Kids, I want you to consider the twin fates of ‘Tiny Tony’ DeLuca and John ‘Third Chair’ Viola. Both were products of the construction trade power brokers. Both got jobs in the Department of Labor, jobs for which neither was qualified. Tony was ‘in charge’ of labor law enforcement, and Viola was his go-fer. They were installed in those jobs by Ruth Ann Minner and Mark Brainard, right around the time that Minner/Brainard named Tom Sharp, of all people, as Secretary of Labor. All three shared the racial enmity which is the stock-and-trade of the ‘skilled’ construction trades. DeLuca and Viola did their job to Sharp’s specs–toss any civil rights complaints in the trash. Only one of about 200 complaints was even investigated. Someone apparently taught Viola how to use the shredding machine, and all of the other complaints were fed into it.
Let’s fast-forward to 2012. Bryan Townsend is primarying the Mini-Martinet. It’s getting close to the election, and DeLuca finds himself in a real race. So DeLuca tosses out the claim that Townsend is living with mumsy and daddy for political gain (he and his wife were saving up to buy a house.) DeLuca neglected to mention that he had been thrown out of his house by his then-wife, and was shacked up in a townhouse with his ‘assistant’ at the time. But, I digress. We all know how that race turned out. Do you remember, Tony?
So here we are in 2020. Viola, who has long been neglectful to his constituents, finds himself in a real race against Madinah Wilson-Anton. So what does he do? He tosses out a charge that Wilson-Anton hasn’t paid property taxes. Pretty pathetic stuff, even without context. The context?
Wilmington, DE: In response to comments made by Representative John Viola regarding her history of paying property taxes, Madinah Wilson-Anton, Working Families Party endorsed candidate for state representative in District 26, released the following statement:
“I was recently told by a voter that my opponent, Representative John Viola, called them and said to them that I have never lived by myself or paid property taxes, which was a reason not to vote for me. This is not the first time I’ve heard such attacks. In past elections, it was used against our current state senator before he moved out of his parent’s house. In this election, supporters of Representative Viola and even other voters that he has spoken to have parroted these same lines. Given the prevalence of this argument, I decided it was worth a response.
In 2018, my parents were close to losing their house. My husband and I moved in to help. Like so many other Delawareans struggling to get by, family is our only safety net. While I don’t own the home I live in; I am a contributing member of our household. In fact, I pay half of the property taxes in a household of six people.
That’s because my situation is hardly unique. Over 40% of the 26th district residents rent their homes or live in manufactured housing. Even more are in their 20s or 30s and live with their parents either as caregivers or because they’re trapped in debt or a low-paying job. Not to mention the hundreds of black and immigrant families in the district that live in multi-generational homes as a matter of culture. I think those people deserve a voice too.
We live in a dangerous time. The pandemic and ensuing recession have put thousands in Delaware at the risk of eviction. Now more than ever, we need to be talking about solutions to this crisis, rather than shaming those just trying to get by.
That’s why I’m running for state representative. Our campaign centers the issues so many people in the district are dealing with, issues I know all too well.”
I want you to take in the totality of what Viola tried to do here. He was gifted a job burying civil rights complaints. As a result, he has been gifted a second state pension that he doesn’t deserve. Of all the people to throw shade, this undistinguished back-bencher who got a job fighting against legitimate civil rights claims has the nerve to attack someone for helping their family? Kinda ironic for someone who got his equally-unqualified daughter a legislative job, which led to a legislative marriage, which led to… He was always useless. He’s now proven himself to be malevolent. He has earned defeat in this primary. Do everything you can to make it happen.