In a rare joint statement, the leadership of both the Coral Gables Fraternal Order of Police and the city’s firefighters’ union called Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago a liar and raised concerns about his side gigs and ties to developer Rishi Kapoor, who is under investigation for bribing the mayor of Miami.
The labor groups were responding to a letter Lago sent City Beautiful residents — or, more likely, just the voters — in which he claims to be a friend of first responders.
“We, the collective voices of the Coral Gables Fire and Police Departments, feel compelled to confront you directly with our concerns. In a recent letter sent to residents the portrayal of your support for public safety contrasts starkly with the reality we have faced — protracted struggles to secure fair contracts amid a turbulent climate of your personal business entanglements and alleged developer scandals,” it starts.
Ouch. But that’s just the beginning.
“In our mission to serve, we have observed with growing unease the unfolding narratives that call into question the integrity of your office. The terminated lease with developer Rishi Kapoor and other transactions indicative of conflicts of interest are more than troubling; they suggest a pattern of using public office to further personal gain,” the letter from the unions says.
Read related: Letter from Gables Mayor Vince Lago means desperation about recall effort
The consequences of the mayor’s actions have reverberated throughout the city, the union leaders say. The police department, which already has 37 vacancies and the worse morale ever, could have up to 50 vacancies in the near future.
“This dire predicament will directly affect the very fabric of public safety in our community. For too long, our officers have been striving to secure competitive wages that are essential to retain and recruit the best individuals — the caliber of professionals our residents rightfully deserve.”
In his letter, Lago says he supports public safety.
“As your mayor, I have fought tirelessly against large-scale development that threatens the character of our community, voted to ensure record funding for our first responders to keep our families safe, and have consistently voted to lower the millage rate,” Lago wrote in a letter sent earlier this month.
Voted to ensure record funding for our first responders? Say what? That’s a bald-faced lie.
“Let’s set the record straight,” the unions say in their own letter. “In your eleven years of public office you have NEVER voted in favor of a single firefighter collective bargaining agreement.”
In September, he voted against the new agreement with the firefighters, who had been working without a contract for almost three years. The staff recommended the agreement, but Lago seemed to look for reasons to kill it.
Read related: Coral Gables FOP blasts police chief, mayor about 37 vacancies, low morale
And the police are going on six months without a contract and no resolution in sight while they struggle to fill in for 37 vacancies, and Lying Lago says everything is okay. The police union came out with a video earlier this week blasting the mayor and Police Chief Ed Hudak for pretending there’s no problem while the shortage of officers grows.
The mayor was also voted against this year’s city budget, indicating he was against funding a new fire station and additional positions in both departments, the unions’ letter says.
“The city continues to grow vertically with 130 existing high rises and thirty new high rise developments still to come, and yet, The City Beautiful does not meet the national standard for firefighter high rise staffing and the department remains understaffed.”
The National Firefighters Protection Administration recommends that fire departments have 43 firefighters on duty to respond to a high-rise fire. Since 1994, Coral Gables has had 32 firefighters working on any shift. “We don’t have enough people,” said union president David Perez. “We’re putting ourselves and our community in danger.”
Lago has also insulted Billy McAllister, president of the Miami-Dade Firefighters Local 1403. Both Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson decided to skip the groundbreaking ceremony (read: photo op) at the Coral Gables Fire Station 4, “sending a clear sign of where you both stand on public safety.
“Your actions are not in line with your statements of public safety support.”
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has more city business than we thought
The letter also says that Lago’s “overt criticism of commissioners” — and, no doubt, they mean Melissa Castro, Ariel Fernandez and Kirk Menendez, aka the Three Amigos — is inappropriate. “It is an act that can only be described as punitive for their lack of allegiance to your interests, casting a shadow over the democratic values we hold dear.”
The labor leaders call on the mayor to “reaffirm your dedication to the principles of good governance — transparency, impartiality, and service to the public good,” and to “realign” his priorities.
Good luck with that. What’s more likely is that you, dear union members, are now on the “Crush List” of people Lago has to completely “destroy.”
Coral Gables police, fire union: Lying Vince Lago is no pal of public safety added by Ladra on
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