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.”
Tun, tun, tun! Lago is going to resign!
But, no, it’s not Christmas.
Instead, the letter seems like an attempt to, once again, fend off the recall effort against him. There’s nothing new here. Lago isn’t saying anything new about what the Three Amigos — Commissioners Melissa Castro, Ariel Fernandez and Kirk Menendez — have done. They gave themselves raises. Check. They voted against a tiny tax cut that wouldn’t help anyone but the millionaires and could have hurt services. Check, check. They voted to fire the city manager. Check, check, check.
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He brought up the campaign three issues that scare voters in the Gables every two years: development, taxes and first responders.
The only new thing here is that Lago now blames out-of-town developers for losing the majority.
“Four years ago, and with your support, I led the charge to stop the massive upzoning of Miracle Mile demanded by out-of-town developers with commercial interests in our downtown,” Lago wrote. “Now, those same out of town developers are back, trying to upzone Miracle Mile again.
“The only members of the commission standing in their way are Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and me. This is why they are, once again, attacking me,” the mayor said.
What developers is he talking about? What project to upzone Miracle Mile? What attacks?
How unhinged is Mayor Lago? Does he need an intervention?
That was a nice shout-out to Anderson, who has been carrying Lago’s water for a year. Ladra hopes he didn’t scold her too harshly for smiling at Castro in that photograph published by The Miami Herald Thursday in their story about Castro’s win at the Miami-Dade Commission of Ethics and Public Trust.
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“Despite our progress, there is a faction on the city commission relentlessly engaging in self-serving, petty political games that threaten our way of life and the ethics of what makes our community so unique,” Lago says, and this is a textbook example of projecting. The one playing self-serving, petty political games and waging war is the mayor.
“Coral Gables’ future is in your hands,” Lago’s letter ends, “and at the next city election, you can ensure that we can continue working together to protect the integrity and heritage of our city beautiful.”
The next election is in April of 2025, even though the mayor wanted to move it to November, 2026 (and prolong his term). Lago and his lackeys have already recruited someone to run against Menendez. Neither the mayor nor Anderson have any challenge — yet.
Two things that stand out in the letter, which was sponsored by his political action committee Coral Gables First: (1) He is missing a bullet point on the city manager item (sloppy typing) and (2) it painfully shows how narcissistic L’Ego is: “I have fought tirelessly,” “my efforts,” “I led the charge,” and “they’re attacking me.”
Me, me, me.
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Political observers say there are only two valid reasons for this ridiculous letter, which, again, doesn’t really say anything new. Anything new that is real, anyway. There is no application for any development on Miracle Mile.
The first is that Lago is increasingly desperate about the recall and trying, yet again, to thwart the effort. This time, by muddying up his villainous colleagues and painting himself as the city’s only hope. The second possible reason is that he’s setting Anderson up to succeed him if the recall is successful.
One thing is certain: He didn’t send it because out-of-town developers are controlling the Three Amigos.
Letter from Gables Mayor Vince Lago means desperation about recall effort added by Ladra on
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