Your article on the Coconut Grove Village Council was spot on. I have always been a huge supporter of the VC and wanted the group elected in 2021 to succeed and flourish, listening to residents and supporting their concerns as past Councils have done.
The success of the VC has been my concern from the first meeting in 2022. Is it any surprise that most of the remaining members resigned after being threatened? Kudos to Marcelo Fernandes for lasting as long as he did, attempting to lead the group in a positive direction. The subsequent leadership consistently refused to answer the many questions I posed in emails, messages, public comments and an online Facebook page regarding the VC bylaws being so blatantly violated. I was shouted down at the podium by the vice chair and told in a message from the chair that my comments were passive aggressive. So sorry, he didn’t have time to answer my questions. I was told, “I have 2 kids, teach… and run a consulting practice”. Finally, my concerns were simply ignored.
Can the VC be saved? We need a team of Coconut Grove residents who are committed to operating within the existing bylaws. We need leadership that is willing to commit time to the concerns of our community. I know they are out there, and some are already in place.
I agree with Commissioner Pardo’s comments: “If the community is not supporting it, and it can’t manage itself, then it will go away… Without a viable entity, funding is not going to happen. So far, I haven’t seen a stated mission or an organizational plan.”
That would be a shame.
Deb Dolson
Coconut Grove
