Op-Ed: Setting the Record Straight

Note from the author: I submitted this op-ed in anticipation of today’s Charter Review Committee Meeting. Aesop has been kind enough to allow me to use their platform to share my thoughts with my neighbors. This is in response to a post from Gables Insider from April 4th, 2024 regarding the last Charter Review Committee Meeting.

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On March 21st, the Coral Gables Charter Review Committee (CRC) met for the first time. The CRC, made up of five residents appointed by each member of the Coral Gables Commission, is tasked with reviewing the City Charter and recommending changes or amendments to the Commission. The recommendations are then sent to referendum and voted upon during the nearest election. The functions and purpose of the CRC are essentially clear. The concept has existed for decades and has contributed well to the growth of our city. Previous CRCs resulted in term limits, run-off elections, changed the term of the Mayor from four years to two years, and so on. A public records request, such as the one I made, will reveal a plethora of in-depth information as to the value the CRC brings to the city, the Commission, and the residents.

I have my reservations about certain individuals appointed to the CRC but will save those concerns for another time. I will, however, commend former Mayor Donald Slesnick II (2001-2011) for his steadfast approach to leadership, public input, and commitment to transparency as Mayor Lago’s appointment to the CRC and thus the designated Chair. Precedent and tradition have established that a former Mayor of the City of Coral Gables serve as the Chair of the CRC, and Mayor Slesnick is without a doubt the right person for the role.

With that said, it’s time to set the record straight and it starts with Gables Insider. Shortly following the conclusion of the first CRC meeting, Javier Baños released a post. Titled, “Coral Gables Residents Propose Groundbreaking Revisions to City Charter,” Baños manipulated the narrative by portraying results of this meeting in a way which made it appear that the suggestions of the residents who spoke during public comments would dictate the overall direction of the CRC. The direction being, not so inconspicuously, the will of the vocal minority of the Coral Gables Neighbors Association (CGNA), represented by none other than Sue Kawalerski.

I don’t say this without having some basis to back it up. Baños identifies the CGNA in the very first paragraph of his post:

“A long list of suggestions organized by the executive board of the Coral Gables Neighbors Association, CGNA, presented various areas of concerns for residents.”

Baños, much as the CGNA, insinuates that the comments presented by members of their organization are representative of the values and views of ALL residents of Coral Gables. It is no secret that Baños’ CPA firm is the registered agent for the CGNA. This fact makes it difficult for me, and I hope for others, to trust the validity of Gables Insider when it’s evident Baños has a narrative and rhetoric designed to promote the will of the CGNA, Menendez, Castro, and Fernandez. He continues:

“A cornerstone among the suggested reforms is the modification of the city’s referendum process. Under current regulations, initiating a referendum requires the backing of 12% of registered voters in Coral Gables, a benchmark many citizens find daunting. Proposals suggest recalibrating this threshold to 12% of the average voter turnout in the last three elections, thereby lowering the bar for community-led legislative initiatives. This approach also extends to the recall of elected officials, with a nod to potential constraints imposed by state legislation.”

Missing from this summation of the Committee meeting is the response from the City Attorney. I will allow the following video to do the talking for me:

As City Attorney Suarez made it perfectly clear, the threshold for recall and referendums is pre-empted by state law. Curiously, Baños downplayed this and didn’t mention the City Attorney’s comments. Unfortunately for many residents, many readers of his blog have taken his word for it. Coincidentally, a discussion on this item came up earlier this week in the Coral Gables Community Discussion group chat on WhatsApp. Some members of the chat were unaware of the City Attorney’s clarification. Why? Because they, much like many residents, rely on Gables Insider for their information, and some are blissfully unaware of Banos’ skewed reporting.

This was one of a multitude of recommendations made at the last CRC meeting. I focused on this issue because it is representative of the greater theme of the narratives and rhetoric currently being pushed out by Gables Insider and Political Cortadito (I won’t get into Political Cortadito today, but know that Ladra is at fault here, too.)

Knowing this and how these two platforms are manipulating the narrative, I hope my neighbors are motivated to attend the Charter Review Committee meeting tonight so they can see how things actually play out; so they can see who the key players are from the CGNA and how Gables Insider and Political Cortadito alter the narratives to their own liking; and so they can see how these individuals don’t speak for the quickly awakening silent majority despite saying they represent ALL residents.

These are the same tactics Maria Cruz and David Winker used when their recall against Mayor Lago failed earlier this week. Instead of taking responsibility for their lack of due diligence in verifying the signatures before turning the petitions in to the City Clerk, they turned their own failures around and blamed residents for “sabotaging” their misinformation campaign. And Political Cortadito was right there waiting to yell “SABATOGE!” with them. The narrative is clear. So, while Menendez, Castro, and Fernandez sit in the Chambers later today and take selfies, or when Gables Insider and Political Cortadito once again play into the rhetoric, just remember that this is another tool in their efforts to recreate the City of Coral Gables in their own image. I’m still watching closely and I hope you are, too. So let’s set the record straight. See you tonight!