There are just two candidates in the coming run-off election for the Group III seat in Coral Gables (when will they adopt ranked-choice voting and save us this trouble????):
- You can have Richard Lara, the candidate whose campaign is bulging with developer cash and who will continue if not accelerate the transformation of the City Beautiful into the City Overdeveloped. Not coincidentally, he’s going to lock in a slate with Vince Lago.
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Or you can have a self-funded candidate, Tom Wells, whose web site doesn’t even ask for your money. He has more experience with the nuts and bolts of how Coral Gables works. And he promises to stop overdevelopment, and bring back civility.
The first thing can be done by being the swing vote. The second will be a lot harder. The vitriol has been think on this one–not from Lara himself, but from his supporters. Lara himself has limited himself to dogwhistle politics, like running ads on the Fox network, although that is not my idea of the home of civility.
For me it’s a very clear and easy choice: Vote Tom Wells. (FWIW the Miami Herald agrees.) Early voting is this weekend at the Coral Gables Library 7am to 7pm. Otherwise it’s the normal hours at your local precinct this Tuesday. Don’t put it off!
Here’s the key part of Herald’s endorsement:
The candidate who wins this seat could serve as the swing vote on commission decisions. The winner should focus on staying away from petty fights and allegations to focus on what’s best for residents.
There are continuing allegations and counter-allegations about which candidate is aligned with which faction. But Coral Gables residents have made it very clear: They want to see a return to civility and an end to factionalism.
Wells would be well advised to listen to the voters. And Lara, who said he wants to see “smart and responsible development,” should consider serving on a government board or committee to demonstrate his desire to serve the community.
In the runoff race for the Coral Gables Commission Group III seat, the Herald Editorial Board endorses THOMAS O. WELLS.
