Wilton Manors elects its mayor every two years. In the 2022 election, Boyd Corbin is the lone challenger.
This is Corbin’s fourth campaign for mayor. Visit this page for coverage from the 2022 election cycle.
Why have you decided to run for mayor?
I’m running for Mayor of Wilton Manors to fix the drinking water, stormwater, sewer discharge and police problems in our city. Annual city spending has increased by several million dollars over the past few years and our water bills are being padded to pay for it. The city commission has always said there is nothing we can do about our green/yellow/tan city drinking water since we buy it from Fort Lauderdale. I disagree and I’ve been working on the quality of our tap water for the past four years. I’ve been talking about our outrageous water bills for eight years.
What are your qualifications?
I have studied and understand Fort Lauderdale’s water and sewer problems. Wilton Manors has made the same mistakes by neglecting utility maintenance. Now the city wants to spend $10m in one year on utility improvements – more money than has been spent by the city on anything. City hall cost $6m and we are still paying off the bond. I will read engineering reports. I will help the utility department decide which materials and construction techniques should be used. I will continue to meet with outside industry professionals for advice. My father was a builder/developer. So was his father. I built my house without using a general contractor. Wilton Manors needs a mayor with a construction background that can get us out of this utility mess. Not the mayor who spent the past two decades getting us into this mess by taking over $15m out of the utility fund.
List your top issues of concern.
Drinking water, sewer, and stormwater cause flooding, police, wasting money on consultants and unneeded city management positions, overbuilding, turning commercial space into condos, attracting businesses, speeding, bike lanes, and hard drugs.
How long have you lived in the city?
I built my home as an owner/builder in 2004 so I have lived here for 18 years.
Please provide your chief criticism (If any) of the WiltonNext study.
The WiltonNext study was unnecessary to begin with. Why do we need to target a certain type of business such as medical centers? Wawa wanted to buy the Coin Laundry building on Andrews Ave. at 26th Street for $4 million, but the city said no. I heard this land is being saved for condos. This is wrong.
Are you married, kids, partner, etc.?
Single.
What is your age, profession, job, etc.?
I’m 54 and I’ve been renting out my home a couple of months a year as a vacation rental for the past 15 years.
Does the city have a lack of affordable housing, and if so what can be done about it?
Wilton Manors owns land next to Colohatchee Park which would be a perfect opportunity to build affordable housing instead of an unnecessary parking lot as planned.
Do you favor legalizing all forms of cannabis for recreational and medical use?
All forms of marijuana should be legalized for recreational and medicinal use.
What are some of your biggest accomplishments?
I convinced Fort Lauderdale to conduct the 2021 Reiss Pilot Study which is a road map to clean, clear, non-wasteful, cheaper city tap water that doesn’t have ammonia added to it. This is in contract with the Carollo plan which will increase water rates by 87% within 3 years, waste five million gallons of water per day and give control of city tap water to lawyers of an NYC for profit finance company for 30 years.
I exposed Wilton Manors’ massive sewer problem which has been discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage into streets for at least 18 years. Residents, including some city commissioners, were not aware of last year’s EPA consent order which ordered the city to stop raiding the utility fund for an average of $1 million per year for the past 15 years or else pay a $288,000 fine. Since announcing my candidacy three months ago, Wilton Manors has agreed to spend $10 million on utility upgrades which are more than the $1.4 million allocated (but not spent) this year. As mayor, I will make sure this money is spent on long-term repairs instead of quick fixes which Fort Lauderdale seems to be doing with their sewer system by using plastic pipes instead of ceramic-lined iron pipes which can withstand the sand abrasion which caused the 250 million gallon sewage spill in 2019/2020. Simply put, I read engineering reports when utility directors just read the summaries and I talk to utility professionals who come up with better and cheaper alternatives.
Is there a city department that is underperforming and why?
The utility department thinks it’s OK to uncap sewer cleanouts for 18 years which discharges sewage into streets instead of coming up with a plan to fix the problem. They tell residents such as myself that our water is clear when it is always clearly green or yellow or tan.
Are city employee wages fair and livable?
Wages are not fair and livable for city meter readers who work for Lanier. Three years ago the city turned down a proposed contract with Denison which would have saved the city $100,000 per year and paid employees a living wage of $14 per hour with benefits. Instead, they renewed Lanier’s contract which pays meter readers $11 an hour with no benefits. I can’t count the times I’ve seen and heard about parking meters in the city that doesn’t work which means people have to fight their parking tickets.
Are you in favor of annexing Lazy Lake? Why or why not?
I have not yet looked into the annexation issue with Lazy Lake. I just know there’s lots of fighting between the dozen or so residents there so nothing gets accomplished and we don’t want the lake to end up as a cesspool if it’s not already.
What businesses does the city need and why?
Wilton Manors needs any business that wants to come here. Why should the city choose? Let the free market decide with one exception: The blood plasma center on Andrews Ave. attracts drug addicts who sell their blood. We don’t need businesses like that if we can help it. Medical marijuana stores should be welcomed.
Are you in favor of merging WMPD with BSO?
The Wilton Manors Police Department should not be taken over by BSO. Many of our vacation rental problems could be handled by a better code enforcement department. We need to look outside our police department for people who are experienced and qualified. Sgt. Frank Pilewski spent a decade as a detective and now he’s in charge of road patrol. No wonder we have so many speeders and our bike lanes are not safe for bike riding. Chief Gary Blocker was in the right place at the right time when former Chief O’Connell quit after allegedly being caught stealing from the city – he was allegedly working a second job when he was supposed to be working for the city. Police management is rarely seen outside of the police department. A new code enforcement officer quit after a couple of months. The mayor’s son was a WMPD officer for a couple of years and quit after being quickly promoted to detective. The former chief was fired for sending racist emails to city staff. We need an exceptional chief to lead our police force.
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2520 N. Dixie Highway,
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
(954) 530-4970
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