No, it’s not a resignation letter. A missive sent to Coral Gables residents by Mayor Vince Lago Thursday starts like he might be announcing his swan song.
“Before anything else,” it starts, “I want to thank you for everything you do to make The City Beautiful the greatest place in America.”
A new political action committee in Coral Gables has formed with the intention of getting three charter amendments on the ballot.
According to it’s website, Accountable Coral Gables is promoting a change in the election date to November on even years — which there is already a petition being circulated for — the requirement of voter approval to increase electeds’ salaries in the future and the requirement of a four fifths vote on the commission to dip into the city’s reserve funds.
The possibility that Miami-Dade Aviation Director Ralph Cutié would become the next city manager in Coral Gables was very short-lived.
On Tuesday, Cutié — who oversees operations at the beleaguered Miami International Airport — was named as a potential (preferred?) replacement for City Manager Peter Iglesias, whose third vote for termination from Commissioner Kirk Menendez seemed contingent on that point. On Thursday, the word was out: Cutié ain’t jumping.
The city of Coral Gables wants to terminate the lease with Fritz & Franz Bierhaus — a German restaurant that has become very popular, especially for soccer games — but has given the owner three weeks to come up with a proposal at market value rent so he can stay.
This is the restaurant where both Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez waited to hear that FIFA had chosen Miami as a location for the 2026 World Cup.
Coral Gables City Manager Peter Iglesias can count. Only because he knows he has three votes, can the manager lash out at Commissioner Ariel Fernandez like he did at Tuesday’s city commission meeting.
Se puso feo.
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago had another bad day at City Hall Tuesday.
Not only did he lack the votes to reject the proposed salary increase for himself and vice mayor — a grandstanding move that would have locked in future mayors and vice mayors — and is apparently losing the effort to annex High Pines/Ponce Davis (more on that later), but he was also censured by a majority of the commission for the false and disparaging remarks he has made about them and other critics on a two-week media tour.
