Coral Gables Commission to Consider Inspector General's Office for November Election

The Coral Gables Commission will consider a vote Tuesday on a question to establish an inspector general position in the city. The resolution on the meeting’s agenda is sponsored by Deputy Mayor Rhonda Anderson and co-sponsored by the mayor Vince Lago.

But wasn’t it already decided? Yes.

Last month, the mayor and deputy mayor, who initially had two identical resolutions on Tuesday’s agenda, pushed to spend $500,000 to create the inspector general’s office by ordinance and hire someone quickly. “I don’t think we can waste a minute,” Lago said. “I don’t want to wait a year. I want to do it now.”

He said he wanted to see this project included in this year’s budget and added that the charter review committee, which is how the other three commissioners wanted to present this project, could then simply ratify it.

GOOD, maybeThe powers that be could always form a political action committee – with a misleading name like, say, “Keep Our Inspector General” – to campaign for a Already an IG so that no amendments to the charter are necessary. The office could then also be abolished by ordinance. Hmmm. Could that have been the intention?

Also read: Coral Gables charter review committee seeks public input on potential changes

Finally, after Lago failed to get the support he needed, the committee voted unanimously to send the package to the charter review committee for recommendation. So what happened? Nothing. It’s a sham. A sleight of hand. A Trojan horse. Because this section, if approved by voters in November, states that “the appointment, term, functions and powers of the IG shall be specified by ordinance.”

Which means it could be changed by order.

This is the fourth meeting in which city commissioners have discussed the creation of an IG. The majority of the commission — Melissa Castro, Ariel Fernandez And Kirk Menendez —I always wanted it to go through the charter review process, where there are public meetings before the committee makes a recommendation that would include how the office would be structured, hopefully not by ordinance.

Coral Gables Commission to Consider Inspector General’s Office for November Election – Political Cortadito

“We have already voted on the process,” Commissioner Fernandez told Political Cortadito this weekend. “Charter amendments in the city of Coral Gables traditionally go through the charter review committee first.

“This is all just a show of political force so they can say they wanted to move forward and we didn’t,” Fernandez said, in a sign he will vote against the resolution. “They are trying, once again, to reinvent the wheel and not follow the rules.”

It appears that this would give Lago a new narrative after the crushing failure of his petition to put three charter amendments to a vote.

Also read: Coral Gables election petitions rejected en masse by Miami-Dade elections

The process was delayed slightly because the charter review committee was unable to meet jointly with the city commission, as required by a 2023 resolution. There were too many scheduling issues for 10 people to meet. But the committee held two public meetings where it gathered community input. Evil tongues let’s say everyone wants an IG.

Fernandez is sponsoring an item at the same Tuesday meeting (co-sponsored by Castro) that would remove that requirement and allow the committee to “consider issues and potential amendments to the city charter without the need for a joint meeting.”

“So they can start right away,” Fernandez told Ladra.

Critics might say that any opposition to Anderson’s resolution would only slow the process. That’s what she said at last month’s meeting.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” she said at the June 11 committee meeting. “If we don’t move forward today, it looks like you’re trying to hide something. I’m not afraid to open the books. I’m not afraid to see the IG move forward.”

Politician Cortadito was unable to reach Anderson over the weekend.

Also read: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago attacks colleagues and manager in citywide email

The deputy mayor’s bill could come up for a vote in November. The deadline to submit a referendum question for the general election to the Miami-Dade Department of Elections is July 26. If it goes through the charter review process, the proposed amendment has a better chance of coming up for a vote in April at the city commission and mayoral election.

Miami voters to see inspector general question on their Vote in August. They also have another issue, which is to eliminate the position of Auditor General and replace it with an IG.

Coral Gables voters will already be asked to vote in a nonbinding referendum this August on whether they support annexing Little Gables (generally bounded by SW 8th Street to the north, SW 16th Street to the south, Cortez Street to the west and SW 40th Avenue to the east) to the City Beautiful — “and absorb all associated annexation costs?” More on that later.

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