DOVER, Del. — Sussex County Republican Party Chair Daniel Willis is calling out Democratic lawmakers, claiming internal party tensions have reached a boiling point over the prolonged absence of Representative Stell Parker Selby.
Willis says during a walk through Legislative Hall Wednesday, he overheard several Democratic staffers criticizing Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton.
"So as I was walking through Legislative Hall today, I heard multiple staffers," he said. "One of them specifically, as I overheard, said, 'Can you believe what she did? She's a traitor."
Willis says during a walk through Legislative Hall Thursday, he overheard several Democratic staffers criticizing Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton.
The accusation comes after Wilson-Anton gave a stunning interview to CoastTV, claiming that Democratic leadership is tolerating Parker Selby’s unexplained absence to avoid triggering a special election — which could cost the party its seat in District 20.
Parker Selby has missed all 38 legislative days so far this year. Those days have spanned the last six months. Politicians confirm Stell Parker Selby suffered a massive stroke this winter.
In January, Rep. Parker Selby sent in a letter saying she would not be present for the month following a medical event.
Wilson-Anton, who represents District 26, says her party’s decision to prioritize holding onto power over constituent representation is “completely unacceptable.”
"I don't want to be associated with that kind of behavior," she says. "If the seat were to go Republican, the seat goes Republican. It needs to be represented by someone from the community. I like that we have a [Democratic] majority down here, but that's not the reason I got elected. I got elected to represent my district and to do right by my district. And people who live in [Stell Parker Selby's] district deserve the same."
She says Democrats discussed deceptive strategies to cover up Parker Selby’s absence — including parking in her reserved space to make it look like she was in the building.
House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown, whom Wilson-Anton criticized for poor transparency and overburdening staff, has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
Republicans getting more calls amid Parker Selby's absence
Republican lawmakers say people in District 20 are increasingly turning to them for help — especially on urgent issues like traffic safety at a deadly intersection in Milton. Representative Bryan Shupe says he’s getting about 50 more calls a week, notably from people who have called Stell Parker Selby's office and say they aren't getting the help they need.
“What is the future? There needs to be some transparency on where do we move forward and I think that’s where the main problem has stemmed from: is that there’s not enough communication between her and her family and representatives in that office," he tells CoastTV. "I think if there was communication from the beginning then there would be a lot more ease on the community to say ‘At least we can contact this person’ or ‘at least we can expect her to be back in some form at this point.”
Shupe is now the one fielding calls and pushing for a traffic light at Route 16 and Mulberry Street, which is across the street from his district boundary.
"Usually when somebody reaches out in a different district, I say 'Hey, I'd be more than happy to help you. I will put you in connection with your representative and I'll stay in the loop and the conversation if there's anything I can do," Shupe tells CoastTV. "But in this situation, I feel like I have to take the driving force behind it because there is not an officer representative that can take that driving force."
Meyer stays silent despite previous comments to take action
Governor Matt Meyer, who said earlier this month he would act if locals felt unrepresented, declined to comment further. His office issued a brief statement Wednesday: “As said before, this is a House issue, and we will not be commenting any further.”
The Legislative Session resumes Tuesday.