Pat Salerno, the newly selected City Manager will begin working for the City of Coral Gables on Monday, April 6. Salerno will receive a yearly salary of $190,000, plus additional benefits. As Coral Gables’ 13th City Manager, Salerno will be in charge of a municipal workforce of 865 employees in 14 City departments servicing 43,000 residents and a daytime population of 80,000. As City Manager of Sunrise for 17 years, he is credited with attracting premier projects such as the BankAtlantic Center to the city and was recognized by the Sunrise Chamber of Commerce as the “Man of the Decade” for improving the city’s quality of life. The City of Sunrise has a population of more than 90,000 residents. Salerno was responsible for a $380 million budget and 1,300 employees. He was also former County Manager for Cobb County and Chatham County in Georgia, and was Assistant County Manager for Volusia County, Florida. Salerno was the top choice of the City Commission from a pool of more than 90 candidates applying for the City Manager’s position. He and his wife, Susie, have a son who recently received his Master's Degree from SDA Bocconi University, School of Management, Milan, Italy; and a daughter who is a sophomore at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. The Salernos will be relocating to Coral Gables.

Residents To Receive Voter’s Guide In The Mail

The City’s Special Municipal Referendum and General Biennial election is less than two weeks away and City officials want all voters to be informed about the issues presented at the polls. Expect to receive in the mail an official City of Coral Gables Voter’s Guide that provides impartial explanations about the five proposed Charter Amendments. The information is provided in English and Spanish. Coral Gables Television, Channel 77, will give election results and updates live from City Hall, beginning at around 7:30 p.m. on election day which is Tuesday, April 14, 2009. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. so don’t forget to vote. For additional election information, contact the City Clerk’s Office at 305-460-5210 or click here.

In previous issues of e-News, explanations about the proposed Charter Amendments One and Two were provided so that voters can be informed about the issues presented at the upcoming elections. The third proposed Charter Amendment is about reducing the term of Office of the Mayor from four years to two years commencing the second Tuesday in April 2011. Prior to 2005, the Mayor’s term was two years while Commission seats were four years. On April 2005, the electorate voted to extend the Mayor’s term to four years resulting in certain municipal elections having two Commission seats up for consideration and alternate elections having three Commission seats up for consideration. Please note that the City Administration is taking no position on any of the proposed Charter Amendments.

The fourth proposed Charter Amendment provides for term limits for a total of 8 years for the Mayor and term limits for a total of 12 years for City Commissioners, allowing the incumbent Mayor and Commissioners from Groups Four and Five to run one additional term in the General Biennial Election of 2011. If this Charter Amendment is approved, incumbents who have exceeded these term limits, with the above noted exceptions, will not be eligible to run for reelection after their expired term. If this Charter Amendment is not approved, incumbents are eligible to run for reelection without term limitations.

Good news for those who want to save on the cost of prescription drugs not covered by insurance: Beginning April 19, the City of Coral Gables will launch a new program that offers free prescription drug discount cards to residents through a program sponsored by the National League of Cities (NLC). The discount cards offer residents an average savings of 20 percent off the retail price of commonly prescribed drugs. The discount cards may be used by all residents of Coral Gables and have no restrictions based on age, income level, or existing health coverage. The card can be used when purchasing prescription drugs at numerous pharmacies around Coral Gables, as well as at more than 59,000 participating retail pharmacies across the country. Prescription discount cards will be initially available at Coral Gables City Hall, War Memorial Youth Center, Coral Gables Fire Stations 1, 2 and 3, and the Coral Gables Library -at no cost to residents. Residents only have to show the discount card when purchasing medication. There is no enrollment form required to get a card, no membership fee of any kind and City residents and their family members can use the card any time their prescription is not covered by insurance. Please note that this free prescription discount card is not insurance and it cannot be used in conjunction with other insurance. Among the participating pharmacies in or near Coral Gables accepting the prescription discount card are: Walgreens (5731 Bird Rd.), (4200 SW 8th St), (3595 Coral Way); CVS Pharmacies (1160 S. Dixie Highway), (4801 SW 8th St); Publix Pharmacy (1500 S. Douglas Rd.); Navarro Pharmacies (93 Miracle Mile), (3949 SW 8th St.); Allen’s Drug Store (4000 SW 57 Ave.); Matt Care Pharmacy (393 Aragon Ave.); UM Student Health Center Pharmacy (5513 Merrick Dr.); University Pharmacy (217 Valencia Ave.); Palmetto Pharmacy (801 Monterey St., Ste 205). For a complete list of participating pharmacies in Coral Gables, for program information, or to look up a drug price or access health resources, call toll-free 1-888-620-1749 or visit www.caremark.com/nlc. The discount card program is administered by CVS Caremark. The National League of Cities (NLC) is the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunities, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. To learn more about NLC, visit www.nlc.org.

Two major improvement projects in the City of Coral Gables will be funded this year, thanks to federal government dollars recently approved by Washington leaders. Coral Gables, which is part of Florida’s 18th Congressional District represented by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, will receive $500,000 for wastewater infrastructure improvements and $142,500 for the construction of pedestrian bridges. The $500,000 federal funding will be used to make the mandatory improvements to the City’s sewer infrastructure.  The repairs involve the replacement of several miles of large diameter force main with additional repairs to the City’s pumping stations.  The improvements to the wastewater infrastructure are necessary for the preservation of the City’s public health and aesthetic beauty. The $142,500 federal funding will be used to build pedestrian bridges next to the Hardee, Granada and Maynada bridges where vehicular traffic has created safety concerns for crossing pedestrians and cyclists.  These new bridges will allow for more efficient and safer traffic flow throughout the City.  Improved pedestrian safety along busy roadways in the City of Coral Gables will also benefit from this project.

The next time you hear a knock on your door, it may be a friendly recruiter from the University of Miami’s Hispanic Community Health Study of Latinos. Recruiters began sending invitation letters and visiting Coral Gables homes randomly selected to participate in an unprecedented, long-term study of health and disease in the U.S. Hispanic population, funded by the National Institute of Health. Local recruiters will wear UM identification and green shirts featuring the bright sun “SOL” study logo. They will do home visits mainly on weekday afternoons and early evenings and Saturdays. Participants receive extensive and free physical check-ups, including blood pressure and diabetes tests, electrocardiograms, hearing tests, home sleep assessments and dental exams. City residents who work with Hispanic groups or are interested in the health of Hispanics are encouraged to join the study’s Community Advisory Committee which meets on a quarterly basis. For more information, call 305-243-1828 or click here.

FDOT Informs Residents About Sidewalk
And Road Improvements On Bird Road

Property owners living on Bird Road from S.W. 38th to 57th Avenues are receiving notices in the mail about the upcoming restoration work of this busy corridor which is being managed by Florida Department of Transportation. This project will upgrade Bird Road with roadway resurfacing, including the construction of sidewalks to comply with American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards. Construction will begin September 15, 2009 and will provide sidewalks from S.W. 57th Avenue to Riviera Drive on the north side and will include a new pedestrian bridge over the Waterway Canal. In order to accomplish this, FDOT is asking a number of residents in that area to remove, relocate or trim vegetation that is located in FDOT right of way. Property owners are given the option to relocate (remove or trim) the vegetation at their expense or have the FDOT construction crews remove or trim the trees, plants, hedges, ficus or roots at no cost to the property owners. Construction crews will automatically do this work if it has not been done by property owners prior to September 1, 2009. Work will be performed in phases to minimize impacts to motorists, local residents and businesses. There will be limited impact on traffic operations with temporary lane closures during off-peak hours. The estimated construction duration is 250 days. For questions about this project, contact Marta Rodriguez from FDOT at 305-860-3740.

Local Volunteers Devote Countless Hours
To Help Crime Victims

Congratulations to local volunteers Emily Martinez-Lanza, Lilia Marcos and Ricardo Valdes-Flores for giving countless hours of community service devoted to help crime victims. Emily is a gifted student at Gulliver Prep School who has recently joined forces with the Victim/Witness Unit of the Coral Gables Police Department. She founded the Teens Against Domestic Abuse program which promotes awareness among teenagers about stopping the cycle of domestic abuse. During the holidays, Emily collected approximately 300 cell phones for victims to call for emergency services and raised $4,000 to provide basic needs for crime victims. Lilia and Ricardo are also senior volunteers for the Victim/Witness Unit of our Police Department. Retired after 20 years in the insurance business, Lilia has been working since 2007 an average of 40 hours a month to this cause. Ricardo also retired after 35 years in the banking business and started volunteering for the Victim/Witness Unit in 2003. Since then, Lilia and Ricardo have been in charge of the Unit's clerical work, opening, filing, and logging cases, as well as contacting victims. Their professionalism and commitment has enabled this unit to assist more than 500 victims every year. Emily, Lilia and Ricardo are a shining example of how volunteerism provides an invaluable service to this community.

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