Javier Baños
Baños is the Editor of Gables Insider
An attempt to remove Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago from office via a recall initiative narrowly failed to reach the necessary number of validated signatures, which may effectively end a contentious campaign marked by legal scrutiny and community division. The Miami-Dade County Elections Department certified only 1,533 of the 1,719 signatures collected by the group End the Corruption, missing the required threshold by 117 signatures.
End the Corruption, PC, a political committee dedicated to the recall, launched the effort accusing Mayor Lago of “misfeasance and malfeasance,” particularly highlighting his associations with controversial developer Rishi Kapoor. The campaign needed the support of at least 1,650 registered voters—5% of the city’s electorate—to progress to a recall vote, according to municipal regulations.
Mayor Lago responded to the outcome with a mix of personal relief and triumph, interpreting the result as a repudiation of the criticisms levelled against him. He suggested that the recall campaign was less about his personal conduct and more about broader ambitions to influence the city’s future. Lago criticized “out-of-town developers” for attempting to destabilize Coral Gables, although he has not specified who these developers are.
Despite the setback, David Winker, the attorney and registered agent for End the Corruption, hinted that the group might not be ready to give up. Winker indicated that the group is scrutinizing the standards used to verify the signatures and the reasons behind the rejection of nearly 200 submissions. He stated, “The process continues,” signaling ongoing efforts to challenge the verification outcomes. The continuing efforts were confirmed by Mrs. Maria Cruz, the PC’s Chairwoman, who attributes the possible failure to sabotage by the Mayor’s own countercampaign.
The deputy supervisor of elections for Miami-Dade, Robert Rodríguez, noted that the 89% certification rate was typical for such petitions, without detailing the specific reasons for the unvalidated signatures.
(This Story was Originally reported by the Miami Herald)
Perhaps your publication should focus on the positive, instead of all the negative? There is enough negativity in the world right now. I have always found there are pros and cons to everything in life. Let’s all try to be more constructive and optimistic for the future.
(womp womp)
Yes. Ongoing scrutiny, and ongoing efforts to restore democracy.
A famous dictator once said about his dictatorship, “It’s not the people who vote that counts, IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO COUNT THE VOTES.”
That happened in Coral Gables. The people voted “yes” to recall Mayor Lago. The people who counted the votes said “no” recall.
Coral Gables is in the hands of a dictator.
If this wasn’t bad enough, the Miami Herald and Miami’s Community News recently printed an article Mayor Lago got ONE MILLION DOLLARS from a developer.
An ancient truth is evil prevails only when good people do nothing.
Will the good people of Coral Gables do nothing about the evil within their City Beautiful?
A famous dictator said about his dictatorship, “It’s not the people who vote that counts, it’s the people who count the votes.”
That happened in Coral Gables. The people voted to recall Mayor Lago. The people who counted the votes said no recall.
Coral Gables is in the hands of a dictator.
If this wasn’t bad enough, the Miami Herald and Miami’s Community News recently printed an article Mayor Lago got ONE MILLION DOLLARS from a developer.
An ancient truth is evil prevails only when good people do nothing.
Will the good people of Coral Gables do nothing about the evil within their City Beautiful?