Gazette Wilton Manors
Volume 2 • Issue 19 October 7, 2015
Twice-Monthly Neighborhood Outlook
Page 2 Out Of Fashion
Page 2 Bona Pizza
Page 3 Decriminalizing Marijuana
Page 4 Millage Lowered
Page 4 Parking Lot Purchase
Business
City Forging Economic Development Plan By Michael d’Oliveira
An improved quality of life, gained through an enhanced business climate and expanded tax base, is the ultimate goals of the city’s economic development strategy. To help Wilton Manors get there, city officials issued an RFP [Request For Proposal] to private firms in August. The deadline to submit was Sept. 22. Three firms have been chosen and ranked by city staff and city commissioners will decide which firm is given the contract. The firms include Keith and Schnars with Fishkind & Associates, Redevelopment Management Associates, and Strategic Planning Group. Redevelopment Management Associates already has contracts with Pompano Beach and Oakland Park and has contributed substantially to the redevelopment efforts and plans of those cities. As of now, the vote is scheduled for the Oct. 27 commission meeting. “We will rank them and make a recommendation,” said City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson. The RFP provides an outline of requirements, goals and deficiencies that the chosen firm must address. Included in the deficiencies are limited availability of land, inconsistent data on the city’s current economic base and limited funding sources. The challenges, as stated in the RFP, need to be overcome to “increase employment and position the city as a great place to live, learn, work, and play.” Henderson said the city also wants to focus on keeping its current businesses and attracting new ones. Past efforts to attract new merchants have included an
attempt to diversify the businesses along Wilton Drive – to add more daytime businesses instead of more bars and restaurants. “They’ll determine the business types that are expected to grow, what business types are a good match and plan how we move forward in attracting those businesses.” With no Community Redevelopment Agency to access more county funding for improvements, the city has had to come up with its own alternative sources of income – the Wilton Drive Business Improvement District [BID]. The BID allows the city to raise taxes on Wilton Drive property owners in order to generate funding for improvements to that street. Officials were also looking at implementing a BID on Andrews Avenue but those plans have been postponed for now. The city also wants the firm to identify partnership opportunities between business and government and businesses and businesses, targeted growth opportunities in specific areas, develop incentive programs to create and retain jobs, identify land use and zoning changes that will spur development, and create systems to measure economic gains. The Wilton Manors Business Association [WMBA], by providing networking opportunities amongst its members, already provides partnership opportunities for businesses inside and outside of the city. But Karl Lentzer, president of WMBA, said he’d like his organization to become a more active partner with the city in attracting and retaining businesses. “We’re not in that loop, but we should be,” he said.WMG
Goodbye Gallegos
Photo: Facebook.
Community
Popular city manager retires By Michael d’Oliveira
Mayor Gary Resnick proclaimed Sept. 21, 2015 as “Joseph Gallegos Day” in the City of Wilton Manors in honor of Gallegos. At that same day’s commission meeting, Gallegos was honored by residents, city staff and city commissioners for his 16 years as city manager.
Gallegos said he plans to stay in the city and stay active in some of its civic organizations. Replacing Gallegos as city manager is Leigh Ann Henderson, former assistant city manager. She officially took over on Oct. 1. [Photo courtesy of the city of Wilton Manors]. WMG
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Out Of Fashion… By Sal Torre
Have you ever wondered if you were born in the wrong era? That somehow you would have been a better fit in some other time? The Roaring Twenties, the social activism of the 60’s, perhaps the Age of Invention around the turn of the Twentieth Century? For most of my teenage years into adulthood, I felt like I was out of step with the times, listening to the beat of a different drummer. At a very early age, I was influenced by the end of the 60’s and early 70’s, growing up in a very liberal, unionized, New York City, immigrant family. My heroes were people like Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Dr. Martin Luther King, activist nuns who were murdered in El Salvador, and Archbishop Camorra. My beliefs were formed by a Catholic Church that practiced liberal teachings, unions that were strong and leading the way for the middle class to obtain the American Dream, adult family members able to retire with a pension and the help of Social Security. Then life seemed to change as I moved beyond my teen years into a young adult. My core beliefs of social liberalism suddenly became out of fashion. The march leading to Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher was like a scorched earth military mission to demonize everything I believed to be true and just. Destroy the unions, forget about the poor, who somehow deserved such a fate, government programs are evil and wasteful became the new battle cries as the march to self-centered ideology grew louder and louder. Back then, there was a better chance that Pope John Paul II would have canonized Ronald Reagan as the defeater of Communism than ever mentioning the names of Dorothy Day or Thomas Merton. I held on to my beliefs, but they grew further and further away, almost becoming some distant dream that never was. Then came the awareness of my homosexuality. Not only was I one of those commie-loving liberals out of touch with the new world, a Catholic no longer welcome inside a church that was growing ever more conservative, a believer in unions protecting workers rights in a time when our President was breaking unions and demonizing their mission across the free world, on top of all this I had new labels to wear out in society-- queer, faggot, sinner. A huge burden for a young adult growing up in the 1970’s, or any time, struggling to find one’s place in the world. But I held on to my beliefs and marched forward, always feeling that I was on the right path, that somehow I was right and so many people were wrong. Still believing that God wanted us to love our neighbors, to help those less fortunate, to work together to help one another, and to value all life, not just those like us.
Announcement By Norm Kent
Gazette Wilton Manors
Opinion
2520 N. DIXIE HIGHWAY • WILTON MANORS, FL 33305 PHONE: 954-530-4970 FAX: 954-530-7943
PUBLISHER • NORM KENT NORM.KENT@SFGN.COM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER • PIER ANGELO GUIDUGLI ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER / EXECUTIVE EDITOR • JASON PARSLEY JASON.PARSLEY@SFGN.COM
Editorial
Over the last thirty or so years, we have seen the results of our march to the right and away from social liberal ideals. We see two very different Americas, one made of the wealthy 1 percent, the billionaires controlling more and more of the wealth, and the other made up of a much poorer and less secure middle class and the forgotten working poor. The income disparity is greater than at any time in our history. The American Dream has been lost in the rush for more wealth by the already wealthy, leaving the many weaker and marginalized. Yet, something is happening out there. While Donald Trump spews his hatred and divisiveness on Fox News, I see a glimmer of light in the darkness. My beliefs have started to be spoken once more, to become fashionable again. We see a lifelong socialist, Bernie Sanders, as a front-runner in the Democratic race for the Presidential nomination. We listen to a Pope remind us of our duty to leave a better world to future generations, one that values the lives of all and not just a few, one that cares for the earth, compassion, social justice, income equality, and the lives of the poor who are all around us. We see the LGBT Community making gains for civil rights that were unthinkable just a few years ago and unimaginable when I was that young teenager coming out in the late 1970’s, especially with the recent victories on marriage equality. Listening to Pope Francis this week has given this outcast Catholic new hope and renewed faith in the power of liberal Catholicism. Pope Francis and the Catholic Church still have a long way to go when it comes to our community, but the door is open far more than any time in the past and the dialogue looks like it will continue. Those beliefs, that optimism, once again fresh in my mind, has finally put me in step with the drummer’s beat and no longer out of fashion. Luckily for me, I decided long ago as a young idealistic teenager, “Why try to fit in to what is fashionable, when I was born to stand out!!” And that, my friends, is why my life and hopefully that of many of my neighbors and friends in Wilton Manors… “is just better here….”WMG
Bona Pizza
A few weeks ago SFGN ran a special feature on the best places to get a lunch pizza in Wilton Manors. The operative word was lunch. Because Bona Pizza, the oldest and longest operating Italian restaurant in the Manors does not open until 4 p.m, it was not included in our evaluations. Ouch. Bona Pizza has offered Manors residents a huge selection of moderately priced selections with family style dining since 1979. They continue to use only select grade A cheeses, and their pies are freshly made to order with premium doughs, generous in size, and ample with their sides. Bona offers you consistency and community. You are bound to run into a few friends enjoying a cold brew and hot pie. If you are looking for more than pizza, they serve your favorite
OCTOBER 7, 2015 • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 19
selection of Italian dinner staples. Their sub sandwiches feature mouth-filling generous portions on fresh, soft Italian breads. Dinner prices are affordable, not outlandish, and as a neighborhood venue, there is a good chance you will be promptly served by a pleasant waitress without a long wait. Most of all, Bona's provides you with a comfort zone of quality, from the garlic rolls dripping with butter to the pizzas searing with flavor right out of the ovens. And what a choice of pizzas- from Sicilian Pies to their signature Bona's special, with 8 toppings. Maybe the best way to appreciate the hometown flavor and simple goodness of Bona's is to just go in their and ask for 'Grandma's Pizza.' If grandma is on the menu, there is going to be a menu you can trust. Bona's is at 2468 Wilton Drive, and they do deliver. WMG
ART DIRECTOR • BRENDON LIES ARTWORK@SFGN.COM ONLINE PRODUCER • DENNIS JOZEFOWICZ DENNIS.JOZEFOWICZ@SFGN.COM EDITORIAL ASSISTANT • JILLIAN MELERO JILLIANMELERO@GMAIL.COM NEWS EDITOR • MICHAEL D’OLIVEIRA
Correspondents
CHRISTIANA LILLY • DENISE ROYAL • NATALYA JONES • JOHN MCDONALD • JAMES OAKSUN
Staff Photographers
J.R. DAVIS • POMPANO BILL • STEVEN SHIRES
Sales & Marketing
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Associated Press
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October 7, 2015
Decriminalizing Marijuana Won’t Save City Money
Community
By Michael d’Oliveira The possible decriminalization of marijuana in Wilton Manors won’t result in much of a savings in police time. That’s according to a report issued by the Wilton Manors Police Department. According to Commander Gary Blocker, the estimated time saved would be an average of 19 hours a year. So far this year, police here have made 22 arrests and issued 102 notices to appear in court for marijuana-related incidents. If the city did switch from criminal to civil fines for marijuana possession, he estimates the amount of money raised could be about $16,500 over a three-year period. The report was presented at the Sept. 21 commission meeting, two months after officials began talking about the possibility of decriminalizing the possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana for personal use. The review of time spent on marijuana-related crimes, in which officers spend an average of 40 to 60 minutes per arrest transporting suspects to the main jail in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, was undertaken to see how much time would be saved if officers didn’t have to make arrests. “I wouldn’t hang my hat on that particular hook,” said Chief Paul O’Connell at a meeting before the report was issued.
Blocker’s report also highlighted some of the indirect costs of marijuana enforcement – the time and money spent by the court system to prosecute and imprison drug offenders. He also talked about the lack of a database for local agencies to share information about who has been issued citations. “The sharing of information is needed in order for an officer to make an informed decision on whether or not to issue a civil citation.” That could change if Broward County passes an ordinance allowing law enforcement officers to issue fines, $100 for the first offense, instead of jail time for marijuana possession of up to 20 grams. The vote was held Oct. 6 after this article was submitted for publication. Wilton Manors commissioners have yet to make a decision on whether or not to decriminalize marijuana and issue fines in their city. But, with the public demanding that police spend more time focusing on pedestrian safety and catching drivers going over the speed limit, even the minimal amount of time spent by police might be too much. “Pardon the pun, but I think it’s a waste of time,” said Mayor Gary Resnick before the report was issued. WMG
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Business
Business
As Some Fees Increase, City Purchases Parking Millage Goes Down Lot For $447,000 By Michael d’Oliveira
After raising the operating millage rate from 6.06836 to 6.26836, commissioners unanimously voted to lower it back to 6.02836 – the original level recommended by city staff. Combined with the millage from the city’s debt service on its parks and city hall bonds, the total millage is 6.72256. That millage, along with other sources of revenue, resulted in a budget of $31.2 million. “They did more than balance [the millage], they lowered it,” said Mayor Gary Resnick about city staff. The result is an increase of $1.24 per year for homeowners covered by Save Our Homes [SOH] and $267.84 for those not covered. For condo owners under SOH, the increase is 70 cents per year and $117.09 for those not covered. Officials originally raised the operating millage to help pay for additional police officers and a park ranger, in response to public demands to clean up Hagen Park and improve road safety. But budget cuts elsewhere, said city officials, helped pay for the additional personnel without increasing the millage. The cost of some items and departments are increasing. An increase in salaries, additional personnel, insurance and operating costs resulted in an increase in police department expenses, from $6.5 million last year to $7.1 million this year. Those increased costs are part of why the city’s Budget Review Committee is against the hiring of two new police officers – at a cost of about $85,000 each. The new officers will be focused on traffic enforcement and about $25,000 in additional revenue is expected to come as a result. Another part of the city’s efforts to improve public safety comes from the hiring of a full-time park ranger for $56,000. That position was added so the city could
By Michael d’Oliveira
better monitor Colohatchee Park and other facilities. The park has developed a reputation as place for sex and multiple residents and commissioners have said something needs to be done. “Taking back Colohatchee is vital . . . for the quality of life of the city,” said Commissioner Justin Flippen. Resnick disagreed, saying that he thinks the park’s problems are “exaggerated to some extent.” Various fees are also set to increase. Parking will go from $1 per hour to $1.50, which will generate an estimated $230,000 per year in additional revenue. Commissioner Tom Green argued the increase should be cut in half to 25 cents. The cost of water, an increase of 5 percent, will cost an average of $4.98 more per month. Wilton Manors gets its water from Fort Lauderdale and officials there control the cost. The annual Residential Rental License fee, paid by residential property owners for every tenant they have, may also increase. The fee was raised from $20 to $50 but it will have to be approved at a future commission meeting. Commissioners also increased their own salaries. Each commissioner got a raise from $7,800 per year to $9,750 and the mayor went from $9,000 to $11,250 – about $10,000 more a year total. Commissioners defended the raise, but so too did at least two residents – Paul Kuta and Tim Ross. “We don’t pay them enough. It’s almost a full-time job. The hourly rate may be less than minimum wage [if you count all the hours they work off the dais],” Ross said. Commissioners argued that the increase will only cover the costs associated with being commissioner and are not an actual pay raise. “This job costs us money. We’re certainly not getting rich,” Resnick said. WMG
Despite agreement that the cost was less than ideal, commissioners approved the purchase of an empty lot to provide more parking for Wilton Drive. At their Sept. 21 meeting, commissioners voted 4-1 to purchase an empty lot, to be redeveloped as an 18 to 24 space parking lot, for a cost of $458,000. After unpaid utility and lawn mowing bills were subtracted, the final cost was $447,879. It’s estimated that developing and paving the lot, located behind Bona Pizza at Northeast 23 Drive and Northeast 11 Avenue, will cost between $180,000 and $240,000. That was just too much money for Vice Mayor Scott Newton, the only no vote. The good thing, said Newton, was that the money would come from the parking fund and not taxpayers. The parking fund money comes from the $1.1 million borrowed by the city in 2011 to specifically make parking improvements along and near Wilton Drive. Out of that money, $524,000 is left. In 2014, the city spent $788,000 to build a 42-space parking lot at Northeast 8 Terrace and Northeast 26 Street. That project has been criticized by some city officials, including commissioners, as too expensive. City staff members said the improving economy caused the increase in construction costs. Mayor Gary Resnick voted for the purchase but warned that this would be the last parking purchase the city would be able to make for the next five years. “This is going to be it,” he said. Commissioner Julie Carson, who voted against the purchase the first time, said she was still wary of the cost but felt like she had to do something to help with the lack of parking at that end of Wilton Drive. But she does want to see more than 18 to 24 spaces created.
“Why can we only do 18 to 24?” she asked in an interview with The Gazette. Carson is referring to the estimated 40 to 45 cars that are parked on the lot at night. To help squeeze more spaces in, she suggested foregoing some of the landscape requirements. “I don’t want it to just be an ugly flat spot but I think we can get in a lot more spaces.” Most residents, who spoke at the meeting, were against the purchase. “We can’t keep taking property off the tax rolls,” said Sal Torre, president of the Westside Association of Wilton Manors. Torre suggested the city could use a trolley to take people up and down Wilton Drive from the main parking lot next to city hall. “I would certainly ride a trolley.” Resident Paul Kuta said “just because it’s there” isn’t a good enough reason to buy it.” Resident Kate Donohue called it “a tiny solution to a huge problem” and suggested a parking garage be built at Hagen Park. Nick Berry, resident and owner of Rumors Bar & Grill, located near the empty lot, spoke in favor and said scattered parking lots along Wilton Drive are a better solution than a garage. Faced with few options and calls to improve the shortage in parking on Wilton Drive, a problem that has been discussed for over a decade, commissioners said they had to act even if the cost was high. “It’s incumbent upon us as policy makers to act. This land is available. We have to act,” said Commissioner Justin Flippen. The owner said he had plans to build townhomes on the lot if the city didn’t purchase it. City staff said no other nearby properties are available or affordable. Commissioner Tom Green said the lot could possibly be expanded in the future by purchasing adjacent or nearby properties. WMG
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