Chamber: Now that the Gables’ election is over

Now that the dust has settled from the City of Coral Gables election, it is our opportunity to congratulate the winners and once again pledge our Chamber’s support to work collaboratively with each member of the Commission to further develop business and build community. That is what we do and we are proud of the outstanding relationships we cultivate and maintain.

The voters have spoken via the ballot box and their desire to keep the city and our business community moving in the right direction rings loud and clear. And while “concerned citizens” have used social media, the blogosphere and this very column to take jabs at our Chamber, we stand tall, committed to our goal of balanced growth, just as we have for nearly 90 years. in our City Beautiful.

The vitriol, false statements and embarrassing behavior exhibited during campaign season is, in our estimation, very un-Coral Gables like. Yet, we choose to rise above the fray, stay focused on our mission, our members and our desire to grow our community.

This includes supporting game-changing projects like the Mediterranean Village. Our Chamber did the same nearly 15 years ago with the Village of Merrick Park.

I think we all agree that was a wise decision and in-line with our mission of increasing the commercial tax base that helps keep our residents’ taxes low.

The clear winners on election day were the citizens and business community in Coral Gables and we could not be more pleased by that.

This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 6:41 PM with the headline "Chamber: Now that the Gables’ election is over."