Six commission candidates also qualify for two seats in the April 11 race
Without a challenge, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago automatically won re-election Friday. Noon was the qualifying deadline and Lago alone is running for the mayoral seat.
How sad.
“I am humbled to have officially been re-elected as your mayor without opposition. I believe this is a testament to all we have accomplished together,” he posted on social media. “I look forward to continue working with you and the Commission to implement our vision to keep Coral Gables the City Beautiful.”
Blah, blah, boilerplate.
Lago was once a promising policy leader but has disappointed many of his original supporters with a series of bad decisions and evil alliances that wipe out whatever karma he earned with the solar-powered house he loves to brag about. He supported Miami-Dade Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera, the “Proud Boy” affiliate, and Renier Diaz de la Portilla for judge.
He also got into a shouting match with firefighters at a commission meeting.
Read related: Coral Gables Vince Lago is running slate of candidates in April election
He is trying too hard to be like his BFF Francis Suarez. Billy Corben calls him Diet Ponzi Postalita or Francis Suarez Light. Except they’re not postalitas, are they? They are in positions to funnel tax dollars where they want and make policy decisions that affect residents for decades.
It sucks that there was not one person in Coral Gables to challenge Lago, who is much more vulnerable than he seems, even just to bring these issues up for debate and force him to defend some of his stupid moves, like that racist letter he and other parents at the Carollton School of the Sacred Heart signed in 2020 that opposed increased education about racism and black history in the wake of the George Floyd murder and ensuing protests for justice and police reform.
Jackson “Rip” Holmes, a gadfly, downtown property owner and perennial candidate, dropped out of the mayor’s race and entered the Group 4 commission race against Tallahassee lobbyist Ivette Arango D’osoki, permit expediter Melissa Castro and mortgage broker Sean Patrick McGrover. In Group 5, Alex Bucelo — who lost two years ago to Kirk Menendez — is running against activist Ariel Fernandez.
Read related: Vince Lago, Alex Bucelo, Ivette Arango O’Doski lead in Gables money race
But just because he’s not running for re-election doesn’t mean Lago won’t campaign. The mayor was running in a slate, aligning himself with Arango-O’Doski and Bucelo, with whom he had a joint fundraiser. But it’s really for his own interests.
See? There can be no strong mayor in Coral Gables. The electorate there would never approve that. So one way to become a defacto strong mayor is by stacking the commission with puppet yes votes.
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