Politics & Government

Levy, Lindsay Not Seeing Eye to Eye

Exchange sentiments over finance reform, contractor donations.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said county legislators – including Presiding Officer Bill Lindsay and Majority Leader Jon Cooper – are worthy of  "A Glass House Award" for criticizing his fundraising while their campaigns have also received contributions from many outside law firms, contractors doing business with the county, and municipal unions.

"This is typical Steve Levy," said Lindsay Friday afternoon via email. "The best way to cover up his own questionable fundraising is to point the finger at others. Steve Levy is the one with the direct influence over the selection of the contracts and vendors."

According to Levy in a statement from his office, donations made to Lindsay's and Cooper's "Campaign for a Democratic Legislature" from 2007 to 2009 include those from law firms hired as outside counsel, such as:

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-Lewis Johs Avallone Aviles LLP

-Vecchione, Vecchione & Connors LLP

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-Reilly, Like & Tenety (Legislature's outside counsel on LIPA matters)

-Hawkins, Delafield & Wood

-McCabe, Collings, McGeough & Fowler LLP

-Mulholland, Minion & Roe

-Shaw, Licitra, Gulotta, Esernio & Schwartz, PC

-Zaklukiewicz, Puzo & Morrissey LLP  

-Jaspan, Schlesinger, Hoffman

-Berkman, Henoch, Peterson & Peddy

"The claim of some legislators to have suddenly 'found religion' is disingenuous and merely a cheap attempt at a quick sound bite," said Levy in the statement. "I proposed a ban on campaign contributions from all county contractors and county municipal unions, but that effort was bottled up in committee by legislators heavily reliant on those municipal union contributions."

The county executive cited nearly $25,000 in following contributors to the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Campaign for a Democratic Legislature from the following municipal unions and their associated Political Action Committees:

 -Association of Municipal Employees: $2,400 in 2007; $1,000 in 2008; $3,125 in 2009;

-Police (PBA, Superior Officers, Detective, Detective Investigators): $5,100 in 07; $1,250 in 08; $1,250 in 09;

-Sheriff (Deputy Sheriffs, Corrections Officers): $500 in 07; $600 in 08; $800 in 09;

-College (Faculty Association, Guild of Administrators) : $1,900 in 07; $1,800 in 08; $1,750 in 09.

"It is no surprise that legislators Lindsay and Cooper and others are advocating pro-municipal union positions, such as seeking to block privatization of the nursing home or filing a resolution to fire the police commissioner at the request of the PBA, when they enjoy considerable financial support from these unions" said Levy.

Added Lindsay, "Mr. Levy claims he wants to reform New York. If he really was a reformer, he wouldn't have any problem with our efforts to reform the title company selection process."


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