Working for a Stronger and Better Future
By Denny Patterson
To quote the Father of India, Mahatma Gandhi, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Wilton Manors resident Don D’Arminio and his partner of 25 years, Marc Martorana, have been doing exactly that.
Initially meeting at a friend’s dinner party in New Jersey, the couple moved to Wilton Manors 14 years ago.
“We would visit Wilton regularly for vacations and long weekends, and we fell in love with the city,” D’Arminio says. “We wanted to own a piece of paradise, so we bought our first condo here in Wilton Manors. We went from a one-bedroom condo, to a two-bedroom condo, and now finally to a house.”
Because of their strong sense of giving back and desire to work for a better future, the duo have been involved with several local charities since coming to Wilton Manors. They typically host five to six fundraisers each year.
According to Martorana, he and D’Arminio have always been community oriented.
“We have nothing to gain from it other than to give back,” he says. “We’re both retired, so we don’t have any work agenda. We are just opening up our home and hearts. It’s what we can do to give back. After we bought our home in 2011, I said to Don, ‘There are a lot of organizations here. I’m sure they need our help.’ So, we started to do fundraising for them.”
The tremendous impact D’Arminio and Martorana are making is not going unrecognized.
“We hosted a holiday party at our home for The Pet Project’s 20th anniversary,” D’Arminio explains. “While this was not a fundraiser, we got a call three days later letting us know that our event generated over $22,000 in donations.”
D’Arminio and Martorana are bringing plenty of experience from their former careers to their volunteer work. D’Arminio spent more than 25 years working as an accounting and tax professional and served on the Wilton Manors Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board for six years. Martorana worked for over 30 years managing large event venues in the Manhattan and New York Tri-State area.
Other charities and organizations that have benefited from D’Arminio and Martorana’s generosity include the South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO), Equality Florida, the National LGBTQ Task Force, Plays of Wilton, Island City Stage, OUTshine Film Festival, the Stonewall National Museum & Archives, the World AIDS Museum, and SunServe, which Martorana says is a very special organization to them.
“After cochairing SunServe’s Gala last year, I was very grateful that they asked me to chair their upcoming event again in March,” Martorana says.
D’Arminio also serves on the board of the Manor Grove Village Two Condominiums. He currently serves as vice president after previously having served as president for eight years.
Because of their tightly packed schedules, one would think the pair would hardly have time for anything else. However, that is most certainly not the case. D’Arminio has thrown his hat into the political ring and is campaigning for Wilton Manors City Commissioner.
“I am a resident that wants the best for our city,” he explains. “It’s kind of ironic that when I retired from Scholastic, the book publisher, I was the director of their state and local tax department. So, I’ve actually been working with state and local governments my entire career. The difference this time would be, rather than being on the side as a business partner, I would be on the opposite side working for the government that works with our business partners. I’ve also served for the last six years on our city’s Planning and Zoning Board.
I was elected to Vice Chair of the Board by my colleagues, and then finally Board Chair,” D’Arminio continues. “It’s a humbling experience when you’re not only appointed to three consecutive two-year terms by your City Commission, but then you’re also elected by your peers to serve as Board Chair. My experience on the Planning and Zoning Board has given me an in-depth understanding of not only how our city operates, but also the code that governs our city. My work experience working with state and local governments, coupled with my six years of experience on the Wilton Manors Planning and Zoning Board really gives me a unique skill set that positions me to be our next City Commissioner.”
If elected to the four-year term, D’Arminio hopes to tackle key items affecting Wilton Manors, such as infrastructure, roads and safety, adopting a sustainable budget, and maintaining the integrity of our single-family neighborhoods.
“I’d like to focus on our traffic and walkability, making sure that our streets are safe for other modes of transportation besides cars,” he says. “And we’re going to need added focus on our city’s infrastructure. There’s a lot of potential development planned for Wilton Manors. Our city recently approved new changes to our city code which requires us to make sure our infrastructure can handle it. As an accountant, I tend to focus on the numbers, and we currently have a city budget that is not sustainable. We need to make sure that we adopt a sustainable city budget and make the quality of life better for all residents.”
Martorana thought the idea of his partner running for office was brilliant.
“I thought it was terrific,” he exclaims. “Don will be a gift to Wilton Manors. He knows so much about the city and he’s so respected for his knowledge of the city code. That’s what drives our city, and I believe the residents will fall in love with Don. I’m playing my role as the supportive spouse and doing whatever I can. Make phone calls, place signs, generate interviews – whatever I can do to support his campaign.”
“I would also like to give a mention to our very supportive campaign treasurer and manager, Bene Clement-Smith,” D’Arminio adds. “He has been instrumental throughout the whole campaign.”
This is D’Arminio’s first time running for office. On the plus side, D’Arminio is finding himself having an overwhelming amount of support from residents as well as business partners. His most recent endorsement is from SAVE Foundation, South Florida’s longest serving organization dedicated to protecting LGBTQ people against discrimination.
Whether or not D’Arminio wins, both he and Martorana are making it clear that nothing will change with their charity work.
“If I am elected Wilton Manors City Commissioner, that will be my main focus in addition to our charity work,” he says.
“We’ve been working with charities for so long and we enjoy giving back,” Martorana adds. “Yes, it’s a lot of work, but we get a lot of pleasure out of helping organizations that we know need assistance. We have helped so many over the last 14 years and have helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Currently, they have three more charity events planned before the end of the year. If allotted any down time, they will be spending it with their rescue pups, Dustin and Ollie.
To learn more about D’Arminio’s campaign, visit his official website, ElectDonDArminio.com.
