You were very pleasant. Since I met you once I’ve followed your decisions made and see you going with what you consider will be the popular vote.
Ms. Castro, I’ve no inkling about you and your business practices. I do know that there has been talk about conflict of interest with your company, and commission decisions you will be making. Whether that talk has merit or not isn’t up to me, but rather, to folks who understand the ethics of politics. I’ve no clue.
Please note that I do NOT have a problem with self-identifying. All these silly cloak and dagger anonymous writers… if it’s your opinion, OWN IT. By hiding behind pitiful noms de plumes you are sacrificing your credibility. So be it. Pitiful cowards hiding not only behind the keyboard but some half-assed created identity.
This is not the type of government I moved to the US to live under. For quite a good while, residents could be proud of leadership of this City and look down our noses at other cities, imploding with self-satisfied politicians gaining so much for themselves personally while screwing the residents, their employers, to the wall. Now Coral Gables joins those cities.
This kind of unmitigated nonsense does not go unnoticed and, I predict, the piper will demand his just desserts hopefully leaving the KFC face down in the mud.
I am so done with all of you.
The Lago sycophants should look up the job duties and vetting process of a United States Marshal before dismissing this cat. Any way you cut it, hard break for Vinny Tantrums.
YOU Residents voted for KFC! SHAME. ON. YOU!
And Maria Cruz, from all the corporations I have ever been to, THE BUSINESS SUPPLIES COFFEE AND WATER! Want to take the water delivery away too?! Sit down! Were not you accused once of theft when you once worked upon a time? Let’s pull up YOUR public records.
Good for them. L’Ego brought that on himself for his gangster backroom antics. Good luck to Mr. Rojas.
Corruption (or stupidity) is agreeing to pay someone, with no city management experience, the same as the former city manager, who you complained was overpaid.
Coral Gables is starting to make the City of Miami look good.
THIS IS A GENUINE GIFT FROM GOD!
Jackson Rip Holmes
I like Ariel, Mendez and Castro but this was made “a la cañona”. I prefer due process. If they continue doing business in this manner then I will have nobody to like in the commission!
Granted, the whole new manager thing was …weird. However, I was surprised that the sitting commissioners did not want to interview him on the spot. Were I on the commission, I would take a 15 minute break to chug down a double espresso, then get the new guy a chair and table so he could be comfortable (maybe get him a double espresso). Then give each commissioner like a half hour to interview him on the record. At least then the public could get to know him.
The City is or was in search of CITY MANAGER, with knowledge of running the City, business… “NOT”
” new manager especially with his law enforcement background”.
For that he should have applied for law enforcement.
We are a messed up City at present.. Won’t be surprised if our ratings go DOWN.
I am not hiding behind a name.
No due process Just Ariel and his cohorts taking over the City of Coral Gables. What can we the residents do to stop this absurd concentration of power ?
As they say, “strike while the iron is hot.” Great job to the 3 amigos!!!
Remember the city tried a national search once. Ended up almost hiring a fugitive child molestor from Atlanta Great background check-lol. We welcome the new manager especially with his law enforcement background.
Good day,
I saw the meeting yesterday.
I was appalled by Fernandez tactics in hiring a new City Manager.
This has NEVER been the process in the City.
Hiring a City Manager without MOSt of the commission not knowing who he is, nor where he came from.
only because ARIEL FERNANDEZ picked him.
M. Castro said during the meeting she did not know this person, never seen him or talked with him. She went on and voted for him without any interviews, no one elseknew who this individual is or was.
This Commission is really very bad off since the 2 newbies have arrived.
For once I agree with you LADRA. If Mayor Lago had done this all hell would break lose.
“Yes, this is the same Fernandez who is constantly complaining about being left out of the loop and getting surprised at the meetings. Los pajaros tirandole a la escopeta.”
SO what we have now is an individual that ARIEL Fernandez will and can control, along with the other 2 ,Menendez and Castro, who claim to not know anything about this individual who will be City Manger.
More corrupt than these 3, there has NEVER been on the commission.
And I really doubt anyone has threaten them, when none of them wants to do apolice report, is it that they are hiding something that they do not want police investigation.
Lets see what is the next episode on the 3 amigos agenda.
God bless and protect our City from the likes of the 3 amigos
alice