What does Suffolk County have that Ulster County doesn't? A Democrat County Executive willing to primary Governor Paterson. That's what.
His name is Steve Levy and he has formally thrown his hat into the prospect of running for Governor. What makes Levy a possible contender for the position? MONEY. He's got plenty of it. However he has become a bit of a lightning rod pertaining to the issue of illegal immigration. It seems Mr Levy is not a fan of those who break federal laws. Go figure.
Don't laugh, some people encourage the continued flow of undocumented persons from around the world for the sake of keeping labor costs at poverty levels. Hey, it helps industry and farming right? Yeah, just like Monsanto.
Question is, where does this leave Andrew Cuomo? You know I have been anticipating that announcement for some time now and feel he would make a superb Governor for New York State. Will this push Andy to make the jump sooner, or will he sit back and watch the democrats within the state tear each other to shreds through the spring before jumping in?
Outside of his own money, Levy has accrued about $4 million in just a few months, while Paterson has over $5 million and Cuomo well over $10 million. Scary isn't it?
With the rumors of yet another attempt by the Obama Administration pushing Paterson to step out of the running, I see Dave digging in and forcing a primary just to make everyone spend extra money in their campaigns. That is until the Obama camp finds him a lucrative position in DC. What?!! Like that statement surprises you.
8 comments:
Mike:
I have known Steve since his early involvment with politics- Similar to Ulster County, The Dems were in a minority and were represented in the initial S/C legislature 20-4. After the 74 national election, they began to show strength and over the years became the majority. Levy was elected during the 80's and with union alliances within the Fire Dept along with the Sheriff and Police unions became the nominee for SC Exec. (Golly Gee)
In comparison to Lazio, who first ran for office and defeated Tom Downey, a 20 year incumbent who forgot to go back to his roots, Levy has remained within the S/C legisture. He is fiercely loyal to the Democratic Party
Lazio easily defeated Downey and served several terms as Congressman. He ran with Conservative support and was part of Ginriche's American Pact.
He opposed Hillary Clinton during her first run and received about 40% of the vote. Spending millions he slowly evolved into a Fox TV contributor. His recent announcement to run for Governor has made him an early favorite.
With Guliano stepping away from political office- I would predict that the race will probably be Lazio vs Coumo.
Many of the union alliances have since disappated and I would be surprised if he were able to win a Democratic primary and defeat PAtterson or Cuomo.
But politics being politics- WHO KNOW? only the ShADOW and he usually doesn't confide in me.
Tune in tonight to watch my mystery guest- City & County
7:00 PM Live- hopefully the telephones will work
Shelly ZZZZZZZZZZZ
Nobody really supports illegal immigration, but Suffolk is known for the killings and constant beating of such aliens under Levy's leadership.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/nyregion/03suffolk.html
I think Levy is probably trying to secure the LT. Gov spot. If he is viewed as a legitimate Statewide candidate he can easily shift gears from a Gov run to another office. Or maybe he's rolling the dice that he can make a name for himself and run for something in 2012. But he's not going to be Gov.
Cuomo has the very early lead. As much as Patterson's numbers have gone up its still such an uphill battle and without the traditional support from Labor I would say its Cuomo's to lose.
Thank GOD it was someone other than my brother, who ran for the position some years ago and was thankfully and mercifully for all Suffolk County residents defeated;a man who thumbed his nose at what the Suffolk County Legislature did as per cell phone bans before the state passed it, typical of his merciless lust to assert his own power no matter how gratuitous and self-serving;additionally, the rotten SOB is out of his Mayoral office and if I have anything to say about it, he'll never return to elected office in this state or anywhere period paragraph end of story....
Levy might not even have the support of the Suffolk County Dem Committees. If he ran in a 3 candidate primary, he still would not win.
Levy is the most successful Republican executive since the50s. He tried to shut down all the county nursing homes, but the servile legislature finally stood up to him. The health clinics are a disaster with up to 6 month wait to make an appointment with a doctor. Suffolk has no shelters for the homeless, no psychiatric services in half of it and has reduced the number of public nurses to 11, even though the legislature earmarked money for hiring them, Levy has refused.
With 2000sq miles and more than a 1/2 million people, the beleagered health nurses can only do triage. The shortage has caused enormous neglect. I know one man, bed-ridden, the writer Wilfred Sheed, who had to go to the emergency room by ambulence because there was nobody to change the bandages of his bed sores. The public health nurse could visit him only once a month.
end of part 1
--mo
Levy got a high vote because he was the only one running, the Republicans and conservatives both endorsed him & people went to the polls to elect a president. The % of people who voted for him was much lower than other local and national candidates on the ballots..
Why, because his one bright shining idea is his oft repeated & cherished slogan, "no new taxes." It plays well with the teabaggers (he attends and speaks at the teabagger rallies) & other Repubs esp well alongside his vitriolic anti-Latino, anti-immigrant rhetoric.
After Marcelo Lucero was murdered, he famously stated the folling day, "It's a one day story." He has repeatedly shown a tin ear to the Dem base, not to mention common sense. Every time he has proposed anti-immigrant harassing laws, he has contacted our local Minutemen neanderthals, whom he has worked with, speaking at their affairs and giving them heads up as to Legislative sessions.
He has gone out of his way villify immigrant advocates, mostly staunch Dems or nuns. He has angered the Latino community with his hurtful language. He has been intemperate and misrepresented facts and situations Latinos know, if not the Kingston progressive, has harmed them. For instance, he repeated the canard that Southampton Hospital had to close down its emergency room, because of the "flood of anchor babies," when it had never closed.
Read the Souther Poverty Law Center's recent report on their web site of Levy's anti-immigrant rhetoric feuling hate crimes in Suffolk Co. "Suffolk County, A Climate of Fear" to get more than the glibness of this blogger, as if anti-"illegal" immigrant is not plain ole anti Latino sentiment. Who can tell an "illegal beaner" from a legal one, anyway as the kid who plunged a knife into the heart of a hard working Equadorian man, who had worked at a dry cleaner store for 10 yrs.
end of Part 2
--mo
Since Levy would badly damage the Dem Party by giving the Repubs the governors seat, because he cannot win the black, brown and immigrant vote (there are an awfully lot of Polish, Irish and Italian immigrants, legal and "illegal" in the Empire State.
The Puerto Rican and Black Caucus in the state legislature will actively campaign against him and the Party leaders will not countenance such a divisive Repub in Dem clothes. I suggest this announce for the governer's office is just a publicity ploy to instead go after the AG's job, with most party people saying, saying "Whew, we doged a bullet!
Let him have Cuomo's old job in the backwoods, since he relishes the role of sherrif & prosecutor of the criminals, the "illegals." He's young, he can wait 8 yrs. His ambition is hardly dented waing 8 years.
--mo, Dem Committee Man
END
Shelly,
Your analysis, not surprising, I find deficient. Levy was involved in politics a very early age; his mom was a party activist and committeewoman. He grew up electioneering..Levy had little to no influence bringing Suffolk to a Dem majority.
It was the grads of middle class who moved out of Suffolk because there was scarce affordable housing. LI Index 2005 (Rausch Foundation) called it the single worst economic problem facing Suffolk & they were prescient as their predictions.
Over the last 5 years Suffolk would have had negative growth & economy, if not for the influx of immigrants leaving the City to more affordable housing and the plentiful menial labor. Suffolk is the single largest agricultural producer in NYS of all 63 counties.
The resort economy of the Hamptons is dependent on menial labor. Hotels, motels, restaurants, landscaping, nannies, estate help,etc as well as some semi-very skilled carpenters, masons, painters and building trades workers. Of course the farmers wanted these workers, who were hard working, sober, family men who would work long days and work in the rain (and snow.) All the other hand, employers found the same thing, plus these people needed to keep their heads down and would offer very little resistance to other conditions.
Similarly, homeowners preferred men who charged $15 to $25. an hr and did hard work, rather than the landscape contractor who charged $85. an hour, as well as all other tradesmen. Many elderly were house poor & had little choice. On the other hand homeowners could no longer hire high school boys and roustabouts for $7 to 9.. an hr. as they all demanded $15. an hour too. It was the influx of city people year round rather than anything else that changed the demographic political landscape, certainly not Levy.
As for Levy's stalwart Dem alliance, he has tried to defeat several Dems who have crossed his expectations of loyalty to his ambitions, mainly Latino pols. He has not endeared himself to liberal ones. I believe there are few unions who would now support Levy, except if his opponent was a normal anti-union Repub troglodyte. Certainly he will not get the endorsement of the police and firemen's unions, even if the trog oppone4nt is Repub, there is such open hostility thosse unions have ran ads on radio & newspapers when he was running. Several unions will close their wallets as well as their endorsement to Dems if Levy should run on the top spot. Forget about the usually strong Dem nurses association, the hospital workers and others in the health field. The health sector is a large and significant sector of the LI economy. The head of the LI union alliance, the AFL-CiO, has opposed & spoken on several occasions against Levy before the legislature. I don't think Levy is running for gov, but if he is I believe he will not make it, as his persona is a lighting rod in a significant part of the Dem party.
All this said, Levy is skilled and a very experienced campaigner. He is fast on his feet, personable and a quite articulate, smart guy. You know, your usual pol, but he is not to be underestimated. --mo
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