In a span of eight days after the Coral Gables election earlier this month and before the runoff in Commission Group 3 Tuesday, attorney candidate Richard Lara — who hasn’t voted in the city since 1999 — raised more than $102,800. Eight days!
That is a huge injection into his campaign account, which totals almost $272,000 as of April 17, according to the latest campaign finance reports, and further impacts this already lopsided race. It’s the largest amount in one single report since he began fundraising last year. The second largest is his first report of $45,000 — but that was over the course of three months.
It’s not only because Lara came in with pole position in the first round — getting 47% to attorney Tom Wells‘ 39% — but also because he has the support of both Mayor Vince Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, who won his re-election handily. Many of the contributions between April 9 and April 17 are real estate or development related, from lobbyists (Lago’s brother Carlos Lago gave $1,000) or Lago loyalists, like former commissioners Frank Quesada and Wayne “Chip” Withers, as well as attorney and University of Miami booster John Ruiz, whose LifeWallet company was under a Department of Justice investigation last year for fraud.
Included in the contributions were $5,000 from developer Armando Codina, $5,000 from developer Tom Cabrerizo and $3,000 from three of the late Sergio Pino‘s companies that now belong to his estranged wife, Tatiana Pino.
Read related: Coral Gables mayor’s power hinges on runoff — Richard Lara vs Tom Wells
And Lara is spending it faster than he gets it, with $145,000 going just in one April 17 check to consultant Alex Miranda for advertising. That’s more than half the $245,250 Lara has spent in total. It may include the cost of several mailers he has sent out to voters, including one with an endorsement from his wife and a couple that attack Wells on the same exact arguments that Lago used to attack Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who lost his mayoral challenge with 55% of the vote April 8.
Lara also spent $3,000 to rent the Coral Gables museum for his watch party event and reimbursed himself $95.88 for an email expense.
That’s just from Lara’s campaign account. Mayor Lago is also using his political action committee, Coral Gables First, to benefit his handpicked yes vote, paying for mailers and text messages. Lago has a lot riding on this runoff.
Wells is the only thing standing between Vince Lago and anything he wants. He is the last defense against a new mayoral majority that will revisit the annexation of Little Gables, roll back the salary increases for commissioners, try to move the election to November and lower taxes for their developer friends, who will feel empowered with the Lago slate. Wells is independent, in the sense that he has gone against both the mayor and the other faction on the dais, favoring a national search for a new city manager rather than an on-the-spot appointment. He is not beholder to anybody.
Read related: Coral Gables election choice is a Vince Lago yes vote or an independent voice
While he has the endorsement of The Miami Herald and Coral Gables United, the political branch of the Coral Gables Neighbors Association, Wells is woefully underfunded in comparison, paying for everything out of his own pocket to the tune of $19,000, so far.
He’s that committed to the City Beautiful. He’s willing to put his own skin in the game.
Richard Lara hasn’t even voted in the city since 1999. He is simply a puppet for the mayor to get his majority back and move his agenda along without any checks and balances.
Turnout has been lower for the runoff, with almost 13.5% of the registered 34,017 voters in the Gables. The turnout for the first round was almost 30%. Of the 4,580 votes cast as of Sunday the end of early voting Sunday night, more than half, or 2,789, are absentee or vote-by-mail ballots. On Saturday, 1,155 people voted early. On Sunday, it was 636.
But that was Easter Sunday so it’s not as bad as it could have been.
Voters have one more day — Election Day on Tuesday. There are 14 polling locations open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
And then we will either have two years of Vince Lago running roughshod over everyone and doing whatever he wants, or two years of a more balanced and civilized commission where no one person has all the power.
The post Richard Lara pulls in $103K for Coral Gables runoff Tuesday vs Tom Wells appeared first on Political Cortadito.
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