Doral city manager resigns over alleged threats to salary

Doral’s city manager abruptly resigned this week, only a few months into his tenure.

Just before Doral’s city council met to discuss the city manager’s salary, Councilwoman Maureen Porras told her colleagues there was no need.

"I was just informed that we received a letter of resignation from our City Manager, so therefore this item is moot, so I'm going to move to withdraw it."

Then, the soon-to-be-former city manager, Rey Valdes, affirmed as much.

"That is correct. I have resigned effective five minutes ago," Valdes said.

Valdes, who was hired in June, said at that meeting that some council members threatened to lowball his salary in retaliation for not firing certain city staff.

"Let me repeat that: four city managers in eight months. The city managers are not the problems," Valdes said.

Councilwoman Digna Cabral, whom Valdes implicated, denied the allegations.She told the council and wrote in a later statement that her comments were geared toward cost-saving measures – not firing specific employees.

Valdes is staying on for the next 90 days as Doral looks for its next city manager.

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