By the Coral Gables Gazette editorial board

Mayor Vince Lago’s 2025–2027 Strategic Priorities Plan, which comes before the Coral Gables City Commission this week for formal adoption, is an ambitious blueprint for the next two years of city government. Its goals are largely sound. Its structure reflects long-term thinking. Its release marks a positive step toward transparent and proactive leadership.

But for all its clarity of vision, the plan is strikingly unilateral. It is, after all, titled Mayor Lago’s 2025–2027 Strategic Priorities Plan. It reads like a personal proclamation—crafted by the mayor, issued with confidence, and now presented to the commission for ratification.

The city has grown accustomed to a mayor who is energetic, informed, and highly engaged in the details of governance. But the governing structure of Coral Gables is not designed for a strong mayor. It relies on collegiality among five equal commissioners—each with their own electoral mandate, each with their own priorities and a city manager to execute. In this context, leadership requires coalition-building. The strategic plan, impressive as it is, leaves that essential ingredient largely out of frame.

The 10-page plan is organized into five priority areas: Infrastructure, Quality of Life, Planning and Zoning, Environment and Sustainability, and Governance. Within those buckets are 19 specific goals and dozens of action items, ranging from capital projects to public safety enhancements to policy reforms in zoning, housing, and environmental resilience.

Some are longstanding priorities—completing the Mobility Hub, expanding the traffic calming program, opening a new fire station. Others introduce forward-looking concepts: a composting program, a new Civic Academy to educate and engage residents about city government, and a 10-year vision for public art.

Crucially, the plan is designed to be integrated into departmental work plans and budget decisions for the remainder of the mayor’s current term. It represents more than a wish list. If formally adopted, it could shape funding, staffing, and policy agendas through 2027.

This is exactly the kind of strategic thinking we should expect from elected officials.

But if the city commission is expected to formally adopt this roadmap—endorsing its priorities and aligning resources accordingly—then it is fair to ask: How much ownership do they actually have?

Unlike previous strategic planning efforts led by the city manager’s office or guided through workshops, this plan arrives fully formed from the mayor’s desk. Its tone is singular, and its authorship is clear. It contains no co-sponsors. It cites no public meetings or commission input. The cover memo notes that the plan was developed “in consultation with the Mayor’s Citizens Advisory Council,” but that group is appointed by the mayor himself and does not reflect the full spectrum of commission or community input.

This is not a legal flaw. There is no requirement that a mayor collaborate with colleagues before proposing a strategic plan. But it is a political signal—and a revealing one.

Mayor Lago has long bristled at the ceremonial limits of his role. He is not wrong to want more influence over the city’s direction. But increasingly, his governing posture suggests not just assertiveness—but aloofness.

He often sponsors far more agenda items than his colleagues. He hosts city events—like the Mayor’s Ball—without clear commission involvement. Even his recent State of the City address, while expansive in scope, did not reflect much in the way of shared authorship or collaborative tone. His strategic plan continues that pattern. For all its strengths, it reads more like a declaration than an invitation.

What makes this moment particularly significant is the shift in power on the dais. Until recently, Lago was part of a 2–3 minority. He is now aligned with a new majority: Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and newly elected Commissioner Richard Lara. This new alignment offers the mayor an opportunity not just to push through policy—but to build durable consensus.

That requires trust. It requires investment in relationships with all commissioners—not just allies. It requires giving colleagues a stake in the city’s strategic direction, not just asking them to sign on once the plan is complete.

To his credit, Mayor Lago has not claimed to speak for the entire commission. He is presenting the plan openly, requesting formal adoption through a public vote. That is a legitimate step, and we support a robust debate on the merits of the plan’s individual elements.

But we also urge the mayor to see this moment not only as a chance to advance his agenda—but as a test of his leadership style. Can he invite meaningful collaboration? Can he integrate his vision with that of his fellow commissioners—not just structurally, but substantively? Can he shift from governing around his colleagues to governing with them?

The strategic plan is a fine document. But the city deserves a governing process that reflects more than a single point of view. Vision without collaboration is just ambition. And Coral Gables has earned more than that.