Like a petulant brat who doesn’t like to be told “no,” Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago defied everyone and betrayed both his colleagues and his constituents this week when he displayed an Israeli flag in his window at City Hall, even though the commission had voted against raising the flag because of the outpouring of community opposition.
This should prove that he doesn’t care what anybody thinks.
Read related: Coral Gables commission backs off Israeli flag at City Hall after backlash
Lago hung a U.S. flag morphed with the Israeli one in the historic window of his office on the second floor Tuesday. He was so proud of defying the community sentiment that he posted a photo of it on Instagram, along with a photo of three young men — Ladra suspects his podcast pals — with Israeli flags prancing around at the park across the street.
“On October 7th, 2023 the world witnessed an unspeakable, heinous act as 1,200 innocent men, women and children were killed and 250 people were taken hostage by Hamas. It was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Lago wrote. “Today, we remember them and celebrate their lives as sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, neighbors and friends. Lives forever altered in an instant, by hatred and a lack of tolerance.

“We will always stand on the side of justice and our allies (Israel), never forgetting the freedoms we have as Americans.”
He also felt a need to make sure that everybody knows the “first photo is of the Mayor’s office over looking the front of city hall.”
Was that for the benefit of the Isreali consulate and embassy in Miami? After all, they were invited to “collaborate” on the post.
It certainly looks like the park protest was coordinated with the mayor’s office. There was no permit needed, said Gables spokeswoman Martha Pantin. “Individuals do not require a permit to display items such as flags, provided they do not block ingress, egress, or interfere with traffic flow,” she wrote in an email responding to a question.
Guess that means that anyone can show up tomorrow with flags from Palestine, Iraq, China, Russia, Libya. In fact, employees are also free to display another country’s flag from the windows of their offices and city vehicles, Pantin said.
“We do not have specific personnel rules regarding the display of personal items like flags, as long as they are not offensive in nature. Any items deemed offensive would be addressed in accordance with our standard policies.”
Perhaps they’ll tweak the official definition of “offensive.”
Read related: City raising an Israeli flag causes fuss and fury at Coral Gables City Hall
Pantin said “after checking with dispatch and the manager’s office, no calls or complaints were received regarding this matter.”
That was in an email sent at 4:51 p.m. It is not Pantin’s fault that she hadn’t yet seen the email sent 20 minutes earlier by Katherine Shehadeh, a resident who spoke at both public meetings against raising the Israeli flag on public property at a time when the world was denouncing what many — even inside Israel — are calling a genocide of the Palestinian people.
“In advance of next week’s meeting, where I know there will be further discussion on this point, I want to be sure everyone is aware of this post on the mayor’s official Coral Gables account that he made jointly with the Israeli Consul General, a foreign official, tagging a number of Coral Gables media outlets and his political action committee,” Shehadeh wrote in her email to Lago and the commissioners. “I want everyone to consider the moral and ethical implications of using their public office this way, particularly on a matter that was already addressed democratically and respectfully within the commission’s chambers.”
And that’s is the issue here. If Lago had posted an Israeli flag on his personal social media and raised a flag at his house on San Amaro Drive, there would be no problem. Like when Palmetto Bay Councilman Steve Cody posted something about the assassination of Charlie Kirk being ironic because of his stance on the Second Amendment. People wanted to skin Cody alive and demanded his resignation — which he has politely declined — but he wasn’t speaking as a commissioner.
Not only was Lago’s post on his official city profile, he went ahead and did this after a great deal of public debate — overwhelmingly against his idea of solidarity only with Israel — and his colleagues on the commission agreed to have some non-political show of remembrance instead. This is in your face defiance. More proof that Mayor L’Ego, who did not return calls and texts from Ladra, is a sour loser and a bully who only wants to get his way.
Is he always going to do whatever he wants despite what the commission votes democratically? Isn’t that what a dictator is?
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, allies bully and browbeat Melissa Castro
“It’s troubling to see the mayor once again ignore both the comission’s decision and the clear message from residents who asked us to keep City Hall neutral,” Commission Melissa Castro told Political Cortadito. “This isn’t leadership. It’s self promotion.
“Time and again, he’s shown that it’s not about residents want, it’s about what he wants,” Castro added. “Coral Gables residents came to City Hall twice to express their desire for neutrality, and the commission listened. We made a collective decision to keep our government impartial and focused on unity, not politics.
“When the mayor defies that vote and uses City Hall to advance personal agendas, it undermines public trust. A mayor should lead by example, not by personal ambition.”

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Coral Gables Vince Lago gave his fifth State of the City address last month week and, true to form, it was all about him. Except the parts that were about his political enemies, as he made the annual speech an opportunity to attack them. Again.
Speaking to a room full of people at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast, it was almost predictable for him to make it all about the business community. But L’Ego also made it sound like his administration is some sort of Harvard case study in leadership and economic development. He even opened with a Warren Buffett and Bill Gates anecdote about “focus” — because he desperately wants people to put him in their company.
“Focus is what makes Coral Gables special,” he said. And here we thought it was the history-laden Mediterranean architecture and the strict zoning and Miracle Mile and the people. Silly us.
Ladra has heard Lago’s focus speech before. He’s focused on telling you how “fiscally conservative” he is while quietly shoveling tax breaks and red-carpet concierge services to developers and big business. He’s focused on touting “civility and transparency” while using City Hall and his pulpit to attack his political enemies. And now, he’s focused on getting voters to move city elections from April in odd-numbered years to November in even-numbered years — which sounds like more democracy, but also conveniently means that, as an incumbent with tons of money, he’ll have advantages that grass-roots candidates won’t.
The mayor almost didn’t make it to his big speech Thursday, he said. First, he awoke to a flat tire and had to Uber his way to the Biltmore. “And as I stepped out of the Uber, the skies fell on me,” he told the crowd, with a little “how dare they?” in his tone.
Maybe a little foreshadowing, no?
Because once he dried himself off, “in the bathroom,” and got behind the podium, Lago showed us some storm clouds of his own. “Good morning,” he said, and was immediately disappointed with the lack of animated greeting in response. “Either the coffee is not too strong or everybody’s still asleep.”
He never considered the third option: They’re not that excited to see him.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago caves on election change; wants public vote

Yes, he dutifully rattled off accomplishments and buzzwords about “innovation” and “resilience,” he reminded everyone about rolling back the commission raises and even name-checked the city’s $4 million annual fund for sea level rise. He called Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara extremely talented attorneys dedicated to public service — and someone at table 10 almost choked on their bread — and showered City Manager Peter Iglesias with compliments.
“It is a privilege having this gentleman running our city,” Lago said.
But he also slipped into unscripted moments that were darker than usual, even for him. “Everybody wants to be my friend now,” he said, acknowledging he has “yes men” who don’t tell him the truth. “But I’m pretty sure that in four years, 99 percent of people who speak to me, probably won’t speak to me.”
Whoa. Somebody’s feeling the weight of the office. But Ladra’s got news for Vince. Not everybody wants to be his friend now.
Maybe it’s because he’s such a sore winner. Lago once again reminded everyone that he rolled back the commission’s “unjustified” 101% salary hike — which is more dramatic than saying they went from $36,488 to $65,000 a year, which doesn’t seem like a lot. The argument in favor was that the salaries were too low and had not been raised for years and that a higher pay would attract better, less corruptible, candidates — which make sense.
But saying 101% makes it look like they get a six figure salary, which is what Lago wants.
And he is sounding like a broken record. Lago won’t move on because he’s trying to squeeze more election juice out of that for his referendum and to hurt Commissioners Ariel Fernandez — who might not even run again — and Melissa Castro, who definitely should.
The mayor bragged about millage stability, even though the Gables cash cow is long fattened on some of the priciest property values in the county, not by the grace of his genius. He crowed about bond ratings, infrastructure modernization, and acknowledgements for the city’s technical prowess. And, of course, peppered the speech with side eye digs.
“As an elected official, you are required to run this like a business. Some people do, some people don’t. They see it as their own personal piggy bank,” L’Ego said, adding that he will look back in pride at his fiscal responsibility, for “always taking into consideration how hard it is for you to make payroll every two weeks.
“We should make every decision thinking about the bottom line.”
He sure knows his crowd.
He name-dropped some of the city’s technical contractors and the large businesses that have relocated to the City Beautiful, like Apple and Ryder. “Coral gables now holds over 8,000 businesses and over 140 multinationals,” Lago said. “Not just because of our locations, but because of our leadership, because of our planning and because of our incredible focus in regards to quality of life.”
He invoked George Merrick in saying the city had and talked about the University of Miami being “a cornerstone of our identity of growth.” He gave kudos to the tech director for “smart city” projects and patted himself on the back “for raising the bar in customer experience,” adding 20 new permitting staffers — because nothing says efficiency like hiring more bureaucrats.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has more city business than we thought
Ladra can’t help but wonder how many of those are going to be specific to the new Permitting Assistance Program, a concierge service to help businesses “open faster.” That must be real music to developers’ ears. It’s not for residents who still have to wait 10 months to get a fence approved. No, it’s another shortcut for friends with projects to get rubber-stamped while neighbors who don’t like the latest oversized box on their block get left holding the bag.
Vince Lago and Mark Trowbridge during the COVID pandemic.
Lago got misty remembering the late Chamber CEO Mark Trowbridge , who died in February after battling blood cancer, and even proposed naming a new downtown park after him, the location of which will be determined later after consulting with Trowbridge’s family. The mayor called it “a symbolic gesture to recognize his extraordinary impact… someone who helped shape the heart of our city.”
It was a touching moment. One touching moment.
Then, he welcomed lobbyist Jorge Arrizurieta as the Chamber’s new boss. Yes, that Jorge Arrizurieta — Lago’s buddy and longtime political insider who has “big shoes” to fill — probably with PAC money and influence-peddling.
Arrizurieta has served on the board of directors for the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and was a Trustee of the Miami-Dade County Public Health Trust. He was Lago’s appointment to the city’s board of adjustments — until someone notified them that he no longer lives in Coral Gables. He is so in Lago’s pocket that he once filed an ethics complaint against activist Maria Cruz, accusing her, of all things, of being an unregistered lobbyist.
It was legally insufficient because it was a lie. Cruz was not a lobbyist because she is not paid to represent any entity. She represents herself and the interest of certain Gables residents. She might be a pain in the, er, neck to some politicos (read: Lago), but she ain’t a lobbyist by any measure. And Ladra suspects that both Arrizurieta and Lago, whose permission he must have sought to file the complaint, know this.
But the people in the audience at the Biltmore Sept. 18 probably don’t know anything about it.
Lago also welcomed attorney Maria Garcia — a partner at Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton — as the chamber’s new chair and presented former chair, Addys Kuryla, with a key to the city.
And of course, the mayor wrapped it all in centennial bunting.
“As we enter our second century, we do so with clarity of purpose. I will continue to lead with civility and transparency,” he said, then went off script. “But I will not bend the knee when I see something wrong. I will continue to lead as I believe the city deserves leadership. We must be strong and make the decisions that are sometimes unpopular.
“No matter the pressure, no matter what they say and what they do.”
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago scores trifecta on post-election revenge tour
Ladra half expected him to give Political Cortadito and the Coral Gables Gazette a shout-out, like he does at every commission meeting.
So, the gist is that the City Beautiful is 100, and in Lago’s telling, that’s thanks to his civility, transparency, and “focus.” What he didn’t mention is his reputation for hardball politics, his cozy developer ties, or his barely disguised itch for higher office.
So yeah, the state of the city — at least the part Lago wants you to see — is business-friendly, developer-friendly, and Lago-friendly. The rest of us are just supposed to clap politely.

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On the heels of an opinion from the Florida Attorney General about the change in election year approved by city of Miami commissioner, Coral Gables Commissioner Melissa Castro wants to reverse a decision by the City Beautiful to move their municipal elections from April of 2027 to November of 2026, effectively shortening everyone’s terms by five months.
Castro, who voted against the May 20 “unconstitutional” ordinance that changed the election date, will introduce legislation at Tuesday’s commission meeting that would repeal the ordinance and restore the April election date. She said the change should be taken to voters and is leaning on a letter sent to the city of Miami last week from Attorney General James Uthmeier that challenges that city’s authority to make the change without taking it to voters first.
She has also asked Uthmeier to weigh in on the Gables decision.
“Let me be clear: Residents — not politicians — should decide when elections are held and how long elected officials serve,” Castro wrote in an email sent Monday to Coral Gables residents. She had urged the city attorney to seek Uthmeier’s opinion on the matter in May. “When that didn’t happen, I submitted a formal request myself,” Castro wrote in her email.
Read related: Coral Gables changes city elections to November, cuts terms by 5 months
Her letter to Uthmeier is dated June 23. Two days later, last Wednesday, the AG issued “a clear and forceful legal opinion directed at the City of Miami,” Castro wrote in her email. “Changing the date of its municipal elections or the terms of office for elected officials without a vote of the electors violates the County Charter and provisions of the 1885 Constitution.
“He further warned that if municipalities continue down this path, his office will take all available legal actions to stop it.”
Castro also quoted former Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas, a political analyst for NBC6, who said that any official who votes in favor of moving the election could risk suspension from office.
We should be so lucky.
Of course, Penelas was talking about the Miami commissioners before their final decision last week. But Castro says it could also apply to the Gables.
“These warnings were and remain clear, yet some elected officials on the Coral Gables Commission are still doubling down. Just because something is legally possible doesn’t mean it’s ethically or democratically right. In this case, it’s also illegal,” she wrote.
Mayor Vince Lago, who has tried for years to move the election (a similar move in 2023 failed), sponsored the ordinance. Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara, who was elected in April, also voted for it. Castro would need one of them to switch their votes and is likely hoping that the message from Uthmeier to the city of Miami would cause them to be more cautious. Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, who said it should go to voters, already voted against it.
Castro’s email also touched on the referendum ballot question that the commission did put on the ballot. She said there was “a lot of misinformation” because residents believe it is about moving the elections to November of even years. It is not. That’s been done, without any voter input. The language in the ballot question would prohibit any future commission from changing it back.
The exact language: “Prohibit changing the City’s general election date away from November of even-numbered years through the adoption of an ordinance by the City Commission, in so far as that prohibition is not in conflict with state law.”
“This ballot question only restricts future Commissions from doing what the Mayor and Commissioners just did,” Castro wrote.
“In short, it’s political smoke and mirrors,” she wrote. “The majority of this Commission moved the election date without your vote then turned around and put a ballot question on the ballot pretending to protect your rights after the fact. It’s hypocrisy at its finest. Coral Gables is following the same deceptive playbook we’ve seen in Miami.
“It’s vintage Miami Politics 101 and it doesn’t belong in our city.”
Read related: Miami commissioners should shorten their terms for election year change
Why do residents believe that they will have a say in the change? Because the ordinance that commissioners approved in May actually says so. Despite the ballot language that has been officially written, the ordinance passed by the commission 4-1 specifically has a clause stating that there will be a future election to “affirm” this change.
“WHEREAS, should this Ordinance be adopted by the City Commission, the City also wishes to send a question to the electors of the City for affirmation of this change during a special election to be held at a later date as determined by the City Commission.”
That does not sound like it is about future changes. That sounds like it is an “affirmation of this change.” This change.
City Attorney Cristina Suarez and spokeswoman Martha Pantin have stonewalled Ladra’s repeated questions about that “whereas” language in the ordinance. Instead, they repeats the same line about the state law allowing them to make the election date change without voter approval.
“Whether or not the question passes, elections remain in November,” Pantin wrote in an email. “As I explained below, the question being put to voters is about future changes to elections.  They are not being asked about changing the election. Thery are being asked if in the future should a City Commission wants to move the election date, would they have to put the question to the voters. If they vote yes, future Commissions will need to send the question to the voters. If they vote no, future Commissions could change by ordinance, both scenarios provided they are not in conflict with state law.”
But that’s not what Ladra was asking. And that’s not what the ordinance says when the whereas states there will be a future vote of “affirmation of this change.”
Ladra asked outside attorneys what they thought about this discrepancies in the ballot language and the ordinance.
“I agree with you, they are asking for an affirmation of the current change to move elections to November and the ordinance is not written with wording for future changes requiring the vote of the residents. So you are correct,” said Ignacio Alvarez, who ran unsuccessfully for Miami-Dade Sheriff and has a practice in the Gables.
Calls and emails to Uthmeier’s office were not returned. Lago, Anderson and Lara also did not answer or return calls.
The city commission in Coral Gables starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way, and can also be viewed online on the city’s website or on the city’s YouTube channel.
The post Coral Gables commissioner Melissa Castro challenges election date change appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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For 100 years, the elections in Coral Gables have been in April. It is so written in the city’s charter, which is being celebrated this year for the City Beautiful’s centennial. But that history was erased this month.
The new city commission majority, formed in last month’s elections, voted last week to change the biannual election date from April to November on even years, to coincide with state and national elections. The change, which has been a priority of Mayor Vince Lago‘s for the last two years, is made by ordinance — the first reading was at a special commission meeting May 6.
The move also shortens all electeds’ terms by four months, and an argument could be made about disenfrachising voters, who are apparently not going to get an opportunity to weigh in on this.
At the first reading, the deputy city attorney said there would be a public vote, anyway, “for affirmation,” at a special election to be determined at a later date. There is a whereas clause in the ordinance that calls for a future vote on the matter:

“WHEREAS, should this Ordinance be adopted by the City Commission, the City also wishes to send a question to the electors of the City for affirmation of this change during a special election to be held at a later date as determined by the City Commission;”

So, why wasn’t the motion to take it to the voters in the first place?
Read related: Coral Gables electeds to be sworn in, will push for November elections
And what happens if the voters decide at some future election, not to affirm any change of election date to November?
Coral Gables City Attorney Cristina Suarez
Ladra has asked these questions multiple times of City Attorney Cristina Suarez, Assistant City Attorney Stephanie Throckmorton and city spokeswoman Martha Pantin. The week after the special commission meeting, Suarez responded via email to say that the city has the right to make the change.
“The City Commission is authorized, under state law, to change the date of the election by ordinance, without a vote of the electors. The timing and language of a ballot question regarding the election date would have to be determined by the City Commission,” Suarez wrote on May 14.
But that really didn’t answer the questions, did it? So, Ladra asked again. And Pantin came back with some crazy story about the question in the whereas clause being about future elections.
“The question being put to voters is about future changes to elections. They are not being asked about changing the election. They are being asked if in the future should a City Commission want to move the election date, would they have to put the question to the voters ,” Pantin wrote in an email Tuesday. “If they vote yes, future Commissions will need to send the question to the voters. If they vote no, future Commissions could change by ordinance.”
When was that discussed? Because it is not what it says in the whereas clause. It is “for affirmation of this change.” This change.
If this is true, it seems more like an attempt to make it impossible for a future commission to change elections back to April.
And, also, Suarez said at the May 20 commission meeting that the question about putting future changes to voters was on another agenda item, not this one.
But further attempts to get clarification from the city attorney or any city official were completely unsuccessful. “Elections are changed to November, and this applies to future changes,” Pantin wrote in her last email Thursday. “Regarding what if scenarios, I am not going to speculate as to what the city commission might do should that occur.”
Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez, who said it should go to voters, voted against it.
“The people who have reached out to me, and I have the emails, are the people asking me, do not change our elections, leave our election in April,” Castro said. “This is really not about saving 200K this is really about drowning the voices of the people. this is about only letting well-funded candidates run city government.
“That’s very dishonest.”
Read related: Post-election Vince Lago revenge tour in Coral Gables = political retaliation
Activist Maria Cruz, who had led a petition drive to recall Lago 2024, questioned why the mayor and his allies bothered to petition for the change via referendum last year — a petition that failed miserably when more than 70% of the signatures were deemed invalid (more on that later) — if they could just do it at a commission meeting. According to a status report from the Miami-Dade Elections Department, the Lago group submitted 4,983 petitions on changing the election from April to November. Of those, 1,461 were valid and 3,522 were not valid.
“Here we are, trying to do what the residents, what the taxpayers, did not choose do to,” Cruz said at the first reading. “It is what I, the emperor wants, not necessarily what the people want.”
Claudia Miro, who lost the commission race in Group 3 in the first round and then endorsed Commissioner Richard Lara, spoke several times during the meeting — always in support of Lago’s arguments — and said that this was probably going to be decided by Tallahassee, anyway. It didn’t happen this year, but it will eventually, she said.
“I don’t think this is an issue we should continue to discuss and fight over at the city level because it is being addressed at the state level,” Miro said. “There are good arguments to be made on both sides of this issue, but right now there is a movement in Tallahassee. This is an area where the state can come and tell us how they want things done.”
Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson said that this was a direction the district’s state representative also wanted to go in, aside from being one of her platform issues during this last campaign. “I think the voters have spoken by choosing the individuals that they have reelected and elected in Commissoner Lara into his seat, as this is a consistent issue among all three of us,” said Anderson, who has advocated for consensus among the members at the Florida League of Cities.
“Burt not all cities are the same. This is a large city,” Anderson said. “We’re not a snowbird city anymore.”
Ladra didn’t know that the Gables was ever a “snowbird city,” per se. And why was it so hard then to get the required signatures to put the question on the ballot.

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Coral Gables City Manager Alberto Parjus, whose career spans 35 years at Miami-Dade County and three years as assistant city manager in the city of Miami, resigned Tuesday on the spot at a special city commission meeting where he was likely going to get fired.
Parjus was only on the job for three months, starting after former manager Amos Rojas resigned in February. Parjus had been the deputy city manager since 2022, when he left the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works as deputy director. Rojas was hired in February 2024, after former manager Peter Iglesias was unceremoniously fired by the old majority. Las malas lenguas say that Mayor Vince Lago, who was re-elected with 55% of the vote, wants to bring Iglesias back.
Lago and his supported candidates, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and newly-elected Commissioner Richard Lara, campaigned on the revolving door at the city manager’s office, saying that three city managers in just one year was a sign of dysfunction.
Read related: Coral Gables names Alberto Parjus as new city manager in divided 3-2 vote
Now we have four city managers in four city managers in 15 months, as Deputy City Manager Joe Gomez will be interim city manager until a permanent decision is made. Then it will be five city managers in less than five years.
The effective date of Parjus’ resignation is May 22, but he is on leave until then. Ladra was unable to get his “cooperation and severance agreement” from the city clerk Tuesday or early Wednesday morning, even though it was distributed to the commission at the meeting. But a City Hall source told Ladra it included 20 weeks of Parjus’ salary and all his accrued, untaken sick and vacation time, which would be payable 10 days after the agreement is signed. Parjus’ salary is more than $230,000 a year.
Commissioner Melissa Castro was absent from the meeting as she was undergoing surgery.
“Serving this community, the City Beautiful, has been among the greatest experiences of my professional life,” Parjus said from the dais. Yeah, and the most rewarding, financially.
He thanked his “talented, dedicated” staff and listing the milestones reached, not jut in three months at the top job, but in three years that he has been in the city manager’s office.
“During this time, I am proud of the progress we made together to improve the quality of life for our residents and make our government service efficient,” Parjus said. “We advanced operational transparency, implemented modern project benefit systems and introduced performance indicators and evidenced evaluation tools to support better decision-making.
“We enhanced financial and budget reports to make them  clear and more accessible, and launched a city asset review program to ensure the responsible stewardship of city-owned  property,” Parjus said, and Ladra can’t help but wonder if that happened after the neglect at City Hall was discovered.
“I am proud of the significant investment made in community assets and services. This includes improvements to the Coral Gables Golf and Country Club, the ongoing restoration at the  Venetian Pool, enhanced code enforcement efforts, the installation of temporary speed tables to increase safety, and several projects to elevate the city’s safety aesthetic and public spaces.”
Under his tenure, the city also changed the building and zoning permitting process “to include customer feedback,” Parjus said.
Read related: Coral Gables City Manager Amos Rojas resigns, leaves next month after one year
“This decision was not made lightly,” Parjus told the audience and the commission. “I am confident the city is well positioned for continued success thanks to its leadership and the commitment of its workforce. I leave with immense gratitude for the opportunity serve this remarkable city and the trust you placed in me.
“Thank you for allowing me to contribute to the legacy and future of Coral Gables.
Lago thanked him for his professionalism and “most importantly, being a gentleman,” he said. “You leave here with your head
The Coral Gales Echo Chamber: Rhonda Anderson, Vince Lago, Richard Lara
held high and you served this community and we’re grateful for your hard work and your integrity.”
Head held high means that he didn’t fight to stay because Lago was going to fire him or force him to resign. That’s defacto what happened. Parjus didn’t resign because he doesn’t like his job anymore. He resigned because Lago was going to fire him.
Or because he couldn’t work with the man.
Anderson said “I will echo the mayor’s comments,” which is what she does now. And immediately moved the item. Like she didn’t want anyone else to do it first. Commissioner Lara, who was sworn in April 25 and hasn’t had a chance to work with Parjus, said the manager’s reputation preceded him and that he also would “echo the mayor’s sentiments” about his head being held high.
Read related: Coral Gables Vince Lago may move to bring back City Manager Peter Iglesias
So, this is what we’re going to get now: an echo chamber.
Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, who wanted Parjus for city manager from the get-go, was the only one who didn’t seem secretly happy, or at least relieved, about the resignation.
“You have served this city with distinction. You have elevated our budget process…where we now can understand better what has been spent in the past in certain areas and what is being spent now,” Fernandez said, adding that the quarterly reports are easier to understand and that the weekly data reports on different activities in all city departments keep them up to date.
“The moment you were appointed city manager, I had former city managers of other municipalities and folks you worked with at the county call to say what a great choice you were to lead our city. I appreciate what you have done for us. And don’t be a stranger,” he said, seconding the item “reluctantly.”
There was no discussion, as there has been in the past, about hiring a headhunter and doing a national search.
Commissioner Melissa Castro was not in attendance, as she had previously scheduled surgery on Tuesday. Castro asked for the meeting date to be changed, but Lago refused.
“I made a formal request to postpone this meeting by just a few days, enough time to recover and attend in person,” Castro said in a statement read by City Clerk Billy Urquia. “That request was denied by the mayor, even though this meeting is not part of our originally scheduled calendar and there’s no real urgency that justified moving forward without full commission participation.
She said that her health came first. “But it is equally important that the residents who elected me have a voice at the table. By proceeding today, this body is depriving Coral Gables of a complete discussion and the balanced deliberation our constituents deserve.
“Every decision I make is guided by what is in the city’s best interest. Preventing an elected official from attending does the opposite. Mayor Lago, I hope this statement serves as a reminder that transparency, respect and inclusion are not optional. They are the foundation of good governance,” Castro said through the city clerk.
Lago was unrelentingly uninterested and rude, thinking only of himself, yet again, reminding everyone that the city had an additional budget workshop in August of last year that he could not attend because he was on vacation, out of town.
“It was the first time I missed a meeting in 12 years,” L’Ego said.
So, that’s just more retribution, then? Check. He is so transparent about that, at least.
Read related: Post-election Vince Lago revenge tour in Coral Gables = political retaliation
Fernandez explained that there are stark — stark — differences between Castro’s absence due to medical urgency and Lago taking a sweet vacation after the mayor himself had scheduled the extra budget meeting. “Staff had been asked to change their schedule, cancel their family trips in order to be there for that meeting,” Fernandez said, adding that there were no other dates available before the deadline to submit a ceiling for the tax rate to Miami-Dade County.
He also made a motion to recess the meeting “until Commissioner Castro is not under a knife in an operating room and can be here in person, voicing the residents’ concerns.”
Lago was unmoved and again whined about the August meeting. “The change was not granted to ensure I would not be at the meeting,” he said. But he attended via Zoom anyway.
“It was a difficult situation,” he said.
Welcome to the club.
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Loyal readers of Political Cortadito have come to expect our “winners and losers” post in the wake of every local election, highlighting those people and entities who scored or got hammered, other than the candidates.
After the April 8 re-election in Coral Gables of Mayor Vince Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, there were already some obvious winners and losers. But it was only safe to wait until after the runoff, where Lago got his handpicked candidate, Richard Lara, over the finish line, to be sure. And thorough.
Read related: Vince Lago scores with Richard Lara’s Coral Gables commission runoff win
So, without any further blah, blah, blah, the winners and losers from this year’s biannual Coral Gables election are:
WINNERS

Jesse Manzano and Brian Goldmeier, Lago’s campaign manager and professional fundraiser. These two have another notch on their belt and a fatter bank account to show for it. Manzano overcame some heavy negatives with consistent messaging about how bad Commissioner Kirk Menendez would be because of the decisions he’s made in the past (raises, city managers, November vote, etc.). It was brilliant. Evil, but brilliant. Goldmeier is just richer.
The sick anonymous trolls who like to attack on Lago’s behalf with vulgar language and inappropriate images on social media. They have been having a field day.
Developers, real estate investors and construction industry people who donated to the Lago and Lara campaigns like it was buying precious eggs, and now stand to benefit from a consolidated 3-2 vote that seems development friendly.
Chelsea Granell, the mayor’s chief of staff of none, who gets to keep her job and her $91,165 annual salary plus benefits.
Former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, a Lago supporter, who is likely to tell people that he was the one who got the mayor and his slate elected. Some may have heard he had breakfast recently with Manzano, so they’ll believe it.

LOSERS

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