Florida Agenda

By Alex Vaughn

Photo: Artist’s rendering of what the 2100 block of Wilton Drive would look like if the Two Lane Initiative moves forward.

Krishan Manners is the President of Wilton Manors Main Street, an organization which serves the community of Wilton Manors. The group is made up of residents, business owners, property owners, area institutions and organizations, elected officials, municipal staff and other interested parties. The Florida Agenda sat down with President and CEO Krishan Manners to get his take on the community, the future and the advantages of Wilton Manors.

Please tell Agenda readers a bit about your upbringing?
I guess that really starts in New Delhi, India, where I was born – and from which my given name comes – and lived the first few years of my life before moving to north Florida as a small child. I grew up there, left the state for college and, ultimately, spent most of my adult life in New York City.

What brought you here to South Florida?
My partner passed away a few years ago and I had fallen into a bit of a routine of being sad. That’s perfectly normal for a while, but it was really time to shake up my life. I woke up one morning and said, “Today’s the day.” I knew I wanted to stay on the east coast, so I mentally went from Maine to Florida in my mind, deciding what I wanted my life to look like next. I made a few phone calls – including one to a dear friend of mine who lived here. Movers were hired and a date was set by the end of the day.

Why did you choose to get involved with the community?
I’ve always involved myself in my community when I could, but I really just tripped into it in Wilton Manors. I had one friend here and he was involved with Main Street, so I began solely to help him. As I became more involved, I realized that this was a good ‘fit’ for me and an opportunity to really make a difference. From my undergrad degree in political science, my work in the South Carolina House of Representatives during college, a career in marketing and advertising in New York to my volunteer work on the marketing committee for a business improvement district – it’s all being utilized in my current role. To me, that’s what it’s all about – using what we know to help improve both our lives and the lives of others – it’s a win/win.

Please tell Agenda readers some more about Wilton Manors Main Street and what you do and are aiming to achieve.
Wilton Manors Main Street is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has been around for 9 years and has done a number of projects to better the community during that time. They created a set of design guidelines for construction on the drive; they have done beautification projects such as the “Diggin’ the Drive” landscaping project. Just before I arrived on the scene, they began the Two-Lane Initiative to both make the drive safer, add landscaping and additional parking. The Two-Lane Initiative is currently being reviewed and explored by the Wilton Drive Task Force who will ultimately make a recommendation to the City Commission to move forward or not. I’m on that task force and I have nothing but admiration for the other folks on it. They’re smart, they know this city and I sincerely believe that a solid recommendation will result, although it may or may not be unanimous.

What we’re ultimately trying to achieve is a successful Arts & Entertainment District along the drive. One with a good mix of
businesses in a pedestrian-friendly environment that will provide both the residents of Wilton Manors and our visitors a destination resulting in a better quality of life in the city.

How does Wilton Manors differ from other gay meccas?
In my opinion, the primary difference is that we’re a small, southern town with both a large gay minority and a welcoming straight majority. The diversity here really impresses me. I love the fact that we aren’t just ‘tolerated’ here, but welcomed. Like the other gay meccas, we have bars and a seasonal population, but there is also a richness to life here that I’ve not found in those other cities.

What are the advantages of working within the gay community?
I think simply being able to be open and comfortable with being who I am. It was never a problem for me in New York, but in the south, in a primarily conservative state, that level of comfort can be a bit elusive. Being here, in the heart of a community that celebrates its diversity, is simply the best of both worlds.

What are the disadvantages?
It is a small community. Everyone seems to know everyone, which can result in either an amazing sense of family or fertile ground for gossip. We, as a community, need to be kinder to each other!

There has been talk of trouble on the Drive with rent increases and the mix of businesses. What do you think about that?
I don’t think it will come as a surprise to anyone that some businesses on the drive are having a hard time.

A lot of people simply do not have the expendable cash they had a few years ago, resulting in lower sales. Add that to the fact that it’s summer and our seasonal folk are gone and then a landlord wants to raise rents? It’s a poor long-term strategy.

My suggestion to landlords searching for tenants is to actually look at the types of businesses around your property and ask, “What will compliment those businesses?” If you look at the groupings in a mall, you’ll find anchor stores, a food court and groupings of businesses.  That’s what we need keep in mind. We need to create these areas that will get people out of their cars and shopping.  That will help keep these storefronts filled, which is the ultimate goal for a landlord.

What do you think Wilton Manors is lacking in terms of business?
A few things. We need a boutique hotel, desperately. As it stands, we have a few lovely small resorts and guest houses, but most visitors stay at the beach and come to Wilton Manors in the evening for the bar scene. I’d rather give them someplace to stay here and capture the additional revenue for our local businesses. I’d love to see live theatre here.  I think we need more art, more specialty retail shops. Good restaurants are always a draw. With those businesses in place, I believe we’re in a better position to attract people to – and keep them on – Wilton Drive.

How do you feel the community can get involved?
There are innumerable ways to get involved. For those with free time on their hands, there are business groups for networking, such as the RBC and WMBA. There are community groups, such as ENA, CANA and WAWM, which are focused on specific neighborhoods in Wilton Manors. There are civic groups, such as Kiwanis, that do amazing work.  And there is Main Street, which is involved in all of those areas. This city has an amazing amount of talent available that these groups can use, so decide where you want to help and find a group here that needs your help. If you don’t have time to volunteer, donations are always appreciated and allow these groups to continue to do good work. If you don’t know how to reach one of these groups, contact me and I’ll put you in touch with them.

What would you like the legacy of Wilton Manors Main Street to be?
That we made Wilton Drive safer. That our work created a more beautiful city.  That we helped bring businesses to the Arts & Entertainment district. That the businesses of Wilton Manors – and I mean anywhere in Wilton Manors, not solely on the drive – are thriving. That we’ve helped create a cultural center that embraces diversity and has become a destination for both locals and tourist. If we achieve these things, we all win.

An artists rendition of the Children’s Art Project, currently in the works

The 2011 Annual Meeting of the Wilton Manors Main Street Board,

with the new and old board of directors and city officials.

For more information,  or to get involved, visit  www.wiltonmanorsmainstreet.org

Photo: Mayor Gary Resnick Courtesy, southfloridagaynews.com

By BOB KECSKEMETY

While small in size, Wilton Manors, with its 13,000 residents, is large in the minds of the LGBT community, making the city one

of the most desirable for the community to work, live and visit. It’s estimated that 40 percent of the city’s residents are gay and lesbian.

Wilton Manors Mayor Gary Resnick is one of the three gay/lesbian commissioners to sit on the board, putting the LGBT community in the majority. However, Resnick, as well as Tom Green and Julie Carson, has always put the city first for all residents regardless of sexual orientation.

“When I walk around talking to the residents, one of the common threads of our conversation is that they like the communications I was maintaining,” said Resnick, who has served on the city commission for more than a decade. “The residents of the city, though they might not come to city commission meetings, really like to know what’s going on in their city and most of them are pretty well informed.”

Resnick laid out plans for his vision of the future of Wilton Manors.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Resnick, along with the help of city commissioners, to focus on economic development — but not just on Wilton Drive.

“Things are going to start turning around a little bit,” said Resnick, “but it’s not going to be like it was in the early-2000s for a while. We need to be proactive in attracting businesses to our city.”

There are several planning and zoning issues that need to be addressed, like valet parking and clinics that prescribe pain killers to their patients. Some of these plain clinics, Resnick said, are immediately adjacent to residential neighborhoods and he feels the city has to enact rules as to where they can be located. He also feels there needs to be more separation between some commercial enterprises and residential areas, feeling that there needs to be more of a separation between businesses that would produce a lot of traffic and noise and the neighboring residential areas.

He also plans to streamline the permitting process, allowing people to fill out the forms and pay the fees online and be able to track the progress of the permits through the various departments.

”It’s something that we didn’t have to focus on very much, because a few years ago we didn’t have to do much to attract businesses to our city,” said Resnick. “But now we have to make sure we’re seen as a very business-friendly and residentialfriendly community.”

PARKING

Resnick says there are now more parking spaces on Wilton Drive than there were in the past even with the addition of the new City Hall. However, there is a problem with locating additional parking areas since the city does not own enough land to provide additional parking and nothing is readily available at an affordable price as he doesn’t want taxpayers footing the bill. There is still a possibility of a public/private parking project on the site of the old City Hall.

Unlike other municipalities, Wilton Manors, he explains, is a nighttime destination. Most cities charge for parking during their peak daytime hours and do not charge for parking at night. In Wilton Manors, it’s just the opposite.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Last autumn, Wilton Manors was rocked with a scandal involving their then-Police Chief Richard Perez, who subsequently resigned his position. An interim police chief has been appointed until a permanent replacement is found.

Resnick feels that the city’s police department functions very well, though there is need for improvement.

“We need to concentrate on keeping police in the field, crime solving and our detective functions, and we might be able to restructure to eliminate some of the administrative functions and put the resources where it does the best for the community — on the streets,” he said.

The city recently received a federal grant to add an additional police officer to its force.

RECREATION

Overall, Resnick is pleased with the city’s Leisure Services (parks and recreation) department and the popularity of the city’s parks, but he would like to see the services expanded at the city’s Island City Park, which has become popular, and Mickel Field, a facility that Renick says is underutilized.

The city’s tennis program, which he wants to beef-up, has lost participants to Oakland Park’s new facilities and Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park.

EVENTS AND FESTIVALS

Resnick feels that the city has learned it needs to have a larger role in the festivals and events, large and small, gay and straight. Events like the canoe race and holiday events need to be turned over to a professional promotion company, he said. There is greater concern about the larger events that draw 20,000 to 30,000 people, which he would like to see handled by a company which is financially viable and can produce some revenue for the city.

TWO-LANE INITIATIVE

A new Wilton Drive task force was organized and has already held several meetings. This task force is looking over the feasibility of the plans laid out in early 2010 by Wilton Manors Main Street (WMMS). This new task force consists of business owners, residents, a member of WMMS and other city officials.

Resnick said that the task force is looking at issues such as public safety, parking, traffic flow, cost and feasibility.

ECONOMY

Resnick says that the economy will remain a challenging issue for the city and it will need to cut expenses and try to avoid cutting jobs or laying off city employees.

Resnick wants to increase tourism to the city as it is already a major LGBT destination. The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association is planning a large convention in Fort Lauderdale this year and he is looking forward to creating events for the conventioneers to bring attention to Wilton Manors. He also feels that Wilton Manors needs a hotel located within the city limits.

He feels the city needs to be more aggressive in negotiating contracts because residents have made it clear that they can not afford to pay higher taxes or fees. He says that if there’s another sharp decline in property values, the city will have to make corresponding cuts in services and expenses. “It’s going to be very challenging in the next couple of years,” he said. Resnick is adamant about not raising taxes.