From Miami-Dade Elections — The Herald slate won: Cason (70.8%), Lago (52.7%) and Keon (49%):
Election Results – Coral Gables General Biennial Election
| Precincts Counted | 35 (100%) | |
| Absentee Precincts Counted | 1 | |
| Registered Voters – Total | 30,672 | |
| Ballots Cast – Total | 7,101 | |
| Voter Turnout – Total | 23.15% | |
|
Mayor – Group I |
Votes
|
%
|
| Ralph Cabrera | 2,057 | 29.20 |
| Jim Cason | 4,988 | 70.80 |
|
Commissioner – Group II |
Votes
|
%
|
| Marlin Ebbert | 2,116 | 31.29 |
| Ross Hancock | 1,081 | 15.98 |
| Vince Lago | 3,566 | 52.73 |
|
Commissioner – Group III |
Votes
|
%
|
| Jackson Rip Holmes | 89 | 1.32 |
| Patricia “Pat” Keon | 3,290 | 48.98 |
| P.J. Mitchell | 496 | 7.38 |
| Tony Newell | 403 | 6.00 |
| Mary Martin Young | 2,439 | 36.31 |
All results are unofficial until certified by the municipality
I think Gables’ voters just didn’t like all that mudslinging.
I think the taxpayers are fed up with paying such a huge portion of the budget in pensions. And the number is only goiing to grow like a snowball rolling down the hill. Ms. Keon is one of teh few who has demonstrated that she understands all the tomfoolery that has been going on with the pension assumptions that consistently understates teh real laibility. and Jim Cason has quietly, and with class, stood behind Pat Salerno, who has done an amazing job of trying to get these costs in check. Good outcome to this election.
I think the taxpayers are fed up with paying such a huge portion of the budget in pensions. And the number is only goiing to grow like a snowball rolling down the hill. Ms. Keon is one of the few who has demonstrated that she understands all the tomfoolery that has been going on with the pension assumptions that consistently understates teh real laibility. and Jim Cason has quietly, and with class, stood behind Pat Salerno, who has done an amazing job of trying to get these costs in check. Good outcome to this election.
Money in Coral Gables politics played a huge roll in who won in yesterday’s elections. Let’s hope the crime situation doesn’t continue to increase notwithstanding the standard operating procedures of the day. As for the employees of the city and their pensions: these folks are paying the price for bad decisions 20 years ago. If the city keeps at it the way it has, many more top police officers and ranking skilled employees will go elsewhere or retire, leaving the city to find new employees who simply won’t have the same skills nor knowledge of the city’s inner workings. Oh well.
Irene,
Your comments on crime make it very clear you were in the Cabrera Camp. However, none of the candidates (including Ralph) offered solutions to resolve the unfunded liabilities of the pension. While I agree with your comment about decisions made 20 years ago caused today’s problem, blaming others doesn’t help. Neither does comments from employees that say “hey you live in the Gables so you can afford it.” If clear cut solutions are not made quickly we could end up like Stockton CA, forcing changes thru bankruptcy. Both sides need to have a realistic conversation on our state of finances.
No city employees have said hey you live in the gables you can afford it. They have come to the table with common sense solutions to help. This problem took years to get into and will take years to get out of. Concessions have been made, they will take time to work.
TJ
Guess you were not outside listening to city employees during the CG Church forum for Group 2. That’s exactly what they were saying.
When I began receiving the obviously misguided and inappropriately negative material aimed at Mayor Jim Cason, my first thought was that I was in another South Florida City. My hopes were that the majority of people in our great city were above this; THEY WERE!!!
Yes I was outside during that debate. I never said that, I said we were being crushed under the weight of a 20% contribution to the pension. No other governmental entity in the United States requires such an obscene burden of its employees. It’s apparent you don’t have a clue what you are speaking about, and would rather cast aspersions on others. I guarantee you haven’t once read any of the contracts for any of the employee groups to see what concessions have been made and by whom. So before you come here making grand generalizations about what “employees” are saying, it would behoove you to educate yourself on the issues. Perhaps read some articles on what other municipalities like Miami are considering to be fair to their employees.
The City of Coral Gables may be in for a few surprises in the next year or so as the newly elected commissioners get their bearings and learn the ropes. Crime is up and will continue to increase as long as thieves find easy targets with fast escape routes and less police patrols on the streets. The employees, who have been hit in the pocket book by 20% contributions to pension funds, are at a very low point in morale and many will retire, leaving the city with big shoes to fill. The manager and his “super-managers” will continue to bleed the city until the citizens and commission say otherwise. And so it goes. Undoubtedly, new solutions must be found for the “unfunded liabilities.” Good luck to the new commission, good luck Coral Gables and good luck city employees on the adventures of politics “Gables style.”
When are you Cabreraites going to get the memo. Your guy lost…get used to it or are we going to have another Don “I still think I’m Mayor” Slesnick moments. Probably not, the Commissioner showed his true character by not attending the induction ceremony, another “class act”. RIP
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