Mayor Vince Lago wants the Coral Gables City Commission to skip the national search he once championed and hand the city manager job to Deputy City Manager José "Joe" Gómez at a salary of $305,324 a year.

Lago's resolution, item F-4 on the Tuesday, Aug. 25 commission agenda, would make Gómez permanent city manager effective Jan. 8, 2027, according to the Coral Gables Gazette. The move contradicts public commitments Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara each made when the commission reappointed Peter Iglesias in May 2025. At that meeting, Lago said Iglesias's return was meant to stabilize the city while officials moved forward with a search for his replacement.

No on-record statement from Lago explaining the reversal has been published.

Commissioner Melissa Castro has filed a competing resolution, item F-5, that would direct staff to launch a formal national search and return to the commission Sept. 15 with proposed parameters, a timeline, cost estimates and a public-engagement plan. Castro's resolution describes a competitive recruitment as "consistent with prior public commitments" made after Iglesias's transitional appointment.

"The selection of the next city manager will be one of the most important decisions facing Coral Gables, and I believe residents deserve a process centered on professionalism, transparency and strong leadership for the future of our city," Castro said in late July, when the Gazette reported the commission had made no visible progress on a succession plan. She has since filed the competing resolution.

The compensation package

Lago negotiated Gómez's terms under Section 2-28(b)(3) of the City Code. Beyond the $305,324 base salary, the package includes a city retirement contribution equal to 25% of base pay (about $76,331), 20 weeks of severance if terminated for a reason other than misconduct, uncapped annual-leave accumulation, full payout of unused sick leave upon departure, a monthly car allowance matching the highest provided to any appointed city official, and city-paid health, dental and vision coverage for Gómez and his family.

The Gazette reports the proposed salary is essentially the same as Iglesias's current pay. Iglesias started at $295,000 when reappointed in May 2025 with the same 25% retirement contribution and car allowance but no severance provision.

Election timing

The vote comes roughly 10 weeks before the Nov. 3 election, when three of the five commission seats are on the ballot. Lago is seeking his final consecutive term as mayor. Gómez would not take office until more than two months after that election, meaning incoming commissioners would inherit a city manager they did not choose.

Iglesias originally announced his departure for Oct. 2. Lago's resolution states Gómez would start "upon completion of Mr. Iglesias's tenure" on Jan. 8, 2027. The Gazette reported that multiple sources confirmed Iglesias is now expected to remain in office until January. The city has not announced the extension.

Who is Joe Gómez?

Gómez joined Coral Gables in July 2024 as assistant city manager for operations and infrastructure and was promoted to deputy city manager in February 2025. He oversees Development Services, Parking and Mobility Services, and Public Works. Before Coral Gables, he served as public works director for the City of Miami Beach, leading a 360-person department with a combined capital and operating budget of about $600 million. He has more than 47 years of civil engineering experience and is a registered professional engineer since 1985.

Iglesias "strongly recommends" Gómez as his successor, according to the resolution's text.

What's next

The commission meets at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25 in the Community Meeting Room at Police and Fire Headquarters, 2151 Salzedo St. The meeting will stream live at youtube.com/coralgablestv. As we reported Aug. 18, the same agenda includes a vote on $6.8 million in Mobility Hub funds. Anderson and Lara have not publicly stated how they will vote on either city manager resolution.