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Eugene Delgaudio

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Eugene A. Delgaudio
Member of the Virginia House of Representatives
In office
November 6, 1999 – November 3, 2015
Succeeded byKoran Saines
Personal details
Born1955
age (69)
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceSterling, Virginia
Websitejoineugene.com
Eugene Delgaudio at Sterlingfest.

Eugene Delgaudio is an American politician. In 1981, he started Public Advocate of the United States, a conservative activist group known for its street theater and tax protests opposing taxes]. He represented the Sterling District on the Loudoun County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors until he was defeated by Koran Saines in 2015.[1]

According to The Washington Post, "Delgaudio has become a leader in the nation's anti-gay rights movement".[2] He is called "one of the key leaders"[3] in the conservative view of moral health.

Involvement with Public Advocate of the U.S.

Delgaudio was a board member of the youth group Young Americans for Freedom. He has staged numerous protests outside the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Capitol including a "Perverts for Cellucci" rally opposing the nomination of Paul Celucci as ambassador to Canada, a man-donkey wedding to support the Federal Marriage Amendment, and a "Kennedy Sobriety Checkpoint" to draw attention to Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy's (D-RI) car accident.[4] In August 2007, he introduced a resolution asking the county administrator to determine which county services could be denied to undocumented immigrants. He appeared on Fox News,[5] opposing the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers, suggesting Ann Coulter instead. Delgaudio has asked Muslims if they "come in peace" and whether they pledge allegiance to the United States.[6]

In 2010, Delgaudio circulated an e-mail containing an image of what appeared to be a rainbow-colored bloody hand and body. Delgaudio acknowledged that his organization was the source of the email but said that it looked like paint to him and that the homosexual lobby had doctored his rainbow-colored image, changing it to red.[7]

Public Advocate was designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center in March 2012.[8] On July 11, 2012, the SPLC sent Delgaudio a cease-and-desist letter associated with what they claimed was his unauthorized use of and modification of a photograph of a gay couple's engagement photo.[9] On September 26, 2012, SPLC filed a federal lawsuit against Public Advocate, seeking damages for its use of the engagement photo.[10]

Investigation into fundraising impropriety

in September 2012, The Washington Post reported that a former aide to Delgaudio, Donna Mateer, accused him of instructing her to fund raise for Public Advocate while on company time.[11] When asked about the allegations, Delgaudio said that while it was true that his employees were asked to spend up to 60 percent of their time on fundraising, the fundraising activities were to benefit a local boys' football league. The article also reported that Mateer filed a Human Resources complaint with the county based on what she perceived to be unethical requests from the Supervisor. When asked about the complaint, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York refused to take action on her complaint, stating that the county policy does not apply to part-time aides. The Post also reported that three other former aides of Delgaudio have been questioned by the FBI in relation to Delgaudio's fundraising practices, which the FBI would neither confirm nor deny.

On October 3, 2012, the Board of Supervisors voted to begin an independent investigation of the allegations made against Delgaudio in the Post article.[12] Delgaudio spoke before the board prior to the vote, saying, "The suicide bombers of the political left pull their own rings on their detonation devices as they advance on me, and Sterling, and all honest-to-God conservatives... I stand as a small David against the foul-smelling, decaying corpse of the Washington Post."[13]

On November 8, 2012, at the request of Loudoun Commonwealth's Attorney Jim Plowman, a special prosecutor was appointed by the Loudoun County Circuit Court to investigate Mateer's complaint.[14] As a result of the appointment of the special prosecutor, the Board's investigation into Mateer's charges was suspended. Leesburg Today reported that Mateer had initially given to Scott York a large quantity of supporting documents, but York failed to deliver these documents to Plowman. The documents were not given to Plowman until after the Board had voted to begin their investigation, but it is unknown if these documents prompted Plowman's request for the special prosecutor.[15]

On Monday, June 24, 2013, the grand jury came back without returning an indictment, [16] noting that the alleged behavior occurred outside the one-year statute of limitations. They recommended suggestions to change the law.[17]

Loudoun Board of Supervisors Decision

On July 17, 2013, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 8-1 along party lines to censure Delgaudio in response to a report issued by the special grand jury that spent five months investigating allegations of misconduct.[18][19] and make permanent earlier committee assignment removals. The Board also voted 6-3 to take away Delgaudio's staff aides and defund the Sterling District office.

Earlier in that day, Delgaudio unsuccessfully petitioned the Loudoun County Circuit Court to prevent the Board from taking action.[20]

Past roles with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors

Delgaudio was first elected to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors in 1999, running unopposed, and was later re-elected in 2003, 2007, and 2011.[21] He has been an outspoken critic on the board of anti-growth groups (consisting mostly of large estate owners in the western half of the county) and an advocate of homebuilders in Loudoun.[citation needed] Delgaudio also has been opposed to expanding government services to undocumented immigrants[22] as well as the school budget on nonessential programs.[citation needed] With regard to social justice issues, he has repeatedly expressed vehement opposition toward expanding marital rights to include same-sex partnerships.[23]

While serving as Supervisor and in working with Public Advocate, Delgaudio has remained a vocal activist for conservative causes. He campaigned strongly in 2006 for the Virginia Marriage Amendment, also called the Marshall-Newman Amendment.[citation needed] He has proposed that alternatives to anti-bullying programs be used in Loudoun County schools.[citation needed]

TSA Statements

Delgaudio has made numerous public claims regarding the policy of Transportation Security Administration full-body airport security scans. He wrote,

"It's the federal employee's version of the Gay Bill of Special Rights... That means the next TSA official that gives you an 'enhanced pat down' could be a practicing homosexual secretly getting pleasure from your submission."[24]

Tampa statements

Delgaudio attracted media attention in February 2010 when he claimed that the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa, Florida, was being infiltrated by "radical homosexuals" seeking to exploit unsuspecting college students.[25]

Post-Board of Supervisors Politics

After losing his bid for re-election in November 2015, Delgaudio began campaigning to become a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention, supporting Donald Trump for President of the United States.[26]

Sources

  1. ^ "Loudoun Election Results: Randall Takes Chairman Seat, Saines Unseats Delgaudio". Leesburg Today. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  2. ^ Laris, Michael (April 8, 2002). "Anti-Tax in Loudoun, Anti-Gay Everywhere". The Washington Post. p. B01. Retrieved June 24, 2012. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  3. ^ Stuart, Alex J. (2003). Moral Health. Elderberry Press. ISBN 1-930859-78-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  4. ^ Milbank, Dana (August 11, 2005). "Antagonist of the Left Expresses Righteous Indignation About Roberts". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  5. ^ Your World. October 3, 2005. Fox News. {{cite episode}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  6. ^ Salmon, Jacqueline L. (August 26, 2007). "Candidates Reach Out to Muslims". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  7. ^ Peters, Laura (November 1, 2011). "Controversial propaganda strikes concern". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  8. ^ Gibson, Caitlin (March 26, 2012). "Loudoun Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio's advocacy organization designated a 'hate group'". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 24, 2012. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  9. ^ Baratko, Trevor (July 11, 2012). "Civil rights group serves Delgaudio cease and desist letter". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  10. ^ Gibson, Caitlin (September 26, 2012). "Civil rights group files federal lawsuit against Delgaudio". Washington Post. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  11. ^ Gibson, Caitlin (September 25, 2012). "For Loudoun Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio, blurred lines on fundraising". Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  12. ^ Jacobson Moore, Erika (October 3, 2012). "County To Investigate Delgaudio Allegations, Review Aides Polices". Leesburg Today. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  13. ^ Baratko, Trevor (October 3, 2012). "Delgaudio: 'Liberals blow themselves up' with 'fantastic lies'". The Loudoun Times. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  14. ^ Gibson, Caitlin (November 9, 2012). "Arlington prosecutor to review allegations against Loudoun Supervisor Delgaudio". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  15. ^ Jacobson Moore, Erika (November 9, 2012). "Special Prosecutor Appointed In Delgaudio Investigation". Leesburg Today. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  16. ^ Gibson, Caitlin (24 June 2013). "No indictment for Loudoun supervisor Eugene Delgaudio". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  17. ^ "Delgaudio Grand Jury Issues Recommendations, Not Indictment". Leesburg Today. 24 June 2013.
  18. ^ "Delgaudio censured, punished by colleagues on all-Republican board". Loudoun Times Mirror. July 18, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  19. ^ "Grand Jury Report: Follow-up on Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio Investigation" (PDF). Leesburg Today. July 17, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  20. ^ "'Enough Is Enough': Delgaudio Censured". Leesburg Today. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  21. ^ "Supervisor Eugene A. Delgaudio". Loudoun County website. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  22. ^ Somashekhar, Sandhya (July 18, 2007). "Loudoun Approves Measure Targeting Illegal Immigrants". Washington Post. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  23. ^ Laris, Michael (April 8, 2002). "Anti-Tax In Loudoun, Anti-Gay Everywhere". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  24. ^ Mastis, Lindsey (November 29, 2010). "Elected Official Says TSA Pat Downs Promote 'Homosexual Agenda'". WUSA.
  25. ^ Gibson, Caitlin (February 11, 2011). "Loudoun supervisor's comments on "Radical Homosexual" agenda go viral ... again". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  26. ^ http://www.joineugene.com/news/article.php?article=10569
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