STEPPING FORWARD — Tony Viola II Wednesday announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for the District 2 seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates during the 2026 election. -- Craig Howell

WEIRTON — A local businessman known for helping individuals find their new home has set his sights on a different type of house.

Standing before family and friends Wednesday morning in the Weirton Room of the Millsop Community Center, Tony Viola II, broker and owner of Howard Hanna Mortimer Realty, announced his intentions to seek public office, with an eye on representing residents of Hancock and Brooke counties in the West Virginia House of Delegates.

Viola said his inspiration to file for the Republican nomination for the District 2 seat — currently held by Del. Mark Zatezalo, R-Hancock — was his years of community service, where he has worked alongside, and learned from, a variety of people and seen the efforts of others to guide the region.

“A lot of it has to do with my profession as a real estate broker,” Viola said, explaining he has experienced families coming to and leaving the area, learning the reasons for their moves and their hopes for the future.

A graduate of Brooke High School and West Liberty University, Viola has been active in several area organizations including the Kiwanis Club of Wellsburg, Hancock and Brooke Young Professionals, Brooke County Area Chamber of Commerce, Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley and the Top of West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau.

He is active with the Promise of Victory Church of God, is a volunteer with the Mountaineer Food Bank and actively supports the Salvation Army, Toys for Tots and the Millsop Community Center.

In an effort to support local education, he serves as vice president of the Joan B. and Frank E. McDonald Scholarship Fund and has been involved in revitalizing the annual scholarship program through the Weirton Board of Realtors.

Through his career in real estate, Viola has been inducted into the Howard Hanna Champions Club and Hanna 1 Club, served as state director and assistant executive officer for the Weirton Board of Realtors, and is active with the Wheeling Board of Realtors, West Virginia Association of Realtors, and the National Association of Realtors.

Viola said, if elected, he wants to focus on diversification in the economy by working to attract numerous employers in different industries, continue to work on improvements to the infrastructure including roads and bridges, as well as river and rail and emphasize the importance of enhancing local communities to make them places where people want to live, work and raise their families.

“I feel Weirton, and the Northern Panhandle in general, is on an upswing, and I want to be a leader for growing this community,” Viola said.