Herald endorsement: Coral Gables mayor | Opinion
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Miami Herald Editorial Board Endorsements: Coral Gables Election
Ahead of the April 8th Coral Gables election, the Editorial Board interviews candidates to understand their views and policies. The goal is to give voters a better idea of who’s the best candidate for each race. Read our endorsements below:
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The contentious race for Coral Gables mayor reflects a battle between competing factions on the city commission. The lack of civility on the dais has become a major issue in the April 8 election, along with the usual concerns about over development in the City Beautiful.
Incumbent Vince Lago faces Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who, along with two of his colleagues, is part of a voting bloc that’s often at odds with Lago. The other candidate is Michael Anthony Abbott, an accountant who sued the city over his arrest in 2020.
The Herald Editorial Board met with the three candidates but does not endorse anyone in this nonpartisan race.
Coral Gables deserves a mayor who will stay above the fray in a tough political climate — something Lago has often failed to do — and who has good judgment when making big decisions, which Menendez on occasion has also failed to accomplish. Abbott does not have enough experience and knowledge about the issues.
Lago, 47, is the vice president of BDI Construction & Design and a former commissioner running for his third term as mayor. As accomplishments, he touted: his open office hours; legislation to funnel permitting fee proceeds into parks; his negotiations with developers to bring new parks to downtown and his vote as a commissioner against a 2021 controversial compromise meant to spur redevelopment on a struggling Miracle Mile by lifting parking requirements for new buildings while enacting a strict four-story cap on height.
Lago calls himself “passionate” about the Gables, but his demeanor has earned him enemies — last year, he survived a recall vote. His inability to turn down the heat in difficult interactions is an issue.
For example, last year, the city commission voted 3-2 — with Menendez initiating the vote — to censure Lago over disparaging comments he made to Spanish-language media about commissioners who voted for raises, including saying that they “live off their wives,” the Herald reported. In February, Lago heckled the police chief at a news conference about human trafficking arrests in the city, complaining he wasn’t invited to the event.
Lago’s past business relationship with embattled developer Rishi Kapoor has also followed him.
Kapoor made headlines for paying Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a childhood friend of Lago’s, to be a consultant for his firm, which had business before that city. The Herald reported last year that Kapoor was under FBI investigation. He also reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over a lawsuit claiming he defrauded investors of millions of dollars.
Lago, who hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing, and his business partners were once Kapoor’s landlords at a property at 1424 Ponce de Leon Blvd (the lease has since been terminated), which Kapoor wanted to use as a showroom for a condo project he was developing across the street, at 1505 Ponce, and that needed Coral Gables approval. Lago’s real estate license was registered at a brokerage firm that made a $640,000 commission from the sale of the 1505 Ponce property.
Lago has said he was not involved in the sale. He joined the firm, Rosa Commercial Real Estate, two days after the city commission gave preliminary approval for Kapoor’s project in 2022, with Lago recusing himself from the vote, the Herald reported. He said his business dealings with Kapoor happened before the developer’s issues came to light.
“I’m allowed to own property in the city of Coral Gables. I’ve done nothing wrong,” Lago said.
Lago is entitled to pursue his private endeavors, but Kapoor’s financial relationship with elected officials in city where he was doing business raises a red flag.
Menendez, 62, is a lawyer elected to the commission in 2021. He said he’s running to stop the “toxicity” in city government, and that his top accomplishments are sponsoring legislation to fund historic landmarks as well as Phillips Parks and the creation of the Cavaliers Future Leaders Program, which allows students to learn how local government works. He has important endorsements from the unions representing Gables firefighters and police, which have been critical of Lago.
Some of Menendez’s votes on the dais, however, weigh against him.
First is his 2023 vote to give commissioners a 78% annual salary increase, from $36,488 to $65,000, plus a car allowance. Menendez said the commission hadn’t seen raises since the 1980s, but he approved shoehorning the measure into the city budget instead of discussing it separately.
Lago voted against the raises and said he would not accept them. He said he’s donated the money to charity but did not provide documentation or details of any donations despite multiple requests from the Herald.
Last year, Menendez voted to fire then-City Manager Peter Iglesias and backed a rushed decision to hire a replacement. Amos Rojas, Jr., who has since resigned, was hired without a national search or a properly noticed meeting to discuss his qualifications, and, bizarrely, moments after he walked into city chambers to introduce himself to some commissioners for the first time. Lago voted against firing Iglesias and hiring Rojas, saying he wanted a formal search.
The salary and city manager votes call into question Menendez’s judgment.
In the race for Coral Gables mayor, the Herald has NO ENDORSEMENT.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWho decides the political endorsements?
In advance of local and state elections, Miami Herald Editorial Board members interview political candidates, as well as advocates and opponents of ballot measures. The Editorial Board is composed of experienced opinion journalists and is independent of the Herald’s newsroom. Members of the Miami Herald Editorial Board are: Amy Driscoll, editorial page editor; and editorial writers Isadora Rangel and Mary Anna Mancuso. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
What does the endorsement process look like?
The Miami Herald Editorial Board interviews political candidates to better understand their views on public policy and how their policies will affect their constituents. Board members do additional reporting and research to learn as much as possible about the candidates before making an endorsement. The Editorial Board then convenes to discuss the candidates in each race. Board members seek to reach a consensus on the endorsements, but not every decision is unanimous. Candidates who decline to be interviewed will not receive an endorsement.
Is the Editorial Board partisan?
No. In making endorsements, members of the Editorial Board consider which candidates are better prepared to represent their constituents — not whether they agree with our editorial stances or belong to a particular political party. We evaluate candidates’ relevant experience, readiness for office, depth of knowledge of key issues and understanding of public policy. We’re seeking candidates who are thoughtful and who offer more than just party-line talking points.
This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 3:51 PM.