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GAZETTE VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 15 AUGUST 4, 2022
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CANDIDATES HOST FORUM TO TALK ABOUT FUTURE OF WILTON MANORS By John Hayden The people had questions. The candidates, for the most part, gave answers. On Aug. 1, candidates for city commission and mayor met at Hagen Park Community Center for a Meet the Candidates forum. Incumbent commissioner (and Vice-Mayor) Paul Rolli, Roy David Walker, and Don D’Arminio are vying for two seats. Mayor Scott Newton is running for re-election against Boyd Corbin. Corbin was invited but did not attend. Topics ranged from skyrocketing housing prices, making the city as diverse as it claims to be, and their vision for developing the oft-neglected westside. Questions came from moderators including Katina Caraganis of The New Pelican, Wilton Manors resident C. Randall Alan, Al Ferguson from Happening Out Television, and John Hayden representing SFGN. The questioning started with a look at Oakland Park becoming the next destination for LGBT visitors and transplants, and how Wilton Manors can keep up. Newton said Wilton Manors is not Oakland Park, that Wilton Drive is quieter and will soon have trees. Rolli said changes are being made to attract more residents, while Walker suggested marketing the city to other LGBT populations. D’Arminio cited changes to TOCs to lure desired development. Hayden asked about the future of WiltonNext, a marketing study to plan the future of the city that has been met with
The community had the opportunity to hear from four of the five candidates running for positions on the Wilton Manors City Commission: From left Paul Rolli, Scott Newton, Roy David Walker, and Dan D’Arminio. South Florida Gay News was a proud sponsor of the event. Photo by JR Davis.
harsh criticism. Newton said he could have done a better job himself and said it’s one of his biggest disappointments in office. Others echoed that sentiment and essentially want to move on. As for the westside, an area that feels overlooked, they were asked about their vision. On both issues they called for more community input but basically spoke
broadly without laying out any specific development for specific areas. Wilton Manors Business Association (WMBA) presented the event, along with print partner South Florida Gay News and broadcast partner, Happening Out Television Network. Afterward, WMBA President Peter Jackson said these types of
events are critical to the integrity of local government. “This was extraordinary. It is an important event for us to have and invite this political discourse. There are a lot of horrible things happening as far as LGBTQ rights are concerned, and it’s important that we know who we’re electing.”
You can watch the forum online on Queer News Tonight, YouTube. www.WMGAZETTE.com
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WILTON MANORS
STINKY SITUATIONS AND YOUNG SCHOLARS DISCUSSED AT CITY COMMISSION By Bella Ramirez When Wissam El Ghoul got back to his apartment after a New York business trip, he did not expect to be greeted with the smell of a “dead person.” El Ghoul spoke during public comment at the July 26 city commission meeting about an issue in Tower A of his apartment building. El Ghoul said that sewage backed up into a line in his bathtub and filled up while he was out of town on a business trip. El Ghoul said he contacted the management company and board of directors before arriving at the meeting. He also said that three other neighbors experienced the same issue. “They basically are just like flipping me away and not trying to help. They didn’t reach out to us, they didn’t instruct us how to clean the toxic sewage that backed up in our apartments and basically, they told me, and I have all the emails and correspondences, anything behind your wall limits is your responsibility,” he said. He called the issue “nonstop” and noted that if he was in town when it happened, he could have salvaged the situation. “I came in the next day in the afternoon without anybody notifying me about the situation, without anybody telling me what I’m walking into — the toxicity in my home,” El Ghoul said. “I felt like there was a dead person in my home and they didn’t care.” He said his neighbors are ready to give sworn statements on the incident.
EL GHOUL SAID THAT SEWAGE BACKED UP INTO A LINE IN HIS BATHTUB AND FILLED UP WHILE HE WAS OUT OF TOWN ON A BUSINESS TRIP.
• 8 . 4.2022
GAZETTE August 4, 2022 • Volume 9 • Issue 15 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943
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YOUTH City Commission honored the late former Mayor Justin Flippen by awarding Florida Atlantic University graduate Luke Turner a scholarship in his name. This is the second annual Justin Flippen Memorial Scholarship awarded and is a $1,000 reward. “As someone who came out around the time I started college, it was this city that ultimately opened up my eyes to being proud of who I am,” Turner said. Turned described the late mayor as an “inspiration” and promised to uphold his legacy. Fort Lauderdale High School Coach Richard Dunbar III spoke about the FLHS football team and their goal to introduce the team to careers. He asked Wilton Manors for volunteers from various job paths to connect with the team to inspire thinking about the possible occupations after graduating college or high school. If you are interested in connecting with the team to expose them to the preprofessional world, contact Dunbar at richard.dunbar-iii@browardschools.com.
AROUND TOWN Gary Blocker, Wilton Manors Chief of Police, promoted the August 2 National Night Out. National Night Out is an event
for the community to engage with and meet their patrolling officers. Finalizing their discussion of the Town Crier, city commission will keep with their last voted upon quarterly publication and change printing to an “opt-out” for receiving print copies instead of their “opt-in” plan currently in place. Scott Ballina, Robert Hadley and Marc Marois got appointed to the Community Affairs Advisory Board.
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Advertising Sales Associate • Edwin Neimann edwin.neimann@sfgn.com Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law office, at Norm@NormKent.com. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs. MEMBER
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ORDINANCES Following Paul Kuta’s critique of the ordinance to ban smoking in Wilton Manors parks, city commission agreed to lower the proposed fines to equal the fines for smoking marijuana. The edited ordinance passed unanimously with a fine of $25 for each smoking offense and a section that allows the magistrate to fine up to $2000 for excessive instances. An ordinance that allows the mayor or city manager to declare a state of emergency also passed unanimously.
CITY COMMISSION SALARIES The first reading of the city commission salary raise ordinance will be at the next city commission meeting Aug. 26. The Aug. 9 meeting is canceled due to summer recess.
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Following discussion on raising city to $30,000. Newton spoke on the ethics of commission salaries at recent city commission bringing up the discussion before the election. meetings, residents discussed the proposition “We could’ve easily done this after the in public comment at the July 26 commission election and whoever’s up here then could’ve meeting. Paul Kuta spoke in favor of raises. done it and … be forgotten down the road,” “I don’t believe an individual seeking elected Newton said. “But I didn’t think that was the office at any level of government should have right thing to do.” to be financially affluent to run for office,” Kuta Commissioner Mike Bracchi brought up said. “We need smart people who are willing to the compensation study Commissioner put in the time and effort to undertake public Gary Resnick asked for last year. The study service.” included all city departments except city Others, like Jake Valentine, argued that commission. police officers need their “I have a feeling that if the salaries addressed before the commission was included MAYOR SCOTT city commission can see a raise. in that compensation study, “I believe you should be paid we would not be having this NEWTON NOTED more but I believe that others taboo conversation because are first in line,” Valentine said. we would’ve just said ‘okay, THAT THE Mayor Scott Newton noted let’s just follow the study,’” COMMISSION that the commission asked the Bracchi said. police union to “reopen” an City commission is also ASKED THE article in their contract about interested in giving the city POLICE UNION salaries. He called himself a manager a raise as well and “big proponent” of the police possibly including a costTO “REOPEN” AN department and believes they of-living adjustment in the have “always been underpaid.” ordinance for raising city ARTICLE IN THEIR Newton said there will be commission salaries to avoid CONTRACT ABOUT a new contract for the police bringing up the issue of raises department next year and later. SALARIES. spoke in favor of the police The first reading of the seeing salary raises. city commission salary raise The city commission wants to increase the ordinance will be at the next city commission city commission salary from $9,750 to $25,000 meeting Aug. 26. The Aug. 9 meeting is and to increase the mayor salary from $11,250 canceled due to summer recess.
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REAL COMING OUT STORIES POSTED ALL OVER WILTON MANORS YOU MIGHT SEE YOUR NEIGHBOR’S STORY ON THE WALLS OF CITY HALL By Gillian Manning
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The latest art installment in Wilton Manors can’t be found in a museum or gallery, but you might see it next time you’re on the Drive. Partnered with Wilton Art, a nonprofit organization, Sharron Demarest spent the last several months interviewing and photographing Wilton Manors residents. She asked them what they were proud of and for Pride Month, their answers are posted on businesses all over Wilton Drive. There are 99 posters throughout the area, the largest are featured at the front entrance of City Hall. One Wilton Art board member called the “wiltonproud.2022” project Demarest’s “hurrah” moment. While Wilton Art team members were coming up with this project, they knew they wanted to highlight the voices of local residents. “There are amazing stories that are out here in our communities, by everyday people that normally wouldn’t even be recognized,” board member Tedd Davis said. He knew Demarest was the person to call. Davis beamed over Demarest’s ability to capture her subject’s spirit and personality in a photograph. Demarest’s passion for photography started in the ‘70s. Sitting at a local coffee shop, she recalled the time she’d spent reading Life Magazine and National Geographic from cover to cover. It was then that she knew photography was her passion. She spent years in New York practicing before her partner of 50 years brought them both to Wilton Manors. “[As artists,] we wait our whole careers for someone to knock on our doors and ask, ‘Would you do this?’” Demarest said. “Some of us never get that chance, but I did. So I’m really, really pleased.” One of the best parts, Demarest said, is it felt like the whole community was involved. Walking up and down the street speaking to strangers can be nerve-wracking — no matter how many times it’s been done before. “I was lucky. Generally, when I talk to people, I have to gather the courage to go up to them,” she said. Artists of all sorts often face rejection while doing street interviews, but on Wilton Drive, that wasn’t the case. “It felt like everyone was in on it.” The idea for “wiltonproud.2022” was actually pitched before the pandemic and is now getting its chance to shine. Production took several months and everyone on the
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Sharron Demarest standing next to one of her posters on Wilton Drive. Courtesy of Gillian Manning Wilton Art Board pitched in. Both Demarest and Davis said Meghan Pearson, a former board member and graphic designer, was a huge help through the process. She designed the final product, aiming to make the stories stand out by using black and white photos against the rainbow posters. One of the more difficult parts of the project was finding a way to make the images big enough for the posters without losing quality. Not an easy feat considering the posters at City Hall stand at seven and a half feet tall. But after working into the late evening hours for several nights, Demarest and Pearson were able to make it happen. “We were really able to make it the best that it could be,” Pearson said. “I think it came out really great. I love seeing the body of work as a whole.” Now that the project has been posted around town for a few weeks, Demarest is appreciating the community’s positive feedback. “Everybody was happy. They got to see their neighbors, their friends, and they got to see people they never met before in their lives,” she said. “It did what it was supposed to do.”
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