Coral Gables mayoral candidates clash at forum

In this year’s Coral Gables elections, the candidate forums have been like church socials, characterized by back-patting and friendly disagreements. But Thursday night’s mayoral forum sponsored by the Ponce Business Association was closer to a fight night.

More residents attended, and they were vocal, cheering for both candidates and, in one instance, booing one of the competitors.

About 185 people turned out for the mayors’ forum at Coral Gables Congregational Church, an uptick from the 100 or ao who came to hear Group 2 commission candidates Marlin Ebbert, Ross Hancock and Vince Lago debate the previous Thursday or the Group 3 candidates Jackson Rip Holmes, Patricia Keon, P.J. Mitchell, Tony Newell and Mary Young two weeks ago.

Incumbent Mayor Jim Cason, a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer, was on the defensive every time challenger Ralph Cabrera, a long-time commissioner, referred to him as an “empty suit” who has failed to bring forth initiatives at regular commission meetings. Cason countered that Cabrera was a failure for never succeeding with any initiative he has brought to the other commissioners, and for failing to stem the rising cost of the pension’s unfunded liability during his 12 years on the commission.

The challenger has served since 2001 but he and fellow commissioner Maria Anderson have to leave their seats in April due to term limits.

The most divisive issue was the performance of City Manager Pat Salerno, which seems to have turned into a key campaign issue between the mayoral hopefuls.

Moderator Eliott Rodriguez, CBS4 news anchor and a Coral Gables resident, asked the two men to evaluate the performance of the manager. Cabrera and Salerno are known for publicly clashing at commission meetings and the commissioner often refers to the manager as a “subordinate” who is out of line and disrespectful.

Cason took the lead on the question and reaffirmed his support for Salerno.

“He is a terrific city manager,” said Cason, 68. “He was hired to replace a terrible city manager who brought scandal to our city. We have a strong-manager form of government, and I meet with him every day. I know what’s going on. He’s honest. He’s there seven days a week sometimes. This isn’t an election about the city manager. He’s up for reelection every two weeks. We can vote him out. Ralph and Maria didn’t try to stand up and get rid of David Brown but [in July] they stood up against a man who is doing a wonderful job.”

Cabrera, 54, countered that the Gables’ form of government is one of a city manager-commission format.

“I have various responsibilities as a legislator and quasi-judicial member of the commission and policymaker who creates a vision for the city. And I have oversight responsibilities to the city manager, the city clerk and city attorney. And, yes, I hold him accountable and, yes, I ask him difficult questions and, yes, we’ve had disagreements but it’s nothing personal,” Cabrera said. “Jim has never questioned any matter the manager has brought before us. He only nods and votes and that’s wrong. You elect us to work with you, not the city manager. Who knows? Maybe he doesn’t have a great home life and that’s why he works seven days.”

Cabrera’s comment about the manager’s home life drew a loud and prolonged series of “boos” from the audience. Cason shook his head from side to side.

Rodriguez asked both candidates whether they would like to see a different city manager should they be elected.

Cabrera answered, “No. I would like to continue holding him accountable. We can fire him on the spot [with a majority vote of three out of five] and we had that point of time when we held him on account in July. That was a great exercise.”

Cason took his colleague to task.

“For 31/2 years Ralph has refused to speak to the city manager. He belittles him. He humiliates him. He says he is our inferior. If you read the charter, he has the right to participate in meetings. … Over the last two years I’ve been on the commission, you haven’t proposed a single piece of legislation that’s prevailed — not one. You like to say you’re there for checks and balances, but what have you accomplished in the last two years? You’re a great talker but you’re not effective. Those comments about the manager, if you want a teddy bear, let’s bring back David Brown. We need someone for hard times and can make decisions. You dislike him intensely.”

The pair was no closer on matters concerning crime in the city and the need for pension reform.

On pension reform:

Since 2001, the city’s unfunded pension liability went from $8 million to $235 million. In September, Coral Gables commissioners voted unanimously to reduce pension benefits for some police officers and to require a larger annual pension contribution from current officers, an effort that saves $1.9 million annually. Three months later, the commission voted 3-2 to reject the Retirement Board’s request to provide a 6 percent cost-of-living increase for retirees which would have cost the city $1.6 million annually. Cabrera and Anderson voted in favor of the COLA, a move that would have been illegal in Florida because it was unfunded and would have cost the city’s taxpayers an additional $48 million over a 30 year period, Cason said.

“This was the equivalent of a huge tax increase against the advice of our counsel, outside labor and the State of Florida,” the mayor argued.

Cabrera warned that as a result of the commission’s decision, the city could find itself facing three lawsuits from the police, fire and Teamsters unions.

“We have a contract with the people who work for us, a responsibility,” Cabrera said. “Our employees are highly sophisticated and understand what’s going on in this economy.”

Cabrera also defended his position that he tried to alert fellow commissioners to the coming storm as the unfunded liability grew during former Mayor Donald Slesnick’s tenure. Cason defeated Slesnick in 2011 and the former mayor has thrown his support to Cabrera.

“In the 2006 budget cycle we had two hearings, and I outlined how strongly the city had to work to reform its pension programs, and I did it so harshly some of my colleagues didn’t speak to me for two months,” Cabrera said. “Not only did I recognize the problem but I tried to do something about it time and again.”

But Cason countered, “You may have tried, but you weren’t successful. Words are cheap and you had 10 years, and nothing was done about it, and that’s why we are in this situation where we went from 99 percent funded to the lowest in Florida. Where was Ralph?”

On crime:

In December, acting police chief Scott Masington addressed the City Commission and said that crime was down in Coral Gables in all categories except for stolen bicycles and thefts from autos. Overall, crime fell 1.1 percent he said, a figure Cason repeated Thursday night.

“For Cabrera to go on Spanish radio and say we are worse than Opa-locka … We are a safe city. I’ve been tracking crime from the day I got on as mayor and it’s steady or going down. We have the same number of police officers, same number of patrols,” Cason said.

Cabrera disagreed. “My statistics come from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a state agency, that says last year crime rose at a rate of 13 percent and much of that crime is property related. But any one of them could have been a violent crime. In the 12 years I’ve represented Coral Gables this was never an issue like it is today.”

The two also sparred over negative campaign fliers, one in particular that Photoshopped an image of Cason to emphasize a bottle of alcohol in his hand, and portrayed him as an empty suit who raises fees. Cabrera denied that the ad, which Cason had blown-up and placed in the back of the hall, had come from his campaign.

But he stood by its message.

“There is truth to the content of those fliers.”

Follow @HowardCohen on Twitter.
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