Does Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago know something we don’t?
Lago doesn’t have a real challenge in this April’s city elections — Jackson “Rip” Holmes can’t beat anyone, let alone the Gables Golden Boy — but he’s raising funds like he’s going to have an opponent. January was his best month, with $58,650 raised, bringing his total to $69,200.
It’s like he’s just getting started.
According to the latest campaign finance reports filed last week, a good number of Lago’s contribution come from real estate investment and development interests. There are a few small bundles, but nothing that stands out as a major investment.
His political action committee, Coral Gables First, collected $74,100 in January (and $55,000 in November). The account shows a balance of about $730,530. The PAC is run by his campaign consultant, Jorge de Cardenas, and can also spend to promote Lago stalemate Alex Bucelo and Ivette Arango O’Doski.
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Lago also spent just over $8,400, about half of which have gone to mailers and postage and text messages.
Holmes has given $550 to his campaign and spent $500 of it. So unless someone else comes forward before the qualifying deadline at noon Feb. 24, the mayor really doesn’t need to be raising any more money, does he?
Bucelo, in his second bid for a commission seat, raised more than Lago, with $64,775 in January checks alone, according to his latest campaign finance report. His total take so far: $87,725. Bucelo — who came in second to Commissioner Kirk Menendez in 2021 — shares many of the same donors with Lago. The two had a joint fundraiser on Jan. 31 and are on the same slate.
This year, Bucelo faces longtime activist Ariel Fernandez, who has run for commission before and has raised $14,400, and Sean Patrick McGrover, an investor and financial consultant with about $2,850 in his campaign account.
The sharing of donors is there, but not as much, with attorney Ivette Arango O’Doski, who is running for commissioner in Group 4 and on the Lago/Bucelo ticket. She has a few of the same regular Gables contributors and $10,000 from healthcare mogul Mike Fernandez. Other notables including former Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, Republican superwoman Marili Cancio, former county transportation director Alice Bravo and The Children’s Trust’s David Lawrence, for a total of $82,050.
Not bad for a newbie. Not bad at all.
Read related: Candidates in Coral Gables collectively raised $1 mil for April race — so far
She’s only spent $7,283, mostly on a reimbursement to herself from an event.
O’Doski got a challenger last week when Melissa Castro, 37, opened a campaign bank account. Castro (Ladra thinks she’s a permit expediter) doesn’t have to file a campaign finance report until the next deadline, the second week in March.
The Coral Gables election is April 11 and, so far, looks far different than the 2021 election, where more than $1 million was raised by 13 candidates.
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