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Home :: Political Insider Interview
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Political Insider - Issue XXXI May 16th, 2003 |
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By
featured writer Marty Schwartz
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For this column I have profiled Suffolk County Assemblyman, Steve
Levy, who is a Democratic candidate for Suffolk County Executive.
WHY I AM RUNNING
The County is going in the wrong direction as it is awash in scandal,
mismanagement and inefficiency. We need a leader who has experience in
Suffolk government with innovative solutions and the independence to
implement those solutions. Being in political circles is not as
important as having served in
government, especially Suffolk government.
BACKGROUND
Age 43 and a 30 year resident of Holbrook. 5th District Assemblyman
since
January 2001 and a former 8th district legislator (1986-2000).
Undergraduate
degree from SUNY at Stony Brook in Political Science and a Law Degree
from St.John's University.
MESSAGE TO RICH SCHAFFER
I think the Committee will go for me overwhelmingly because I am the
most
experienced, most electable and have the right message at the right
time. I
look forward to unifying the Party behind my candidacy, which will
provide a
breath of fresh air for all Suffolk residents.
THE ENVIRONMENT
I recently called for a way to consolidate the environmental positions
in the
County that are scattered throughout 5 departments. We must place them
under
one umbrella headed by an environmentalist. This will give priority to
recycling, energy conservation and open space preservation.
BILL CUNNINGHAM (a possible opponent)
It's a necessity that the next County Executive have an intimate
knowledge of
Suffolk government. We don't have the luxury of a two-year "getting
acquainted" period.
COUNTY BUDGETS
We're facing a $40-$150 million deficit. It will not be a situation we
should
resolve it by raising property taxes 20%. we have to reform the
government by
making it efficient. The first thing that needs to be done is to
consolidate
departments, civilianize police, ensure competitive bidding on purchases
and
cut overtime costs.
TO ED ROMAINE
Ed and I came up together in 1986 and there is a working relationship. I
am
encouraged by a potential spirited campaign based on the issues. Make no
mistake: I believe that I am the true reformer in this race.
INSURANCE COSTS
It's a disgrace that there are 40 million uninsured Americans and
seniors who
pay more for prescriptions than their mortgages. I will seek to have
seniors
piggyback their purchases with the mass volume of county employee
purchases to
provide discounts that will save them money.
HEROES/LEISURE TIME
JFK struck the balance I admire, as he was pro civil rights and helped
the
needy, but also promoted tax cuts and built a strong defense. When I
have spare
time, I weight lift and read non-fictional periodicals.
SUFFOLK LEGISLATURE
Some call it the wild west and some call it the most open,
innovative form of government in the nation. The pluses outweigh the
minuses.
If not for the legislature, Gaffney's tax increases would have been
higher.
It's Independent Budget Review Office is not a "yes" group.
SUCCESSES AS AN ASSEMBLYMAN/LEGISLATOR
As a Legislator, I helped to restore the police foot patrols when they
were
cut, sponsored legislation that prohibited the County Executive from
transferring monies from the clean water fund to the general fund and
helped
pass a law that provided recruitment monies that recruited volunteers
for fire
and ambulance services. In addition, I championed campaign finance
reform and
worked towards providing for day care for County employees. As an
Assemblyman I
have voted against 40 spending items that would have cost $1.5 billion,
voted
to eliminate the energy and marriage tax and helped to enhance
breast/cervical
cancer screenings. Most important, I introduced a reform package to make
State government more open and have on-time budgets.
LAND DEALS
The land scandal resulted from Gaffney's former law partner trying to
maintain
an interest in a title company that did business with developers selling
land
to the County. This item was a firecracker waiting to explode. This will
not
happen in my administration.
CLOSING COMMENT
I'm running to have Suffolk citizens be proud of their County Executive
and
government. I am a reformer who promises to clean up the mess. If you
are for
good government, please join our team
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