Fernandez wins Coral Gables Commission election. O’Doski and Castro headed to runoff
Blogger Ariel Fernandez won against lawyer Alex Bucelo on Tuesday in the race for one of two open seats on the Coral Gables City Commission in an election that centered on concerns about over-development.
In the four-way race for City Commission Group IV, candidates Ivette Arango O’Doski and Melissa Castro are headed to a runoff later this month after neither candidate managed to secure over 50% of the vote.
Fernandez won the Commission Group V seat with approximately 58% of the vote in the race against Bucelo, preliminary election night results show.
Bucelo, an attorney, was endorsed by Mayor Vince Lago, the current city commissioners and several former mayors. He has experience on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board, the Mayor’s Advisory Council and the Code Enforcement Board.
Fernandez, the publisher of the “Gables Insider” blog which chronicles City Hall, was endorsed by the Gables Neighbors United PAC, which is affiliated with the Coral Gables Neighbors Association.
“I am humbled by the responsibility placed upon me by our residents,” Fernandez said in a statement Tuesday night. “I look forward to making residents the priority once again. Residents sent a historic message, they want a Commissioner who is unbought and unbossed and beholden only to them.”
Viewed by some residents as an “inside candidate” due to his establishment support, Bucelo had insisted that he would remain independent on the commission.
Bucelo had criticized over-development in Coral Gables, but said the current City Commission was not at fault. Fernandez had said campaign contributions from developers to city commissioners are the reason that “developers have become the priority” over residents.
READ MORE: ‘Gables Insider’ blogger faces ‘inside candidate’ in Coral Gables Commission election
Bucelo raised more than five times his opponent, with over $170,000 in campaign contributions. Fernandez, who pledged that he would not accept money from developers, raised more than $31,700, according to campaign finance records.
Fernandez will replace Vice Mayor Mike Mena, who has served on the commission since 2017.
READ MORE: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago re-elected to second term without opposition
Commission Group IV
O’Doski and Castro are headed for a runoff, with neither candidate managing to secure more than 50% of the vote Tuesday night, according to preliminary election results. O’Doski led with about 47%, followed by Castro with approximately 39%.
O’Doski, who had Mayor Lago’s endorsement, is a lawyer and interior designer. She runs an independent government relations firm and is also a registered lobbyist for the Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association and the Miami-Dade Beacon Council.
Castro owns a company called M.E.D Expeditors, Inc., which offers permitting services to contractors. She graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
A runoff election is slated for Tuesday, April 25. The winner will replace former Mayor Jim Cason. The commission appointed him to fill the vacancy in December after Commissioner Jorge Fors resigned to run for the County Commission.
Two Group IV candidates did not qualify for the runoff: mortgage broker Sean McGrover and Jackson Rip Holmes, who is self-employed.
O’Doski outraised her opponents significantly, with $166,500 in campaign contributions, followed by Castro with $13,425, McGrover with $5,500 and Holmes with about $2,370, according to campaign finance records.
So far, election officials have tallied over 6,900 ballots. Of the 33,002 registered voters in Coral Gables, 7,222 requested mail ballots for this election, according to the Miami-Dade County Elections Department, and over 1,100 participated in early voting, unofficial results show.
