Doral eliminates runoffs, hikes salaries for city council and diminishes mayor’s role
Doral residents voted Tuesday to eliminate runoff elections, increase the salary of city council members and diminish the powers of the mayor.
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga won re-election easily on Tuesday, successfully retaining her position and securing the re-election of her close ally, Rafael Pineyro, on the city council, but they couldn’t avoid changes in the government, as eight of 10 proposed amendments were approved.
Amendment 8 eliminates runoff elections except in the case of a tie. Almost every electoral cycle in Doral has had a runoff. This election, when three seats were on the ballot including the mayor’s, ended with a runoff for Seat 3 between Nicole Reinoso and Juan Carlos Esquivel. This might be the last runoff.
The previous runoff election in 2022 cost the city $55,782, while the 2020 runoff election incurred expenses of $52,144. Some politicians view the costs as a compelling argument for eliminating the runoff election altogether. These amounts are included in the city’s yearly budget.
This isn’t the first time the city’s charter committee has placed eliminating runoff elections on the ballot. In 2014, the city proposed a similar measure that would allow council members to run as a group during municipal elections. The proposal was narrowly rejected, with 51% to 49%, by just 15 votes.
Another proposal approved Tuesday, Amendment 5, will increase council members’ salaries. Residents voted in favor the measure, with 53% votes approving a plan to triple the annual compensation, from $18,611 to $54,310.90. Council positions are part-time, except for the mayor. The amendment sought to cap the mayor’s salary at its current annual level of $77,587.
This amendment was also on the ballot in 2014, where 73% rejected it.
Another election-related amendment on the ballot, Amendment 4, was approved with 64% of the vote. It mandates that a mayor who has served two terms must take a four-year break before running for a council seat. Prior to this change, a mayor could serve two terms and immediately run for a council position without any mandatory break.
Mayor’s authority diminished
Seven amendments on the ballot affect how appointments to city boards will be made and how power is shared in city government. Voters approved all but one.
Currently, the Doral mayor leads council meetings, votes on council matters, creates committees, represents the city at events and in legal matters, works with other governments, and signs contracts approved by the council. Unlike cities with a strong-mayor system, where the mayor is the top executive, Doral’s mayor has a limited role. But now, the authority the mayor has on the council will be diminished under some of the new amendments.
Here’s what the other amendments will do.
▪ Amendment 2, approved with 54% of the vote, will allow the council to create and organize committees. Currently the mayor creates committees and appoints members, subject to council approval.
▪ Amendment 3, approved with 61% of the vote, will force the mayor to get council approval for official actions involving other government entities Currently, the mayor represents the city in all such dealings.
▪ Amendment 6, approved with 68% of the vote, will change the process for appointing the city manager. Currently, the mayor nominates the city manager, and the council confirms the appointment. Now the city manager would be selected by the council based on recommendations from a search committee, similar to the process for appointing the city attorney and city clerk.
READ MORE: Doral city manager resigns after claiming retaliation for refusing to be a ‘puppet’
▪ Amendment 7, approved with 61% of the vote, will change how members are appointed to city boards and agencies. Each board or agency will have five members, with the mayor and each council member each appointing one person. Currently board and agency members are appointed by the mayor subject to council approval.
▪ Amendment 10, approved with 77% of the vote, replaces the Office of Charter Enforcement with an Office of Inspector General. The new office will be responsible for conducting investigations, audits, reviews, and oversight of municipal matters, including city contracts, programs, projects and expenditures.
Fraga said Doral voters approved the proposals because she and her team didn’t invest on the amendment election, focusing instead on the three seats on the council.
“We tried to keep the residents as informed as possible, but we didn’t spend a single dollar on the amendments,” Fraga said. “Now, we have to explain to the residents who were confused what the impact of these changes will be.”
Fraga said the newly approved amendments, as they stand, could lead to mismanagement in the city’s government. She said if Reinoso wins the runoff election the council will work alongside residents to change them.
”We need to revise the charter in a way that truly benefits the residents,” Fraga said. “We will develop a plan to ensure residents can voice their opinions and actively participate in the necessary changes to the Doral charter.”
Councilwoman Maureen Porras, who ran on a slate with Fraga and Pinyero in 2022, but began voting against Fraga’s proposals, positioning herself as a significant opposition force, said that Doral voters sent a loud and clear message. “We need a balanced city council, as seen by the overwhelming support for the charter amendments and the support for a candidate who was seen as a true independent.”
READ MORE: Fraga and Pineyro reelected in Doral. One council seat remains open, headed to runoff
Only two proposed amendments were not approved. Amendment 1 was rejected with 53% of the vote. This amendment sought to transition from the ‘Mayor-Council-Manager’ form of government to a ‘Council-Manager’ system. As a result, the current structure, which has been in place for the city’s 21-year history, will remain unchanged.
Amendment 9 was rejected with 52% of the vote. The amendment proposed extending the review period for the Charter Revision Commission from every five years to every ten years. As a result, the review period will remain at five years.
The approval of the amendments will significantly reduce the mayor’s authority, shifting some of the powers to the city council. The council will take on the responsibility of making key appointments to city boards and would also need to approve the mayor’s interactions with other government entities. The supporters of the amendments said that this would clarify the form of government in the city, the detractors claimed this would diminish the mayor authority in the city council.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 10:00 PM.
