Coral Gables Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick is going to ask her colleagues Tuesday to put the future of a controversial sculpture of flowers on Segovia Street in the hands of voters, with a referendum on the April ballot to relocate the $1 million work of art to almost any place else.

But it’s an uphill battle. Commissioners already voted earlier this month to reject a petition by area residents who are upset not only at the aesthetic they say is incompatible with that part of the City Beautiful, but also with the process by which it was put there, with no public input. Petitioners gathered more than 1,500 signatures, way short of the 6,000 that are required by city ordinance for a citizen petition to make it on the ballot. The vote was 4-1, with only Slesnick supporting the citizen-driven action.

“I may not even get a second,” Slesnick told Ladra. But she’s going for it anyway. 

One thing is for sure: Such a measure on the ballot would certainly not hurt her mayoral campaign. People driven to vote on that question would likely vote for Slesnick over former Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli. Slesnick told Ladra that was not her motivation.

“I’m doing it because I believe people ought to have a say. There was a different city manager who ran things his way. It was done in a closed process,” the commissioner said, adding that there was little to no public input on the selection and placement of the sculpture. The selection was made during the reign of former City Manager Pat Salerno, who was pressured to resign after he was caught lying to commissioners.

“I want things out in the open. What’s wrong with letting the people of Coral Gables vote on whether or not they want it moved? I’m for listening to the people,” Slesnick said. “I’ve gotten more mail on this issue than any other issue in the Gables, except maybe the Paseo development.”

Well, wait… didn’t she lose that fight?

City staffers have repeatedly said that there were a number of public hearings before Passion, the sculpture by Alice Aycock, chosen from 180 applicants, was approved unanimously at a November 2014 meeting purchased and placed on the traffic circle a block west from City Hall on Biltmore Way in July. It wasn’t installed overnight, they say. But residents said they were caught unaware and are overwhelmingly against it. They say it is distracting to drivers and not in keeping with the historic Mediterranean vibe of the area. Some don’t like the artwork itself. Most say they like it fine, just not there.

Other locations that have been brought up, and which admittedly seem more compatible, are Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Ponce Circle Park and, more recently, Country Club Prado.  Ladra likes Ponce Circle Park because it looks like it would look really spectacular from the high up in the highrises that surround it.

Obviously, commissioners don’t want to have to move it (and everybody knows that is how the vote will turn out right?). Mayor Jim Cason has said that he believes such a move would hurt the city’s Art in Public Places program. That’s why they rejected the petition when they could have certainly voted to make an exception and accept it.

But 6,000 for a citizen petition seems excessive in the Gables, where the last election drew 7,800 voters and Mayor Cason was elected by fewer people (4,424).  Even Commissioner Frank Quesada, who won with 73% of the vote, was elected by 5,305 people, almost 700 fewer than the required magic number. In 2013, both commissioners Patricia Keon and Vince Lago were elected with just over half the required petition signatures.

Ladra believes this number of roughly 6,000 — or a little more than since it’s 20% of the registered voters — was set in stone during or after the truck ban petition put the parking of pick up trucks on the ballot. And it seems like the number is high. Should it take twice as many people to get a question on the ballot as it does to elect someone?

And here’s the thing: It’s going to be on the ballot one way or  another — either in the transparent form as a referendum or as a campaign issue for Slesnick. Because the active residents who collected the signatures can use all that energy to help Slesnick win the mayoral race. And who do you think the 1,500 signors are going to vote for?

Certainly Lago and Keon, who may both face opposition in their re-election, could avoid negative mailers that say they refused to let the people decide by just letting the people vote. What do they have to lose?

But if they vote no Tuesday, they could lose their seats.

It’s the last week of the first month of the new year — and there’s lots going on.

From the megamall discussion at the Miami-Dade Commission to an upzone request in Doral to a town hall “brainstorming session” (read: campaign event) in Coral Gables — this is where and when we watch our government and politicians in action.

But also, it’s the first week without a Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club in Miami Beach. Sad. Someone please, please find a new venue before the election cycle gets in full swing.

As always, please keep sending news about meetings, campaign rallies, political club powwows and other events to edevalle@gmail.com. Last week, we had to add a couple of last minute items after posting because there were important events we weren’t aware of and should have been. This is your Cortadito Calendar, after all.

TUESDAY — Jan.  24

9 a.m. — The controversial  metal flower sculpture at Segovia Street and Coral Way and the North Ponce de Leon Boulevard Mixed-Use Overlay District will be hot topics at the Coral Gables Commission meeting Tuesday. Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick wants to put a question on the April ballot asking voters if they want the flower sculpture, which many residents have complained about, to remain or be moved elsewhere (more on that later). Commissioners will also take their first vote on the North Ponce Overlay. They’ve been talking about it since 2014, getting feedback from the community on this effort to develop North Ponce commercially but also protect the residential neighborhood adjacent to it. It aims to provide buffers and pedestrian connectors and to support historic preservation. As if that wasn’t enough, they will also consider beginning negotiations with a vendor on the redevelopment of two downtown parking garages. Commissioner Vince Lago wants his colleagues to consider the creation of a “parking code.” They’ll also talk about a 25 MPH limit in residential zones. And Mayor Jim Cason has a “special message.” Oh, boy. You might want to take a snack.

9:30 a.m — You may want to take two snacks to what looks like a mammoth Miami Dade Commission meeting Tuesday. They will consider spending a lot of money Tuesday. A lot of money. One contract on the agenda is for a $428.7 million to Trillium Transportation Fuels for compressed natural gas as well as issuing $100 million of the Jackson Memorial Public Facilities bond monies, another $11 million in bond funds (to be repaid by the developer) for a pubic housing project known as La Joya Estates in District 9, and a $3 million contract to Bermello, Ajamil and Partners to plan and design the master plan for the seaport. They will also consider resolutions urging state legislators to (1) enact legislation that would divert excess MDX funds to Miami-Dade County for transit projects, (2) contain utility fees and (3) oppose legislation that would allow concealed weapons on university and college campuses, among other messages they are sending to Tallahassee. They will also talk about two neighorhood traffic studies, the awarding of 59 grants for a total of $470,000 ($308,000 to promot tourism and $160,00 for cultural groups), enhanced penalties for wage theft and creating three more of those special taxing districts (for street lights). Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez will also provide ideas on possible funding for The Underline, which is not controversial (not yet, anyway; wait until he starts awarding the work) and reports on the costs of creating a multi-use path around Miami Executive Airport and preventing condominium association fraud, for which he has apparently assembled a Condominium Fraud Task Force comprised of Miami-Dade Police with the help from officers in Miami Beach, Surfside, North Miami Beach and Aventura. Ladra doubts commissioners will get out of there before 6 p.m.

7 p.m. — Developer Armando Codina, who built downtown Doral, wants the Doral City Council to upzone 10+ acres north of 41st Street between 107th and 109th avenues, from business and office residential to — what else? — high density residential. The council will consider this on Wednesday so former Doral City Attorney, Joe Jimenez — who know works as Vice President of legal and government affairs for Codina — is going to have a community workshop meeting the day before to address residents’ concerns. The powwow begins at 7 p.m. in the first floor conference room at City Hall, 8401 NW 53rd Ter., and will end after the last question is answered, Jimenez said.

WEDNESDAY — Jan. 25

9:30 a.m. — Even though a lot is happening Tuesday, this is the Miami-Dade County Commission meeting that everybody is talking about this week. Wednesday’s meeting is on amendments to the Comprehensive Master Development Plan and the main item on the agenda is the megamall and shopping themed amusement park called American Dream Miami on some 200 plus acres north of Northwest 178th Street between I-75 and the Florida Turnpike (more on this later). This is the land that Gimenez made sure the developers got at a discount price while he secretly negotiated the deal for months. Wednesday is only the first of several public hearings that could draw a lot of speakers. The main opposition so far has come from the owners of the competing malls and people who live in Miami Lakes or Pine Springs North, who already have to deal with blasting from the nearby quarries. On Wednesday, we will really get to see how this fight is going to shape up.

9:30 a.m. — The Pinecrest Village Council has will continue a worskhop from last week on the development of a strategic plan that directs the Village’s efforts and actions as well as informs the budgetary process for the next five to eight years. It is in council chambers at the Pinecrest Municipal Center, 12645 Pinecrest Parkway.

6 p.m. –Developer Armando Codina, who built downtown Doral, wants the Doral City Council to rezone 10+ acres north of 41st Street between 107th and 109th avenues, from business and office residential to — what else? — high density residential. The application says this use is consistent with the surrounding area and the city’s master plan objective of providing a wide range of housing options and rates. Of course it does. Ladra expects quite a few people to speak against this planned development of 250 units, to be called Doral 4200, because traffic in Doral is already a huge problem. The developers even expect push back, which is why they had that workshop meeting Tuesday. Newly elected Mayor J.C. Bermudez made the traffic due to overdevelopment part of his campaign. Ladra can’t imagine he’s going to be favorable. And the council is also considering a site plan for a medical plaza on the west side of 109th, among other things. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 8401 NW 53rd Ter.

THURSDAY — Jan. 26

6 p.m. — Coral Gables Commissioner and 2017 mayoral candidate Jeannett Slesnick will have another one of her community meetings. This one is called a “brainstorming session” and residents are asked to weigh in on a number of topics, including traffic, annexation, city services, speed limits and development, among others. Hmmm… wait a minute. Those look like campaign issues. Is this a live poll in disguise? “She wants to hear from you,” shouts the email blast, and that is a great campaign message. She is so in touch. And is that why there is a registration that starts at 5 p.m.? Slesnick already has an enviable email list but there’s no harm in adding to it. And this will provide her with more official contact with voters — but she’s always in contact with everybody, so Ladra is sure she would do it anyway. It just becomes extra helpful two and a half months before the election. And it being a city event, it won’t costs the campaign a dime to have this event in the Alhambra Ballroom at the Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave.

6 p.m. — Miami-Dade Commissioner Javier Souto has one of his town hall meetings at Kendall Soccer Park, 8011 SW 127 Ave. Residents who live in that District 10 area can go and learn about services or give their complaints to the commissioner and/or his staff. If you miss it, don’t worry, there will be another one next month at the West Dade Regional Library.

FRIDAY — Jan. 27

9:00 a.m. — The Citizens Independent Transportation Trust hosts a “Municipal Transportation Workshop” every year to provide information updates and new program requirements to officials from the cities receiving Surtax funds. After opening statements by OCITT Executive Director Charles Scurr, they will discuss future initiatives, best practices, a major corridor overview — all are on the agenda, which is designed to engage the participants in panel discussions and allow municipal representatives to present and highlight their transportation achievements using PTP funds. This event also allows municipalities to communicate directly with Transportation Trust and other county staff to discuss matters of mutual concern. In the theater at the History Miami Museum, 101 West Flagler St.

While it is four months away, the Coral Gables mayoral contest is going to be a rematch of sorts now that former Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli filed to run against newby Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick, whose husband beat Valdes-Fauli in 2001

Qualifying isn’t until february for the April 11 election, but no matter who else may jump into the fray, the race will really be between these two.

Las malas lenguas say that Commissioner Pat Keon — who is up for re-election but, unlike Commissioner Vince Lago (also up for re-election), has not yet filed any paperwork — was also interested in the mayor’s seat. The word is that after she polled, Keon was scared away from that by Slesnick’s numbers. Several sources told Ladra that the Jeannett’s favorables were way higher than anybody’s.

Read related story: Raul Valdes-Fauli plans comeback as mayor

Valdes Fauli announced his candidacy on Bernadette Pardo‘s radio show Tuesday morning and made it official by filing the first paperwork Wednesday, but he’d been talking about it for 15 months, when Political Cortadito first broke the news.

Slesnick, wife of former Mayor Don Slesnick, filed her bank account info in November and already has a campaign finance report — with a $100,000 loan to herself to let people know she’s serious.

This is the second time Valdes-Fauli comes up against a Slesnick. Mayor from 1993 to 2001, Raul lost that year to Don Slesnick — 53 to 38 percent (a third candidate got 9%) in what became a complete overhaul of the commission; two new commissioners were also elected for a new majority.

Elected in 2015, Jeannett Slesnick is only in the second year of her first term, but she has an institutional knowledge like nobody else up on that dais. She has come out swinging against big developments and she has been the most communicative of all the commissioners, with regular newsletters, surveys, email blasts and town hall meetings.

But she must be frustrated with having to correct everybody.

“The mayor sets the agenda and steers the vote and also has the last vote,” Slesnick said about why she jumped at what is an open seat, since Mayor Jim Cason has repeatedly said he won’t run again (of course, he’s gone back on his word before). Cason will likely back Valdes-Fauli since the former mayor endorsed him two years ago.

Read related story: Jim Cason runs again ’cause nobody else will

“I know the city better than a lot of people because I’ve been here, I’ve been involved,” Slesnick told Ladra. “I could have been mayor 15 years ago, 20 years ago.”

But that’s when Valdes-Fauli was mayor.

Former Commissioner Ralph Cabrera also picked up an election packet at the city clerk’s office, but it’s doubtful that he would run for mayor again against Slesnick, now that they’re allies. He would likely not run against Keon, who ran his first campaign, or Lago, who is seen as very strong and popular and who has already raised $130,470.

But Slesnick’s run for mayor means she will have to resign and that seat may also be put on the same ballot. That seat might be what also attraced former FIU President Modesto Maidique and Gables Police Sgt. Randy Hoff, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police. On Friday, Hoff said he was still considering if he could afford to retire six months early.

It’s early yet and others, like former candidates P.J. Mitchell and Tony Newell, could jump in. Ariel Fernandez, who has stayed very active after losing in 2015 to Slesnick (he came in third after Newell), told Ladra Friday that he could not run this year. He’s got a new baby and will be too busy to campaign early next year.

And time flies. Before you know it, the mailers will start to arrive.

Controversial development item to be heard at 1 p.m. today

The Coral Gables Commission will give final consideration today to zoning and land use variances needed for the $160-million Gables Station mixed-use development to rise on the 200 block of South Dixie Highway, just across from the swanky Village of Merrick Park.

Developers want to build two condo towers with 460 luxury units, 60,000 square feet of retail, almost 1,000 parking spaces and a 147-room hotel where a car dealership sits now. But they need variances on height and density. In total, it is more than 600,000 square feet — or six times the size of the Aloft Hotel.

The zoning in that area is overlaid. That means there are two standards. The one passed in 1999 that limits buildings to four stories along the U.S. 1 corridor (and for good reason) and the one from before that which, as of right, allows 10 stories. But the developer wants to go further — to 14 and 16 stories for the two towers.

There is growing concern about the many large developments going up in the City Beautiful. There have been a number of town hall meetings and hundreds of residents have attended to voice their worries about the impact these developments will have on traffic, quality of life and the already short police department (more on that later). It’s bizarre how much the Gables continues to grow and develop even as Miami-Dade’s condo market shows signs of slowing, due in part to a stronger dollar. By some counts, this is the 14th new project to come on the maps in the past few years.

Activists have called on residents to show up at City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way, at 1 p.m., when the item is being heard time-certain, and urge commissioners to stick to the city’s current master plan and — despite recommendations from staff and the planning and zoning board to approve the upzoning changes — deny the variances. There is an argument that any such upzoning should wait until after the city completes a study about the future use and development of U.S. 1.

Look for Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick to be the main voice of concern on the dais — if the developers are not able to silence her. There might be a move to get Slesnick to recuse herself after she wrote about this development in a monthly newsletter.

But she wrote the piece after she had voted no on all four variances in the first reading — so we pretty much already knew where she stands. Ladra would venture to say that even before she voted, we pretty much knew where the one commissioner concerned about development, who made it a cornerstone of her campaign, stands on what could be a perfect example of overdevelopment.

By the way, as usual, she was the only commissioner to vote no. And Commissioner Vince Lago is the only other commissioner who sometimes votes no on up zoning. The other three pretty much rubber stamp it.

Today’s vote will be on second reading and could give the developer final approval. The project has been on the fast track since May, when it got onto the agenda of two back-to-back planning and zoning meetings. Seems to many that they want to get this approved over the summer, while people aren’t paying too much attention.

Guess that depends on how many people show up at 1 p.m.