In case you’ve been sleeping for the past several weeks, you’re well aware that the federal government is, at present, shut down. You probably also know that, for weeks on end, Republicans and Democrats have been playing the finger-pointing game. 

Even with a deal now reached to reopen the government, the blame game continues, and even people within their own party are publicly annoyed with one another. 

The headlines are enough to make even the most devoted of political watchers want to swear off social media and ignore the news. Who wants all that nastiness just a couple of weeks before the day of the year when we’re all supposed to be the most thankful?

But rest assured, the game of politics is not always a dirty one, and two Tampa City Council members have ensured that at least once a year, fun can be had by all. 

Enter Tampa City Council Karaoke Smack Down Battle. 

Tampa City Council members Luis Viera and Guido Maniscalco started the tradition in 2022, taking their best singing voices (Viera admits his is more like a croon) to the Babe Zaharias Club House for an evening of bad-singing catchy tunes in front of complete strangers. 

“Publicly, I can be very passionate, but I’m a clown and so is Guido,” Viera said of the idea’s inception.

Council member Charlie Miranda joined the performance in 2023. By the time this year rolled around — the Smack Down Battle was August 1 — every sitting member of City Council participated. 

As Viera describes it, Council member Lynn Hurtak stole the show with her rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” Anyone acquainted with Stevie Nicks’ raspy, sultry voice knows that’s a bold choice. 

“Lynn actually blew us all away,” he said, adding that he “loves music but can’t sing.” 

City Council member Alan Clendenin this year performed a heartwarming, though not particularly in tune rendition of Dwayne Johnson’s “You’re Welcome,” one of many hit songs from the Disney movie Moana. The heartwarming part: It was for his granddaughter. 

Viera’s favorite songs to belt into the microphone are Rick Springfield’s “Jesse’s Girl” and the Kiss hit “Rock and Roll All Night.” Video evidence of Viera singing “Jesse’s Girl” confirms that Viera indeed cannot sing very well. Nevertheless, he hopes to one day work up the nerve to perform a favorite, The Wallflowers’ “One Headlight.” But there are logistical hurdles, Viera laments. 

“It’s got to be four minutes tops, and that one’s over five minutes,” he explained, agreeing that no one wants to sit through five minutes of amateur singing. 

“The intent was to sort of to lighten things up and show that we can have our differences up there, but we can still get along,” he added. 

Viera has taken to calling the singing politicos the “Tampacrats.”

He’s already looking forward to next year, when the singing Tampa City Council roadshow potentially gains a new member. Naya Young was recently elected to serve as the City Council member for District 5, replacing the late Gwen Henderson.

“When Naya got elected, I warned her she better be ready for karaoke,” he said. 

If she joins, she’ll add her name to another newly formed City Council tradition. At the conclusion of the karaoke battle, the group sings together what may seem an odd choice for a group of registered Democrats — Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” While the message is in no way partisan — and is important to Viera — the song is best known for its use at myriad Republican rallies and events, and Greenwood himself performed it at the 2024 Republican National Convention. 

But the point is to buck politics for at least a few moments. And the karaoke battles aren’t the only way Viera and Maniscalco are doing that. 

The pair, who also roped in Clendenin at one point, also use the semi-regular Council photoshoots to have a little fun.

Viera and Maniscalco, once done smiling professionally for their official City Council headshots, had the photographer shoot a series of gag shots, which they’ve used for the karaoke fliers. In 2023, the shots were, in part, inspired by the Outkast album cover for Stankonia. This year, the duo included the famous hand clasp between Carl Weathers and Arnold Schwartzenager in the 1987 film The Predator.