Six candidates want to replace Vince Lago in crowded Gables commission race
It’s been one week since mail ballots went out, and more than 900 people have already made their choices on who they think should be the next mayor and who should fill two commission seats in Coral Gables’ April 13 election.
In the Group Two race to replace Vice Mayor Vince Lago, voters will choose from a crowded field of six candidates: Rhonda Anderson, Tania Cruz-Gimenez, Alexander Haq, Mayra Joli, Claudia Miro and Jose Valdes-Fauli. The race will likely result in a runoff election, which is scheduled for April 27. If no one receives more than 50% of the votes cast, the top two finishers oppose each other in a runoff.
The six candidates vary in age, background and goals for the city but all share concerns about development. The race so far has been relatively quiet compared to the other commission and mayor’s race when it comes to attack ads, but features some familiar names and ties to the City of Miami that have come up among candidates in recent forums and interviews.
Rhonda Anderson
Rhonda Anderson, 61, is an attorney and community activist, who is running a campaign largely based on her work in the community on various boards over the last several years. She said she hadn’t seen anyone do work in the key areas residents are concerned with, so she decided to throw her name into the race.
She was one of the founders of the LeJeune Segovia Neighborhood Association, which formed in 2005 to tackle the increased traffic impact on the neighborhood from construction in the surrounding area.
Anderson later served on the Coral Gables Public Safety Commission, the Sustainability Advisory Board and most recently, the Planning and Zoning Board.
Anderson says her experience with traffic and development issues inspired one of her first campaign promises, which is stopping Coral Gables from “turning into another Brickell” by widely notifying residents when new development is proposed and amending what is known as the “Mediterranean Bonus” program to better reflect what residents want to see in the buildings.
She says if elected, she would bring more transparency by working directly with resident groups like her own and address their concerns. According to campaign finance documents, Anderson has not taken donations from the real estate industry, which she says shows her commitment to working with residents, not developers
“In the work that I do, I confer with other individuals to get a better result,” she said. “If you don’t bring them along with you in the process, you don’t get to benefit from their ideas, they feel left out and they aren’t happy with the result.”
Anderson was born in Miami and moved to Coral Gables in 1987 after graduating from law school at Nova Southeastern University. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Miami.
Tania Cruz-Gimenez
Tania Cruz-Gimenez, 45, is an attorney and political consultant who has worked on campaigns for Miami commissioners Alex Díaz de la Portilla and Joe Carollo. She was hired by Ultra Music Festival organizers to help set the terms of a proposed deal with the city of Miami and also worked as a consultant for the group that sent attack ads against the failed strong-mayor proposal on the Miami ballot in 2018, which would have made the Miami mayor the city’s chief administrator.
Cruz-Gimenez is the wife of prominent lobbyist C.J. Gimenez and daughter-in-law of Congressman and former Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
She says the COVID-19 pandemic inspired her to run after seeing how business closures and reduced services affected Gables residents. Her top campaign promises include creating a city where local businesses can thrive in the long-term, encouraging responsible development, expanding transportation options and addressing traffic issues.
Born in New Jersey to parents of Cuban heritage, Cruz-Gimenez spent two years at New York University and ended up in Hawaii, where she finished her degree and later attended law school. She worked in various academic jobs in Hawaii before she eventually made her way to Miami to work at a firm where she’d previously interned.
She said if elected, she would do a better job listening to residents than the current commission, which she believes is the underlying issue in the city government.
“We need to listen to the people and we need to respect one another,” she said. “I will debate vigorously when necessary but always in good faith and always looking to achieve consensus.”
Alexander Haq
Alexander Haq, 24, is a Coral Gables native and graduate of the University of Miami. He works as an English teaching assistant at Miami-Dade College.
His campaign is centered on accessibility for residents, with key campaign promises like proposing car lifts in public parking lots to increase parking options, modernizing the city’s website and ensuring that the city increases the number of accessible parking spaces and public spaces. Haq’s campaign manager, Samantha Duran, uses a wheelchair, which opened his eyes to some of the problems people with physical disabilities have navigating Miami-Dade cities, including Coral Gables.
“Not only is it something that Sam champions, but it’s given me the opportunity to look at how we conduct ourselves,” he said. “We need to accommodate all our members of our society.”
He says what sets him apart from the other candidates are his lack of donations from the real estate industry and his new ideas as the youngest candidate in the race.
“My campaign is one of youth and dynamic ideas,” he said. “I come from more of a practical standpoint. I don’t have the political connections that José Valdés-Fauli and Tania Cruz-Gimenez have.”
Mayra Joli
Mayra Joli, 55, is a Brickell immigration attorney, sometimes Spanish-language television pundit and former pageant queen. She went viral last year when she was shown on camera waving in support of former President Donald Trump while sitting behind him during an October town hall in Miami.
Joli’s mostly self-funded campaign is centered on curbing development and cutting back government spending on what she calls unnecessary expenditures, like “silly art in public places.” She says she is a “breath of fresh air” compared to the other candidates, as she hasn’t taken money from the real estate industry. She also notes that she would be the only Black candidate to serve on the commission.
“I want to be given the opportunity to represent Coral Gables because I am not running on anyone’s coattails,” she said, referring to Jose Valdés-Fauli and Tania Cruz-Gimenez, who have family in politics. “My message is clear: I am not them .... I am truly original.”
Joli attended St. Thomas University for her undergraduate degree and Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic for law school.
Joli ran for Congress in 2018, and still remains connected to the Republican Party. Just last weekend, Joli appeared at a fashion show Trump attended at Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, where she has attended events in the past. She first met Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2017 at a Red Cross event.
“For me, that is my badge of honor, the fact that I am passionate about what I do,” she said. “Anyone would want to have me by your side.”
Claudia Miro
Claudia Miro, 45, works for Miami-Dade County, and has worked in governmental affairs at the state, legislative and local levels — a background she says makes her uniquely qualified to serve on the Gables commission.
Miro got her start in government working for the Florida House of Representatives, later moving on to the South Florida Water Management District, the city of Miami and the city of Sweetwater. Miro is also the former president of the Women’s Republican Club of Miami, Federated.
In recent years, Miro has held various positions within the county administration, including the mayor’s office and the property appraiser’s office. Miro holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration from Barry University.
Her top priority as a commissioner would be making government more transparent and accessible to residents by moving some meeting schedules to the evening, refraining from using acronyms and jargon when discussing development and construction projects and requiring commissioners hold office hours for residents to voice concerns and ask questions.
“I aim to bring my 25 years of experience in government to listen to what you have to say. I will be your pothole commissioner,” she said. “I am a resident who happens to be a candidate, not a candidate who happens to be a resident.”
José Valdés-Fauli
José Valdés-Fauli, 69, is a retired banker, LGBTQ advocate and supporter of the arts. He is also the brother of the outgoing mayor. He prides himself as one of the few candidates who isn’t an attorney, and says his long career in banking makes him the candidate voters can rely on to keep the city’s finances in check.
“I think the city of Coral Gables needs someone with the financial expertise,” he told the Miami Herald. “The commission now and most of the candidates running are attorneys, and I think while law is great, I think we’ve got it covered. The commission needs a different perspective.”
In a post-pandemic world, the commission will have to work to address its budget deficit, a task Valdés-Fauli says he is ready to tackle.
“I want to make sure the city is financed and is prepared for a downturn in taxes, which will happen when properties get reassessed because of COVID,” he said.
Of all the Group Two candidates, Valdés-Fauli has received the most money from the real estate industry. He says that number reflects his 35 years in banking, where he financed developers and projects.
“I am friendly with a lot of the developers all over town,” he said. “It doesn’t translate into anything in Coral Gables.”
Valdés-Fauli graduated from Florida International University and spent his professional career in banking, serving as president and CEO of four banks before he retired in 2009.
This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 6:00 AM.