Hear from the candidates in Coral Gables mayoral, commission elections
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
In this 2017 file photo, a view of the Coral Gables City Hall. Photo: Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images
Coral Gables voters will elect a mayor and two commissioners in next Tuesday's election.
Why it matters: Three seats on the city's five-person commission are on the April 8 ballot, potentially creating a new political majority with power to pass local laws and approve development.
Driving the news: Mayor Vince Lago and Commissioner Rhonda Anderson are running for re-election.
- Three candidates in Group III are competing to fill a vacancy left by former Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who resigned to run for mayor.
Catch up quick: The City Commission — locked in a contentious 3-2 split — has been embroiled in several controversies over the past two years, including:
- A vote raising elected leaders' pay by up to 101%, which Lago and Anderson opposed but Menendez supported.
- A request by the commission's majority, including Menendez, to receive a police escort to City Hall after saying they received threats.
- The firing of a city manager and the quick hiring of his replacement without a national search, which Lago and Anderson opposed and Menendez supported.
- An assault complaint from the replacement city manager that Lago threatened to fight him at City Hall last year. (State investigators cleared Lago in that case.)
- The failed recall effort to remove Lago from office.
The intrigue: Lago and Anderson are part of the minority on the commission, while Menendez is in the majority.
Who's running for mayor: Lago, Menendez and accountant Michael Abbot are running in Group I.
- Lago is a construction executive, first elected mayor in 2021 and, before that, as a commissioner in 2013.
- Menendez is a real estate agent and licensed attorney, first elected in 2021.
Who's running for commissioner: Anderson, attorney Laureano Cancio and architect Felix Pardo are running for city commissioner in Group II.
- Anderson, who is also an attorney, was first elected in 2021.
- Richard Lara, executive vice president at the Spanish Broadcasting System, Freebee vice president Claudia Miro and attorney Thomas O. Wells are running for city commissioner in Group III.
What they're saying: Candidates surveyed by Axios say transparency, civility, public safety and responsible development are among their biggest priorities.
- Lago says he wants to call a voter referendum to propose rescinding the commission pay raises, moving municipal elections to November and creating the role of inspector general, initiatives he says Menendez opposes.
- "My most important priority is maintaining the character and livability of Coral Gables by ensuring responsible development, enhancing public safety, and fostering a government that puts its residents first."
Menendez did not respond to Axios' questionnaire, but he has slammed Lago for the "scandals and conflicts of interest" during his tenure, while vowing to stop overdevelopment, impose term limits and ask voters to approve any further pay increases.
- "Coral Gables deserves a leadership that is transparent, accountable, and committed to the people it serves. As your future Mayor, I will not stand by while overdevelopment, special interests, and outdated practices take over our City Beautiful."
Abbot tells Axios he wants to restore ethical conduct in City Hall and encourage "smart growth" and "good governance."
- "As a city, we need to focus on the causes of problems, rather than the symptoms of those problems. There's a lot of chatter about stopping over-development and tackling traffic. It is habitual speak. All talk, no action."
What the commission candidates said: In Group II, Anderson says she wants to improve public safety and residents' quality of life while encouraging lower-density development and projects that contribute public benefits.
- Cancio says the city's "construction boom" threatens its unique character and proposes a "better balance" between community needs and developer rights.
- Pardo, who did not respond to Axios' questionnaire, writes on his website that development has left some Gables neighborhoods "unrecognizable" and worsened traffic congestion.
In Group III, Miro says she is prioritizing transparency, public and pedestrian safety, responsible development and hot meals for seniors.
- Lara, who did not respond to Axios' questionnaire, writes on his website that he's against commissioner pay raises, overdevelopment and political infighting.
- Wells tells Axios he's focused on "stopping incompatible real estate development," increasing pay for newly hired police officers and firefighters and restoring civility and transparency at city meetings.