GOP candidate says he smeared 'fecal matter' on daycare center because of Obama: report

A Republican candidate for New Jersey Assembly has admitted to being convicted in a criminal incident where he smeared "fecal matter" on the door of a daycare facility he was feuding with in 2009, reported the New Jersey Globe on Wednesday — and that he did it partly because he was angry about Barack Obama having been elected president.

"Joseph Viso pled guilty to criminal mischief charges after a dispute with the owner of Children’s Studio, whose building was adjacent to an electrical company he owned at the time. He was fined $250," reported David Wildstein. Viso, who previously served under Gov. Chris Christie and was convicted in the Bridgegate scandal, only for that conviction to be reversed later. "'Those people harassed my men every day,' Viso told the New Jersey Globe. 'They had cars ticketed every time my men parked on a side street.'"

The dispute, according to the report, stemmed in part from the fact that Viso, an electrician, blasted music with offensive lyrics from his nearby business' office, which could be heard from the daycare's playground.

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"Colleen Dolaghan, the owner of the daycare center, had notified police that 'someone smeared fecal matter over the handles and locks of all the doors of their business,' a police detective, Chris DeCarlo, said in his report,'" said the report. "After DeCarlo advised Viso that there were pictures and video of the incident, Viso apologized, telling DeCarlo, 'I am not proud of what I did.'"

Viso further told the Globe that, “I’m not going to defend it. It was wrong. I was a young man. It was a horrible time, and I made a mistake. Obama came into office the year before.”

According to Wildstein, Viso's rap sheet also includes federal and state convictions on drug and gun charges, including possessing a sawed-off shotgun near an elementary school, and possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia. He's also been repeatedly sued by tenants and for non-payment of bills. He has claimed that all of this makes him a "stronger candidate" for office because “I’m not holding anything back. I’m not claiming to be a perfect person. It was the lowest part of my life.”