Westside Association: 155 Member-Households Strong, Representing 235 Residents

The Westside Association invited all candidates for Wilton Manors Mayor and Commissioner to submit a brief statement for our newsletter, website, and Facebook page. Candidate responses have not been edited.

To ensure absolute fairness to all candidates, we asked that response adhere to the following guidelines:

Focus: How your platform directly supports and impacts the Westside neighborhood.
Suggested Topics: Our residents are particularly interested in your vision regarding local development, building heights, traffic management, public safety/crime, park improvements, and neighborhood infrastructure.
Word Count: A maximum of 300 words.

Candidates for Mayor

Julie Carson

Hello Neighbors! I am running for Mayor, and I am the only candidate or elected official that lives on the Westside of our City! Many of you may remember when I served as Commissioner from 2010 to 2020 and led our City through growth, challenge and change.

My campaign tagline is “Leadership with Integrity, and Respect for All,” and when I have the Center Seat on the dais, this is how I will lead. I will demonstrate collaboration over confrontation, cohesion over hostility, and experience without arrogance.

Wilton Manors is a small City on the precipice of something big. We must be smart managers of impending development. During my tenure, I helped usher in the only project to be built in our transit-oriented corridor in the last 10 years — The Metropolitan.

We need affordable workforce housing. I led the way on the affordable housing at Equality Park. I know how to find our partners, navigate the naysayers, and see through the challenges so that we are able to support everyone who wants to live here.

The Tax Amendment on the ballot could dramatically change our government. I have four decades of professional experience in real estate, complex commercial transactions, and the telecommunications industry. I understand fiscal stewardship, economic development, and long-term planning. That’s the background you want in your Mayor!

I will streamline operational processes, safeguard our neighborhoods, attract responsible investments, and ensure our businesses and the people who rely on them have the support they need to thrive. We’ll create consensus on public safety, leisure services, infrastructure, and more.

Let’s build on our progress while staying true to the conscientious values we share. I’m honored to have served before, and I’m hopeful to continue working with you to make certain that “Life’s Just Better Here” on the Westside!

Jerry Fisichelli

It is my hope to become Msyor to change the City for the better.

There is a lot that can be done for the better for the residents.

I will give back to the people and more.

As a resident and voter I feel there should be a new commission and Mayor.

Lets go with the saying “Out with the old and in with the new.

Expectations will be exceeded.

End.

Paul Rolli

Wilton Manors succeeds when we protect the character of our neighborhoods while planning responsibly for the future. As a member of the Westside Association and a City Commissioner for the past eight years, I have listened closely to residents about the issues that affect their daily lives, including traffic, flooding, infrastructure, safety, and responsive government.

I have worked to turn those concerns into action. Residents asked for traffic-calming measures, and they were implemented. I recommended the lighted crosswalk on Powerline Road that is now being installed. The flooding issue on NW 22nd Street was addressed, and a major improvement project on NW 3rd Avenue is expected to begin within the next 90 days. Andrews Avenue is also part of a $20 million surtax-funded improvement project.

As Mayor, I will continue promoting fiscal responsibility, protecting essential services, controlling unnecessary spending, using technology to improve efficiency, and pursuing our fair share of county, state, and federal funding. I also support responsibly reducing the millage rate when possible, to help ease the burden on homeowners.

For the Westside, protecting quality of life must remain central to every decision. That means safer streets, better infrastructure, maintaining parks and development that respects nearby neighborhoods. When residents raised concerns about proposed building heights, we listened, and those standards are now being reconsidered.

Residents deserve a City Hall that listens and acts. My commitment is to preserve the character of Wilton Manors while preparing for the future with steady leadership, fiscal discipline, transparency, and a continued focus on quality of life.

Candidates for Commissioner

Angel Burgos

Westside neighbors —

I'm Angel Burgos, and I'm running for City Commission to make sure every part of Wilton Manors gets the attention it's earned — starting with the Westside.

I came here from Washington, D.C., and chose this city on purpose. Twice, my husband David and I put offers on homes right here on the Westside before we landed a few blocks east in Sunset Manors — so this neighborhood has never been an afterthought to me, the way it's too often been to City Hall.

I began my career in the U.S. Senate as an aide to Senator Joe Lieberman, and today I direct a team of nearly 70 at Florida International University, managing multimillion-dollar budgets. I hold a master's in public administration, and I know how to make government actually deliver.

That's exactly what's missing. For too long, this commission has kicked development decisions down the road instead of making them. Neighborhood input matters — but endless delay isn't caution, it's paralysis, and it's holding the whole city back. I'll listen, and then I'll decide and move us forward.

Here's what I'll fight for:

Development that fits us — a walkable Andrews Avenue with human-scale buildings, not high-rises, and real decisions made with longtime residents, not without them.
Parks and infrastructure — updating the Mickel Park splash pad and getting surtax dollars to Westside streets, sidewalks, drainage, and lighting.
Traffic and safety — calmer, safer streets that keep pace with new development instead of lagging behind it.

You've invested in this neighborhood for years. You deserve a commissioner who'll match that commitment — and who'll actually get things done.

More at Vote4Angel.com. I'd be honored to earn your vote.

Don D'Arminio

Don D'Arminio is a Wilton Manors homeowner and advocate who has called our Island City home for nearly two decades, together with his partner of 30 years, Marc Martorana, and their three rescue pups. A graduate of Montclair State University with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Accounting, Don built a 25-plus-year career as a tax and accounting professional.

Before joining the City Commission, Don spent six years on the City's Planning & Zoning Board, serving as both Chair and Vice Chair.

On the Commission, Don has been exactly what he promised: a fiscal watchdog, an infrastructure advocate, and a full-time presence in the community. Don shows up, listens, and gets it done

As the Commission's resident tax and accounting professional, Don scrutinizes every line of the city budget — voting to fund core services while publicly calling out spending that doesn't serve residents.

With 25+ years as a tax and accounting professional, Don brings real financial expertise to City Hall — demanding strategic use of every tax dollar and pushing back on spending that doesn't serve residents.

Don and his partner Marc regularly open their home to raise funds for local organizations. Over the last fifteen years, they have hosted over 100 events at their home to benefit local 501(c)3 organizations.

Don's priorities are Public Safety, Upgrading aging infrastructure & mitigating flood issues, Fiscal Responsibilty, Responsible Development of main corridors while protecting the integrity of our single family neighborhoods, and Transforming Andrews Avenue (The Ave) into a thriving Commercial District.

Don has received many endorsements in this campaign including Equality Florida Action Pac, SAVE (Sevuring American Values for Everyone); Sierra Club Broward County & Broward, Palm Beach & St. Lucie Realtors.

Manish Kalra

Westside neighbors — I’m Manish Kalra, a Wilton Manors homeowner running for City Commissioner. My platform is simple - Less of politics and more of Action !

Affordability. Water and sewer rates have climbed roughly 50% and 47% in the last three years, with more increases ahead. I didn’t just raise concerns — I built a five-point plan to lower water bills and circulated it as a resident petition, now signed by approximately 100 Wilton Manors residents, asking the City to act. I’ll push for a published rate methodology and an end to unexplained transfers out of the utility fund.

Infrastructure and development- Repeated sewage spills into the Middle River — including another incident just recently — plus the State’s enforcement action against the City, show what deferred maintenance costs us. Drainage, tidal flooding, and wastewater capacity must be core budget priorities, not emergencies. Growth belongs in that same conversation: development should match the Westside’s scale, with thoughtful height and density standards, attainable housing, and traffic, parking, and infrastructure studies completed before approvals — not after.

Permitting and code enforcement - Both processes need a complete review and reform. Code fine revenue per resident runs several times higher than neighboring Broward cities; that’s a warning sign, not a revenue plan. Residents tell me the process is confusing and frustrating. I drafted and presented a Resident Fairness and

Accountability Ordinance to City Hall on Sep 22 — asking for clear timelines, proportionate penalties, and accountability from the City itself.

Safety and parks - dedicated budget , Better lighting, maintained sidewalks and crosswalks, and continued investment in our parks and green space.

I bring two decades of experience in leadership roles, with

major transformation and financial turnaround — plus a habit of showing up with a plan. I’d be honored to earn your vote. Learn more at electmanish.com.

Scott Newton

Candidate did not respond to our request for a statement.

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