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Now that we know that there will be a runoff election for Group III we must not be surprised to start witnessing the back room deals taking place to fill this seat. Did we expect the developers to give up the opportunity to get someone elected that will not object to their plans to continue the overdeveloping of our City? Did we expect the politicians not to come out in support of the developer’s choice? Did we expect not to see the losing candidates join forces against the top vote getter? What about the political consultant that was unable to get one of his candidates to the top? This is what I see happening just 24 hours after Tuesday. Four candidates ran for Group III. The votes were split, and one candidate had a slim margin at the top. That candidate is not in favor of the continuation of the over development trend. He has not accepted any money from the developers. He will not be part of any deals. He is seen as a threat to the status quo. Thus, he must not be allowed to win!
One of the candidates has been very clear that Coral Gables needs to address the present deficit in the Pension Fund. He believes the bleeding has to stop. He has a plan! Of the two candidates still standing he is the one best equipped to tackle the 209.9 million dollars of pension fund unfunded liability. He has a plan! Those who are responsible for the present underfunding do not want to hear it. Those that were instrumental in getting us here do not want to be publicly named! The taxpayers need to know that every budget year there are millions of dollars paid by our City into the Pension Fund, and that we still are not caught up! The taxpayers need to become aware that it will take years to be fully funded! Once again, the candidate that has a plan to end the bleeding must not be allowed to win!
These are the choices that we, the residents of the City Beautiful, now have:
KIRK MENENDEZ, the darling of the developers, the one who was instrumental in the up zoning of an area of the Craft Section. The one that owns property/ies in that area and is getting financial benefits for having the up zoning approved. The one who has accepted campaign money from the developers. The one that thinks he is entitled to be elected just because he participated in Youth Center activities and now coaches there. The candidate supported by those who want to maintain the status quo.
JAVIER BANOS, a self-made CPA and Attorney, who will not be beholden to the developers because he doesn’t owe them anything! The candidate that has been opposed to the excessive development in our City and has been there in the front lines with us, the residents, fighting the powerful developers and their minions. The candidate who will not participate in any backroom deals because he believes the residents need to be aware of what is going on in the City. The candidate who will do his best to get us, yes, the taxpayers, out of the Pension Plan hole so we can put our resources to better use! We must not allow the developers, the political consultants, and the politicians to convince us that it is best to keep everything as is. We must demand transparency in everything we do in this City. We need to be smart enough to see through the smoke and mirrors put together by the developers and those who are willing to make our City another Brickell. I respectfully request that each one of us carefully compare what each candidate has to offer, and I am sure that at the end we will all agree that the best choice for Group III is Javier Banos!
Maria Cruz is a long term resident of Coral Gables
