The Further Misadventures of Tiny Tony DeLuca
In Which the Napoleonic Martinet Tries to Explain Away the Unexplainable…Not to Mention the Inexplicable. Which He Doesn’t.
Let’s all first get on the same page. Please read the Alice in Wonderland News-Journal article which details just how the ever-shrinking Senate Majority Leader had a job created just for him and doubled his salary, courtesy of Tom Sharp, Mark Brainard and Ruth Ann Minner.
Read it carefully, parse every syllable, smell every flower, climb every mountain.
Back so soon? Betcha didn’t Climb Every Mountain. That’s OK. I hated The Sound of Music too.
OK, let me see if I’ve got this straight: Union electrician Tony DeLuca, who Tom Sharp recruited to run for the State Senate, and for whom Mark Brainard ran his election campaigns, is appointed by Secretary of Labor and former Senate Majority Leader/President Pro Tem Tom Sharp, who was appointed by Minner Chief-of-Staff Mark Brainard, to a newly-created position in the Department of Labor which just happens not to receive any Federal funds. According to State Senator Karen Peterson, who actually knows and understands labor law:
“Until DeLuca was hired in September 2005, the labor law enforcement office handled work-force discrimination complaints, Peterson said.
Peterson claims that function had to be split off when DeLuca was hired because the federal Hatch Act prohibits elected officials from administering federal programs. Until DeLuca took over, work-force discrimination and labor law violations were completely supported by federal funds, Peterson said. She said the change has required state tax dollars, resulting in the loss of discrimination investigators and the mounting case backlog.”
Well, that should be easy enough to disprove. Let’s see what the real facts are:
James Cagle Jr., director of the division of industrial affairs and DeLuca’s supervisor, said he split the Office of Anti-Discrimination off from labor law enforcement before DeLuca was hired because of an unrelated court case. Cagle said he has documentation “to prove it” had nothing to do with DeLuca’s employment. But he refused a News Journal reporter’s request for copies of the records, saying they included personnel files.
Oh. Yes. THAT. How inconvenient for all concerned. I’m sure that DeLuca does not want an ethical cloud hanging over his public duties, so maybe he’ll make sure that this ‘proof’ is made public.
But let’s forget all this legal beagle stuff for a second. The very idea that, of all Delawareans, union electrician Tony DeLuca was most qualified to head the anti-discrimination unit of the Department of Labor was Tom Sharp’s and Mark Brainard’s idea of a sick joke. Kinda like Henry Ford naming the company town that housed black auto workers ‘Inkster, Michigan’, which at least brought us the Marvelettes (h/t to Dave Marsh). After all, no one stands up against discrimination more than trade unionists, especially electricians. The Plumbers’, Electricians’, Carpenters’, et al, locals are notorious for severely limiting minority opportunities in their shops. Unless you consider the Irish, Italians, et al, minorities. These have traditionally been closed shops which have been forced, by laws, of all things, to grudgingly admit more qualified minorities. Something that falls under the purview of ‘anti-discrimination’.
And, lest we forget, Tom Sharp made his political bones by basking in, and ginning up, blue collar white resentment to ‘forced busing’. He was even briefly deposed from Senate leadership when he joined with Wayne Smith to send mailings into Democratic districts (including those of Blevins and Sokola) to call for an end to the court ordered busing and to call out those senators who had not kowtowed to him.
And, even though people can change, we have the recent history of DeLuca singlehandedly and underhandedly deep-sixing the Inspire Scholarship program for Del State. It would be close to impossible to find a Democrat less committed to weeding out discrimination. Which is exactly what Sharp and Brainard wanted.
But maybe DeLuca has the educational background to handle a position that requires intimate knowledge of complex labor law. Yep, I thought so. From DeLuca’s own legislative bio:
“Education:
John Dickinson High School
International Brotherhood Electrical Workers Trade School”
That’s it, folks, nothing more. The man has nothing close to even minimal qualifications for this job. In fact, if you read the article carefully, no one even tries to make the case that he is qualified. Not even DeLuca. The best they can come up with is that they did nothing technically illegal. And even then they won’t produce the documentation to prove it.
Peterson’s argument that the dividing up of this agency has cost the state money needs to be carefully reviewed. Whether or not the state is in danger of losing some federal funds is but one question. The question I have is: Is the state using state funds to fund an agency which, but for one man and the Hatch Act, would be funded by Federal funds? If the answer to that is ‘yes’, then that one man should do the right thing and step down from his job to save the state some $$’s. Besides, DeLuca won’t stay unemployed for long. Brainard’s probably already got a gig lined up for DeLuca to teach Labor Law at Del-Tech.
Memo to Beau Biden and the Feds: Investigate this man. And the people who have enabled his rise to power. It looks like Brainard, Sharp and DeLuca have created a circular good ol’ boy network that promotes their ripping off the state at the expense of the taxpayers. Do something about it.
Tags: Tony DeLuca; Tom Sharp; Mark Brainard; Karen Peterson; Steve Tanzer;
Bravo! I was hoping I would get some clarity on this story. Thanks. And thank the goddess for Karen Peterson. Let’s help get DeLuca out of the cookie jar. He jumped in head first.
HEAR,HEAR!!!!
Fantastic post oh sleepy one. You dream in such VIVID detail.
I’ve been trying to digest this since reading the dead-tree edition.
Thank you, I just burped.
Go,KAREN,go!
He was an older guy from my neighborhood.[5 years or so] I always thought he was slimy looking.
Hear hear! Go Karen Go!
I couldn’t of said it better, El Som! And indeed, Bravo to Karen Peterson for her courage.
I remember when all of this political cronyism went down – even to the less initiated, it was SO transparent. Som, you are right on the mark regarding DeLuca’s qualifications vis-a-vis other candidates for the DOL job.
The saddest part was how Minner/Sharp/DeLuca et al, forced Peterson out – she was the one, really qualified, person. She did n outstanding job.
Sadly, these types of shananigans have been going on for decades or more in DE. Remember the Echeator’s Office scandal? And how the trio of ‘connected’ civil service employees in that office obfuscated millions in an elaborate scam with no oversight. I forget which state legislator was connected to his thieving son.
I do remember how the legislator trampled his son in the media to keep his own reputation intact.
Hound: It was Lofink.
Why is Karen Peterson just now making an issue of this?
“Why is Karen Peterson just now making an issue of this?”
I’m not concerned with the timing of this. Right is right!
Delaware needs a state version of the Hatch Act.
AQC: She’s made an issue of it before. She raised it this time b/c the Department of Labor had its scheduled hearing before the Joint Finance Committee.
Since the issue she raised was whether the state was picking up costs that the Feds would usually pay b/c DeLuca had a special position created for him, I think it’s appropriate that she raised it in that forum.
That DeLuca had his position in the Dept of Labor has stunk for many years. His credentials for holding the position has always been laughable. What’s news for me is that setting him up in this position actually costs Delaware federal dollars. What a rotten arrangement.
Sometimes I don’t know what I wish more: that Karen Peterson becomes Delaware’s federal Senator (replacing Carper) or that she remain as a State Senator (but becomes Pro Tem). In any case, she is a real gem for the state. Her integrity and courage continually amazes me. I feel extremely.fortunate that she is my state Senator.
Speaking of Lofink and the reluctant auditor….From a little birdie I have heard that Tom Wagner has fired Robert Hicks as of tomorrow. There is evidently a certain ‘good old Delaware Boy’ whose tip-line audit is being suppressed by the Auditor of Accounts. Perhaps Hicks was trying to do the right thing and got caught in the filthy Delaware Way web…again. Your guess is as good as mine.
“Why is Karen Peterson just now making an issue of this?”
Before one puts his/her self out on a limb, it is wise and prudent to be able to support and document. Peterson is someone who does her homework. Some people throw knives with their eyes shut and hope that something sticks. I see Peterson as someone who has her eyes wide open.
Kudos to Karen!
Remember the old expression: His name is Mudd.
In Delaware we should start using: His name is deLuca.
There are TWO nefarious characters with this surname now well known in the First State.
One a convicted prolific pedophile and the other with the strange odor of decay emanating from his newly refurbished offices.
Coincidence?
DeLuca must really suck at his job(s) 😉 for both Dems and Reps to despise him. I gather Indies don’t think too kindly of him either.
How to he get re-elected then?
This is an awesome bit of blogging, Bulo. And I’d second a Delaware version of the Hatch Act.
Thanks, but credit where credit’s due, I thought the News-Journal article was excellent. I just wanted to underscore the avarice and mendacity at work here.
I hope that the Journal seeks to FOIA this alleged ‘proof’ that the labor mouthpiece claims to have.
Quick aside — best “Climb Every Mountain” — Levi live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyW3cIVs0xo
I’m in DeLuca’s district – he didn’t have an opponent.
Great NJ article, great blogging by ‘Bulo.
I just have to play the devil’s advocate for a second and ask a question. If graft and featherbedding is removed from the system, what could motivate anyone to ever run for office?
Callme crazy……pubic service?/???
Pubic service indeed. Which tempts me to share another DeLuca tail, I mean, tale…
Maybe El Som can make more sense than I can of this exchange on WDEL:
Peterson:
DeLuca:
Sounds to me like DeLuca is basically confirming El Som’s version of the story.
Well, Karen Peterson was never Secretary of Labor. So, the charges filed against the state did not reflect on Peterson’s stewardship as Secretary of Labor, since she never WAS Secretary of Labor. So, DeLuca’s entire construct is BS.
The more this guy talks, the more he fully reveals himself as a serial prevaricator.
She wasn’t Sec of Labor…
but was she ” the person who was running the Department of Labor by her own admission at the time was Senator Peterson”
…was she the chief bureaucrat in charge?
Most of you should sit down and get to know Tony Deluca before you sling the mud. He does know his job and does it well. Remember Sen Peterson worked for the DOL and held an elected office at NCC. She is NOT without sin and should not be casting any stones. She also drives a HONDA and Delaware lost thousands of jobs at GM and Chrysler. How can anyone in Delaware cast a vote for her?
Slagging Peterson is supposed to make DeLuca look better? Don’t you have someone’s tires to slash?
He’s banging his secretary, who may or may not be doing her job. He put a $46,000 office renovation in place to spare her having to deal with the public. He’s got a job for which he could not possibly have been the best-qualified applicant. And he’s been stonewalling the public for years while playing henchman for people like Sharp and Brainard.
Why is it I’m supposed to support him again?
Because Peterson allegedly drives a HONDA.
Yo, d-day, if a bunch of us want to sit down and ‘get to know Tony DeLuca’, can you help us set it up?
Oh, and d-day, can you get Tony to release the senate personnel records for his ‘assistant’, the ones that prove that she is working a full week for the Senate in addition to her volunteer efforts in Tony’s private DOL office? And get Tony to release the DOL records that allegedly ‘prove’ he got his position fair and square?
Thanks!
Your amigo,
El Somnambulo
Hey D-Day, you are an A_-hole! 🙂
I think he’s more a DeLuca-hole.
D-Day: This is not about Tony DeLuca vs. Karen Peterson. This is about the ethical cloud that follows DeLuca wherever he goes. We’ve been writing about this consistently, long before the most recent blow-up over DeLuca’s DOL job. Here are but two examples:
http://delawareliberal.net//2010/07/02/tony-deluca-has-disgraced-his-office-markell-must-call-senate-back/
http://delawareliberal.net//2010/07/03/disgraced-deluca-to-call-senate-back/
Oh, and you can also check most any random ‘Legislative Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show’ to see almost-daily examples of DeLuca’s thumbing his nose at open government.
If, of course, you’re really about getting the truth.
I’m tellin’ you. He was an older guy in my neighborhood.By about 5 years.He reminded me of Peter Lorre, you know, slimy.But Peter was playing a role.deLuca is like that in real life.
Oh, and d-day, can you get Tony to release the senate personnel records for his ‘assistant’, the ones that prove that she is working a full week for the Senate in addition to her volunteer efforts in Tony’s private DOL office?
These, umm, “volunteer efforts” seem more than a little dubious, and I’m not speaking about what might go one behind the closed doors of the private office.
Consider, if the assistant is a union member, her union reps ought to be making sure she gets paid for hours spent in Tony’s office. Folks don’t just volunteer to do state work for free.
In the alternative, if the assistant is not a union member, then she’s doing work that a union member ought to be doing — so she’s taking work away from the union. That too would be cause for protest.
Things seem to be getting, shall we say, just a little too cozy in the Department of Labor.