A highly anticipated race for the Coral Gables commission seat Kirk Menendez has vacated to run for mayor has attracted three contenders, each promising to tackle the city’s most pressing issues. This race may have added significance considering that over the last four years Menendez’s vote on the commission has often represented the swing vote with the Mayor Vince Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson typically voting in unison, while Commissioners Ariel Fernandez and Melissa Castro also aligning often. Attorney Richard Lara, businessman Claudia Miro and veteran lawyer Tom Wells are all vying for the chance to shape the future of the city.
Richard Lara
Attorney Richard Lara has lived in Coral Gables since the age of 14. He currently serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Spanish Broadcasting System. According to his campaign website, laraforcoralgables.com, Lara contributes to the Coral Gables Anti-Crime Committee, mentors students at the University of Miami School of Law and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, and chairs development for Easter Seals South Florida, which supports Alzheimer’s and autism care.
If elected, Lara’s priorities include restoring the commission’s focus on serving residents and reducing political gamesmanship. He advocates for investing taxpayer dollars back into the community or returning them to residents, cutting taxes while maintaining world-class city services, and preserving Coral Gables’ uniqueness by addressing overdevelopment.
Claudia Miro
Claudia Miro, a Coral Gables resident for two decades, serves as vice president of business development and government affairs for Freebee, an urban transportation service that operates electric vehicles offering free rides, including in Coral Gables. Miro’s campaign website, votemiro4gables.com, highlights her more than 25 years of public service experience across state, county, and municipal governments. She previously served on the city’s Planning & Zoning Board and ran for a commission seat in 2021, which Anderson ultimately won.
Miro’s platform emphasizes transportation safety, a key issue given her background, as well as public safety. She also aims to secure additional funding for city services, expand city parks, preserve historic landmarks, and keep Coral Gables clean while protecting the city’s integrity.
Tom Wells
Attorney Tom Wells has practiced law for more than 36 years and has lived in Coral Gables for over 30 years, with his firm located in the city. He currently serves as vice-chair of the city’s Charter Review Committee.
According to his campaign website, votetomwells.com, Wells has spoken at 14 commission or town hall meetings in the past year and a half. His platform includes opposition to overdevelopment and related traffic and infrastructure issues, advocating for increased government transparency, keeping April elections (instead of moving them to November), and calling for an independent search for a new city manager. He also seeks to increase the pay of police and firefighters to attract and retain personnel and improve morale.
Wells emphasizes that he is not part of any voting block and will vote based on residents’ best interests if elected. He is committed to restoring civility to city commission meetings by enforcing city codes related to decorum and Robert’s Rules of Order to prevent personal attacks. Wells claims that he has not “accepted any endorsements at this time,” beyond the 300 or so residents that have posted his election sign in their yards.
This Post Has 8 Comments
What a shame that the election is already reflecting what the voters of CG are trying to get away from-DISHONESTY. As per the candidate himself, Mr. Lara wants us to believe that he’s been in CG since he was 14 (It’s on all of his campaign ads), when the truth is he’s only been here for 2 or 3 years. No wonder he hasn’t voted in any city elections for the last 25 years, but yet wants our vote. No community involvement whatsoever. To me personally, the worst part of his campaign was his announcement of his intentions to run during a CG commission meeting. Sounds like a Lago plant. More of the same. Vote smart CG!!
Lara is not getting my vote. He is in cahoots with Lago. These two are cut from the same cloth.
Voting for Lara. He’s been a CG resident for a very long time plus lives In one if the original houses from the Merrick. Whoever said he hasn’t been a resident for a long time please check out his huge home n the original area. I’m voting for him and for Lago besides Anderson. They make a great group. Good luck you three!
M Lopez. I personally attended the Gables Good Government candidate forum on Wednesday the 12th, which was held at the CG Museum. He corrected his campaign statement about being in CG since age 14. He moved to CG when he was 14 and purchased his first apartment in CG. Was married in CG. But he has not lived here since then. He returned/moved back to CG 2 or 3 years ago. He admitted it. There’s a reason he hasn’t voted in the CG municipal elections in over 25 years. He hasn’t lived here. Believe whatever fantasy you want about him. He’s Lagos buddy and his plant. A vote for him is a vote for more of the same. If you like the same, then go for it!
M Lopez,
Apparently you didn’t attend the Gables Good Government candidates’ forum on Wednesday. Mr. Lara HIMSELF admitted he has only been living in Coral Gables for the past 3 years. He lived here when he was young, but moved away. His campaign material is misleading, obviously intentionally, and you fell for it.
He hasn’t cared enough about Coral Gables to vote in our City’s elections, but you are going to vote for him???
Plus owning a historic home doesn’t mean anyone has been living here a long time! Or do you think he bought it when George Merrick was alive? Holy smokes, your reasoning leaves a lot to be desired, which I guess is why you’d be voting for Lara, Lago and Anderson. If someone isn’t telling the truth, they don’t get my vote. Your bar must be lower.
Furthermore, owning a historic home is not indicative of how long you have been living anywhere. It might be a beautiful home. It could be the grandest and most historic home in CG, it doesn’t say anything about who you are or what your values are. All of the madness at city hall started when Commissioner Fernandez and Castro with meager campaign funding beat out the highly funded, Lago planted candidates. Please CG residents, please watch the commission meetings. Please follow up and request the voting records of Lago and Anderson. It took years for the police and fire contracts to be ratified. We neeed police and fire more than we need Lago, Anderson and Lara. It will just be more of the same, Pay to Play!!!
Remember “your candidates” that doubled their salary plus benefits when they became commissioners?maybe they are not professionals that can make the money otherwise. Lago, Lara and Anderson are lawyers and therefore don’t need to increase their salaries. That is our tax money!!! I’m voting for that trio that are professionals and don’t even have a conflict of interest like others in the Commission do.
1. Commissioners salaries hadn’t been increased since the 1980s. Would you work for 40 years without a raise?
2. Lago isn’t a lawyer.
3. If you don’t think these “professionals” have conflicts of interest, you aren’t paying attention.