Melissa Castro is a City of Coral Gables commissioner and a Specialist in Behavior Analysis and Industrial Organizational Psychology.
This Opinion Item from Commissioner Castro has been previously published in the Miami Herald and Community News Papers.
In April 2023, the residents of Coral Gables voted me into office to represent them and the best interests of the City. After serving five short months, I can say that their concerns about the trajectory of the City Beautiful are valid. In addition to the various issues that put into the question the integrity of our leadership, there are items being proposed which solely seek to disenfranchise residents.
Most recently, it is the proposal to change the timing of Coral Gables elections. The truth is, what is being disguised as an opportunity for greater participation is actually a strategy to silence those who do not have the backing of the large and loud political machines that suck the oxygen out the room during November election cycles.
Imagine this scenario: You have the power to choose the leaders who will shape the destiny of Coral Gables, our home. These leaders make vital decisions about our parks, schools, development and safety. But here’s the twist – running for these roles requires a substantial amount of money, more than you can imagine. Why? Because to stand out in the November elections, candidates and propositions must compete on a national scale of funding, and that’s where the problem arises.
The influence of outside money cannot be underestimated. In 2014, it was estimated that $200M was poured into Florida elections from outside interests. By 2020, that number had ballooned to $83B, making Florida “one of the biggest and most expensive laboratories in this new era of loosely regulated money raised and spent beyond candidate campaigns.”
The effect? We get elections where developers, lobbyists, and special interests create an unequal playing field and where the issues and candidates that are well-funded stand to establish legitimacy while those who are not struggle to cut through the noise, depriving voters of a deeper understanding of the people and proposals presented to them.
You’re being told that switching the election date will lead to cost savings and higher voter turnout. But here’s the reality: Some elected officials have already started their political campaigns and are playing these political games well in advance. One elected official, in particular, has amassed over $700,000 in a Political Action Committee (PAC) and is strategizing to their personal advantage and not for the residents. I’ve never considered myself a politician, and I won’t stand by as my constituents are misled. My commitment remains unwavering: Residents come first, regardless of whether it’s the popular stance to take or not. Remember, the proposed election date changes were not made to encourage your participation; they were designed to drown out your voice.
As you can see this isn’t just about dates on a calendar; it’s about our city’s future, and it’s about your voice being heard. Opinions may differ, but I firmly believe that keeping our tradition and history of April elections better serves our Coral Gables community. Don’t let the appeal of convenience lead you to surrender your voice. Let’s ensure that our city truly represents our interests.
The battle for Coral Gables is a fight for our voice, and together, we can make sure it’s heard.
The views expressed in opinion pieces are those of the opinion authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Gables Insider, its staff or its affiliates. If you would like to submit an opinion for publication, please email it along with a photo and a two sentence biography of yourself to [email protected].
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Well stated Mr. Silver and Mr. Wells. Commissioner Castro expresses some excellent viewpoints. The elections have been held in April as long as I’ve lived here, since the 1940’s. I do agree that the City has to get the word out about our elections more aggressively. However, it’s hard to miss the multitude of campaign signs and door-hangers throughout our City during our election-cycle. Coral Gables also offers early voting and voting by mail. It’s great that our elections allow Coral Gables citizens to focus on our own issues and our candidates! So happy that the elections are remaining where they’ve historically been for so long. Thank you Ms. Castro!
Melissa Castro, an embarrassment to the City of Coral Gables. Only won because nobody voted
Agree with Caridad. Changing the elections to November We’ll get a better and bigger turnout so much needed in our community. The April and later rn off elections were an embarrassment of such a low turnout besides it would save money. It’s as easy as 2 plus 2
Lynn, I’m appalled that you do not mention the annexation of High Pines which is so far away, in another zip code, on the other side of US 1, and a stone’s throw away from Downtown South Miami? Is it because Little Gables is predominately Hispanic? Have you seen a map of Coral Gables? Little Gables is surrounded on 3 sides by the Gables & only a few blocks from the new Police & Fire Headquarters. The elderly homesteaders have the 3% Save Our Homes Cap. What’s driving them away is the traffic, the riff raff, the lack of traffic law enforcement and poor town planning. We need more elevated crosswalks as at the Gables Cinema & No Points, Red Light Cameras on busy residential streets Granada & Alhambra. It won’t happen because most politicians pander to the Uber/ Lyft lobbyists & favor our Sanctuary City status. Why? Cheap labor & more immigrants mean higher property values & more money for the politicians. In Wealthier Palm Beach & even Bay Area, California RE taxes are at only 1%. Here it’s 2%. Reason: Government Waste and bad politicians. More so in the City of Miami. Thank Xavier Suarez for setting the precedent & getting rid of Miami Cameras and even the ones at Alhambra & Lejeune where he received many citations. There’s blood on the hands of these politicians.
We also have many elderly residents living all their lives in Little Gables and would like to remain.
Annexation will drive them out of their homes.
The ageism in our communities has become quite overt. (But..bravo to the wonderful classes at the Adult Activity Center!)
Gables Residents: Please embrace your own city and, at every opportunity, vote against the annexation of Little Gables.
Discussion on assessed property values by Comm. Castro, what are your views on this item?
Assessed values over one ,million, what are your thoughts and what do you propose?
We have many elderly residents living all their lives in the Gables, and would like to remain, property taxes will drive them out of their homes.
What is your intake on this? Curious.
Stopped infamy J6, only elections are valid no for incumbents by immoral self-endorsement it’s to preserve the equality of opportunity, and voting will be optional, and secret must be cast personally with I.D. Voter’s residents to fill out ballot prior have to verify their signature done within polls precincts, it is necessary for certification to give legitimacy and authority to elect the winning candidate, this optional acting civic to elect is only valid for the declared day off of the elections. and the election day off has to be established to avoid felony’s military and civil vote absentee and ballot scam drop mailbox’s felony from voters made invalid 2020-2022 elections.
Stopped infamy J6, Only elections are valid for incumbents to preserve equality of opportunity, and voting will be optional, and secret must be cast personally with I.D. Voter’s residents to fill out ballot prior have to verify their signature done within polls precincts, it is necessary for certification to give legitimacy and authority to elect the winning candidate, this optional acting civic to elect is only valid for the declared day off of the elections. and the election day off has to be established to avoid felony’s military and civil vote absentee and ballot scam drop mailbox’s felony from voters made invalid 2020-2022 elections.
Good morning, if in fact changing to an earlier election date helps the incumbent then leave elections in April as usual. Who is the elected official with already 700K in a PAC?
By changing the elections to November we will get a larger turn out and we would save money. I have voted in every Coral Gables election, but have encountered friends and neighbors who didn’t even know there was an election. Maybe we need a little bit more noise to make people aware!
Thank you Commissioner Castro for speaking out on this important issue which seeks to eliminate a long-time voting tradition and minimize the uniqueness of Coral Gables.
Good advice! Let’s not get lost in the madness of a national election We should concentrate on our own problems, in our own time!