By the Coral Gables Gazette editorial board

Coral Gables is a brand with international resonance. Mediterranean architecture, lush canopies, the historic Biltmore, a prestigious university — and a reputation for elegance and stability — all help define the City Beautiful. To lead Coral Gables is not simply to manage policy disputes or budgets. It is to serve as custodian of that brand, a steward of the image that residents and outsiders alike associate with “the City Beautiful.”

Good brand stewardship requires vision, restraint and deference to something larger than oneself. In a strong-manager form of government, the mayor is not a chief executive but more akin to a chairman of the board — an ambassador and figurehead who embodies the values of the community. The question before Coral Gables today is whether Mayor Vince Lago carries out that role in a way that strengthens the brand…or diminishes it.

Residents have already weighed in. In April’s election, Lago secured what amounted to a 55 percent approval rating. That outcome reflected not only his own strengths but also voter doubts about his opponents. Faced with a choice between continuity and uncertainty, the city chose continuity — entrusting Lago with a third term as mayor and extending his time on the dais to 12 years and counting. Whether the vote was cast in admiration or simply caution, the result gave him another chance to define what Coral Gables represents on his watch. Yet a more recent measure tells a different story: his 36 percent approval rating in the Gazette’s recent reader poll suggests confidence is already eroding.

On paper, Lago reflects much of the city he leads. He is youthful, Hispanic, family-oriented, affluent, dynamic and photogenic — an image that suggests a next-generation Gables leader. Yet perception can matter more than pedigree. To some, Lago projects confidence; to others, brashness. His public admiration for Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and his tendency to position Coral Gables as a “little brother” to its larger neighbor invite scrutiny of whether he recognizes that Coral Gables’ brand rests on distinction. The Gables identity is cultivated, deliberate and self-contained — a city that values elegance and difference over mimicry.

This is where stewardship becomes more than a matter of policies and programs and about persona. Leadership in Coral Gables means understanding that every action, every tone, every public statement reflects back on the city itself. John F. Kennedy once explained that his appearance mattered because it was not him stepping off Air Force One, but rather the United States of America. That same principle applies here. Lago is not simply the mayor; he is Coral Gables in the eyes of many who interact with the city.

The real question is whether Lago consistently gives deference to the office he holds or whether he uses the office as a platform for personal ambition. A brand steward elevates the institution above the individual. Anything less risks blurring the line between the city’s identity and a politician’s self-projection.

The stakes are high. Barring resignation or removal, Lago will remain mayor until at least November 2026 — and possibly April 2027. That gives him time to refine his legacy and choose how Coral Gables will be seen under his stewardship. He has the opportunity to channel the city’s heritage of elegance and grace into a refreshed identity that balances tradition with vitality.

It is also worth remembering who defines that brand most directly. The majority of active voters in Coral Gables are Hispanic, female, and most are aged 51 to 70. This electorate prizes heritage, stability, and civic pride. A successful steward would take care to align not just with the physical symbols of the city but with the values of those who sustain it.

Coral Gables deserves leadership that matches its identity. That means restraint when tempted toward bravado, clarity when tempted toward politics as performance, and consistency in representing the city’s best interests above all else. The mayor’s legacy is inseparable from the city’s legacy.

Mayor Lago now has the chance to leave Coral Gables stronger in reputation than when he began. The choice is whether he will treat the office as a personal stage — or as the privilege of embodying the City Beautiful itself.