With time running out before the April 8 city elections, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson fielded residents’ questions during a Town Hall meeting at the Coral Gables Country Club on March 27.
Following the meeting, Gables Neighbors United, a political action committee, hosted a public Zoom call featuring only the three candidates it endorsed: Commissioners Kirk Menendez for mayor, and Felix Pardo and Tom Wells for Group II and III commission seats respectively.
With city and police officials in attendance, the Town Hall discussion primarily focused on traffic and public safety concerns. However, the mayor and vice mayor also addressed key election issues, particularly the growing incivility among city commissioners.
Lago acknowledged the tensions within the commission and the negative impact on the city’s reputation. “We have major differences that have put a dark shadow over the commission – it has become personal when it should never be personal,” he said.
Anderson echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of respectful discourse. “We can agree to disagree, but we don’t have to demean or deride one another,” she said. “You take a vote and move forward.”
A major point of discussion was the Coral Gables Police Department’s recent decision to sign on to assist the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, which grants city officers the authority to assist in immigration enforcement.
“Our police won’t go out and check people’s identification,” Anderson said. Lago, whose parents were immigrants, stated that while the city must enforce laws, it would do so with respect. “There has to be a message that there are rules and we have to follow them. But we are not in the business of raiding homes or churches – we are just there to assist the federal government,” he said.
On the Zoom call, Commissioner Menendez took a stronger stance. “I am completely opposed to using police to enforce immigration laws, and I have received assurances from our police that they would not be used for that type of activity,” he said. “I’d be happy to rescind the agreement if they cross the line.”
Pardo and Wells also opposed the city’s role in immigration enforcement but acknowledged the city’s difficult position. They noted that rejecting the agreement could risk state funding. Both candidates also reaffirmed their commitment to opposing development that does not align with Coral Gables’ character.
With Election Day approaching, the debate over law enforcement’s role in immigration policy remains a contentious issue, reflecting broader political tensions within the city.
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The Coral Gables police should be used solely for the safety of the residents of Coral Gables.
We agree with Menendez: On the Zoom call, Commissioner Menendez took a stronger stance. “I am completely opposed to using police to enforce immigration laws, and I have received assurances from our police that they would not be used for that type of activity,” he said. “I’d be happy to rescind the agreement if they cross the line.”
Lago and Anderson’s comments about the growing incivility on the commission make it sound like they aren’t the perpetrators. The dark shadow which Lago mentions began when HIS preferred candidates didn’t win the commission seats that Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez now occupy. He has been openly hostile and dismissive to both of them from their first day on the dais, except when he is publicly ignoring them. Or ridiculing them via his PAC, Coral Gables First. His campaign messages about Kirk Menendez are inaccurate, offensive, and lack any measure of respect.
Lago wouldn’t recognize “respectful discourse” if it hit him in the face.
During commission meetings, Anderson regularly talks down to the other commissioners (except for Lago) in a condescending and demeaning way, and has even publicly scolded department heads and employees during the televised meetings.
Yes, it has had a negative impact on the city’s reputation and even more important on the residents themselves. We’ve never experienced anything like this!
These two aren’t the victims, they are the culprits.
Just because they repeat something over and over doesn’t make it true.
Tied to Lago’s apron strings is the prevaricating Richard Lara, who claims he loves Coral Gables, but lies about his years of residency and hasn’t voted once in 25 years, even while he was actually living here!
Voter’s Beware!
Lago and Anderson’s comments about the growing incivility on the commission make it sound like they aren’t the perpetrators. The dark shadow which Lago mentions began when HIS preferred candidates didn’t win the commission seats that Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez now occupy. He has been openly hostile and dismissive to both of them from their first day on the dais, except when he is publicly ignoring them. Or ridiculing them via his PAC, Coral Gables First. His campaign messages about Kirk Menendez are inaccurate, offensive, and lack any measure of respect.
Lago wouldn’t recognize “respectful discourse” if it hit him in the face.
During commission meetings, Anderson regularly talks down to the other commissioners (except for Lago) in a condescending and demeaning way, and has even publicly scolded department heads and employees during the televised meetings.
Yes, it has had a negative impact on the city’s reputation and even more important on the residents themselves. We’ve never experienced anything like this!
These two aren’t the victims, they are the culprits.
Just because they repeat something over and over doesn’t make it true.
Tied to Lago’s apron strings is the prevaricating Richard Lara, who claims he loves Coral Gables, but lies about his years of residency and hasn’t voted once in 25 years, even while he was actually living here!
Voters Beware!