Florida Agenda

WHAT’S INSIDE:

The cooler weather has finally arrived, and with Wicked Wilton: 2012, we can actually mark the “environmental”—if not the actual—start of autumn. There’s lots to do between now and Thanksgiving, and we give you a “taste” of it inside, OUT in Florida.

As the weather gets colder, a guy needs all the help he can get to stay warm. There’s a reason the autumn breezes are known as “snuggle weather,” and Manley Guy, from our sister publication GUY Magazine, has can’t-miss tips on the ancient and rewarding art of kissing, in a special Guide on the subject to which you’ll want to set eyes (and maybe smackers).

South Florida is known for its abundance of seafood and seafood restaurants. House foodie Richard David Chamberlain spent some time recently at Ocean 101, within striking distance of the waves in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, and he shares all the delicious details, inside Dining.

This week, all eyes (but especially four of them, those belonging to Mitt Romney, who wants to live there, and Barack Obama, who wants to pick up another four-year option on his lease) will be cast upon our nation’s capital.  Globetrotter Robert Elias Deaton knows the ins and outs of the District (including some secret spots frequented by the nation’s closeted elites), and he takes us to DC By Night, in a brand new Travel column.

In addition, Chef Jean Doherty shares a delicious Recipe, Andy “The Core” Kress, offers up some sound Nutrition advice, and there’s much more.

Remember: November. CD

By JOE HARRIS

ObamaCare  

On Tuesday, four states—including Florida—will take up the conservative fight against ObamaCare with ballot measures that ask voters to block the law requiring Americans to have health insurance. In addition to the Sunshine State, Alabama, Montana, and Wyoming could join the 16 states that have already passed similar statutes that say they will not enforce ObamaCare’s “individual mandate.”

According to the Congressional Research Service, these state-level efforts to neuter the mandate will have no lasting impact, since federal law trumps state law, and particularly in light of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 28 that largely upheld the law.

Franken Stumps in the Gayborhood

WILTON MANORS – Organizing for America, the Obama campaign’s volunteer arm, welcomed U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) today at its Wilton Manors office (612 NE 26 St., Wilton Manors). Franken, the junior Senator from Minnesota, was in town to lend his support to the president’s re-election effort, and to encourage the work of the volunteers with Organizing for America, who then spent the rest of the morning canvassing neighborhoods and encouraging residents to take part in early voting.

At a later event that kicked off around 11:45 a.m. at the city’s Hagen Park, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D), U.S. House candidate Lois Frankel (D), Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti (R), and others spoke to an energized crowd about the importance of exercising their voter franchise as citizens.

“What a great event and turnout,” commented Krishan Manners, President and CEO of the Wilton Manors Development Alliance. “This bracing weather has added to the sense that we are on the verge of November and important elections which will decide many issues of local and national importance.”

Most polls put Florida among the states likely to swing towards Republican Mitt Romney, but the statistical margin for error still places the Sunshine State in a veritable dead heat.

Tuesday’s Angels November Dinner to be Held at J. Mark’s 

FORT LAUDERDALE – Tuesday’s Angels will hold its November Dinner event at J. Mark’s Restaurant (1245 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale), with “doors opening” at 6:15 p.m., and dinner to be served at 7:15. The organization’s monthly meeting and a prize raffle will be integrated into the dinner.

J. Mark’s will serve a three-course meal, including salad, choice of entrees, dessert, coffee, and a soft drink. The cost of $28 per person includes taxes and tip. Reservations must be made by Sunday November 4. Limited open seating will be available on a first come basis. The recommended minimum donation for members and guests is $25 per person. For reservations, call (954) 524-3991.

In the first six months of 2012, Tuesday’s Angels donated over $60,000, and helped nearly 300 individual clients with rent, utilities, eyeglasses, or medication, along with many other philanthropic activities in the community.

Hallandale to Support Tax Equity for City Employees with Domestic Partners 

HALLANDALE BEACH – On November 7, Hallandale Beach City Commissioner Alexander Lewy will sponsor a resolution to provide a Tax Equity Reimbursement to city employees who receive domestic partnership benefits. The resolution will make Hallandale Beach the first municipality in Florida to create a program aimed at creating tax equity among city employees.

“After learning about this injustice earlier this year, I knew I could make a difference,” said Lewy, who was elected in 2010. “Providing a fair and equitable workplace is the American way. Everyone should be treated fairly and there is no reason to tax domestic partners differently,” he added.

The City of Hallandale Beach provides health benefits to domestic partners, but the benefits are taxable under current federal tax laws, which translates to city employees enrolled in domestic partnerships paying more federal taxes than their colleagues with different-sex spouses.

Under Lewy’s proposal, city employees who enroll their domestic partners under the city’s plan will be able to offset the impact of the additional tax. Lewy says the new program will cost the city no more than $5,000 annually.

RBC Announces Updated Schedule, Parking Info for Wicked Wilton

WILTON MANORS – The Rainbow Business Coalition of Greater Fort Lauderdale (RBC) has announced an updated schedule for Wicked Wilton: 2012, which will take place this evening, along Wilton Drive, its side streets, and many of the venues which line it.

Wilton Drive will be closed between Northeast 21 Court and Five Points from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m., in order to accommodate the street party, which kicks off at 6 p.m. and runs until Midnight on the street and in the area businesses. After Midnight, organizers say the party will continue in the local bars and nightclubs, many which have extended their closing times until 3 a.m.

“It’s looking to be a spectacular event,” said Reece Darham, outgoing Co-Chair of RBC. “We look forward to a fantastic Halloween party. It promises to be the largest Halloween Event in South Florida.”

Organizers say that extra parking has been arranged at various locations around Wilton Manors, and a flat fee of $10 allows parking for the duration of the event. The lots include Hagen Park/City Hall, Richardson Park, the City Works lot on North Dixie Highway, and the Pride Center at Equality Park.

The revised schedule of events for Wicked Wilton 2012-Fairy Tales:

6:00 – Alibi Pet Contest (2266 Wilton Dr.)

8:30 – Rosie’s Bar and Grill (2449 Wilton Dr.)

8:45 – Wilton’s Bier Garden (2245 Wilton Dr.)

9:00 – Alibi (2266 Wilton Dr.)

9:45 – New Moon (2440 Wilton Dr.)

10:15 – Matty’s on the Drive (2426 Wilton Dr.)

10:45 – Village Pub (2283 Wilton Dr.)

11:15 – Bill’s Filling Station (2209 Wilton Dr.)

11:45 – The Manor (2345 Wilton Dr.)

12:30 – Boom (2232 Wilton Dr.)

For more information, visit wickedwilton.com, facebook.com/wickedwilton, and on Twitter @wickedwilton.

The Pride Center recently honored a number of community leaders and activists for their ongoing commitment and contribution to the good and welfare of the LGBT community. One of them is Mark Gordon, a benefactor to the community in every sense.

Gordon moved to South Florida from Washington, DC in October 2009.  “I started at the old Pride Center when I first moved to Fort Lauderdale. In DC, we have a great LGBT community but there was nothing like this. I was so impressed with the fact that there was a community center locally that was like this,” he recalls. “I joined the Pride Center, and on Sundays I would play Bridge,” he adds. It was—to use a Golden Age of Hollywood axiom—the start of a beautiful friendship, one which would benefit future clients of the Pride Center, and others who might not even know the extent of his help or generosity.

“I have always believed in giving back,” Gordon explains, “and while I couldn’t make a huge donation to the [Pride Center] Capital Campaign, it did mean a great deal to me that I would be able to contribute,” he says, with sincerity and understatement.

“It is so important for the upcoming generations to have a place to go, especially the younger LGBT community,” says Gordon, who has also seen the good works of other groups that are working towards that good and welfare. “I am also impressed with Equality Florida, and the work that they do.”

Gordon says that Greater Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors’ thriving LGBT community needs a thriving community center to support it, nurture it, and help foster leadership, fellowship, and a sense of belonging. “I am very happy to be here in this setting. If we don’t support an organization like the Pride Center, what will happen to it?” he asks.

On September 30, the Pride Center held an invitation-only brunch, to say “Thank You” to the board of directors and community patrons of the agency. Boo praised Gordon and the other benefactors of the Capital Campaign, noting that if not for their generous contributions, “so much of the service we provide would have to be curtailed.”

For more information about the House that Gordon and other community leaders have built, as well as its many community services, visit pridecenterflorida.org.H

Longtime community and political activist Richard Cimoch died last week. Long involved in South Florida’s LGBT community, he served on the board and as co-chair of Pride South Florida, as a member of the Broward County Democratic Executive Committee, and as former Secretary of the Dolphin Democratic Club.

A native of Philadelphia, Cimoch came to the warmer climes of South Florida, and ran a very successful decorating business. In addition to the aforementioned organizations, he served on the Human Rights Campaign, as well as the Pride Center at Equality Park. In the August 14 primary, Cimoch was an unsuccessful candidate for Democratic Committeeman for Precinct 004, an area that covers west Wilton Manors, from the North Andrews Avenue Bridge, to West Oakland Park Boulevard.

Cimoch, who was born February 3, 1940, was a former Penn State Nittany Lion, and worked as a popular doorman at Dicey Riley’s bar in Fort Lauderdale. “Richard was a ubiquitous sight on 2nd Street,” said Cliff Dunn, Executive Editor of the Florida Agenda, who worked with Cimoch for three years.

“We affectionately called him ‘Aunt Richard,’ and he was just like that, sort of a combination ‘Dutch Uncle’ and ‘Agony Aunt.’ He really made an impression on thousands of people in that downtown Arts and Entertainment District who have no idea what a great advocate for gay rights he was,” Dunn said.

An early proponent of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential run—“you did not want to speak ill of Hillary in his presence,” Dunn recalled—he became a strong supporter of President Obama, and was looking forward to working for his re-election in the final days.

“I have always been proud of the connection with motivating people to get out and vote, and we will need turnout that’s higher than normal to ensure an Obama victory,” Cimoch told the Agenda this summer. “Florida is crucial to Obama’s victory, and as gay men and women, we have a lot to lose if he doesn’t win.”