Steve Levy (politician)

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Steve Levy
7th County Executive of Suffolk County, New York
In office
2004–2011
Preceded by Robert J. Gaffney
Succeeded by Steven Bellone
Member of the New York State Assembly, from the 5th district
In office
2001–2003
Preceded by Paul Harenberg
Succeeded by Ginny Fields
Member of the Suffolk County Legislature
In office
1985–2000
Personal details
Born Steven A. Levy
August 25, 1959 (1959-08-25) (age 54)[1]
Glendale, Queens[1]
Political party Republican (was Democratic until 2010)
Spouse(s) Colleen West
Residence Bayport, New York
Alma mater State University of New York at Stony Brook
St. John's University School of Law
Religion Catholic[2]
Website Official website

Steven A. "Steve" Levy[3] (pronounced LEE-vee; born August 25, 1959) was the seventh County Executive of Suffolk County, New York, elected on November 4, 2003. Originally a fiscally conservative Democrat, Levy joined the Republican Party in an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for governor.

Personal life

Steve Levy was born in Glendale, Queens.[1] Along with his brother and sister, he was raised in Holbrook, New York by his father Andrew Levy, who owned a Brooklyn appliance store, and his mother, Marie Cavalcante Levy.[4] His father was Jewish, descended from immigrants from Alsace-Lorraine, and his mother was Italian American and Catholic[5] (Levy himself is a Catholic). He is a graduate of Sachem High School in Holbrook (1977), the State University of New York at Stony Brook (1981, magna cum laude) and St. John's University School of Law (1984).[1] Levy married Colleen West on December 2, 1994, at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in Sayville, New York[6] and they live in Bayport, New York with her children.[1][7]

Politics

In 1984, Levy was elected to the Suffolk County Legislature where he served for 15 years (1985–2000).[4] In 2000, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, where he represented the 5th Assembly District from 2001 to 2003.[4]

Levy, a Democrat who describes himself as fiscally conservative, ran for the office of Suffolk County Executive in 2003.[8] He opposed Republican Edward Romaine. Levy entered office in 2004 and continues to serve as County Executive. On November 6, 2007, he was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term with cross-endorsement and receiving 96% of the vote.

On February 25, 2010, Levy launched a campaign website for governor.[9]

Levy has promoted strict anti-immigrant policies and has supported employer verification efforts and restrictions on drivers licenses for illegal immigrants. In the wake of the November 2008 murder of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian illegal immigrant, in Suffolk County, Levy described the killing as not "a question of any county policy or legislation," but "a question of bad people doing horrific things."[10][11]

2010 New York Governor's race

On March 19, 2010, Levy announced that he would seek the Republican Party's nomination for New York Governor, competing with former New York Congressman Rick Lazio and Buffalo developer Carl Paladino for the party nomination.[12] Though he changed his voter registration to the Republican Party, this change came after the deadline for making such a change, and for legal purposes, Levy remained a Democrat until November 2010, with the registration change taking effect after Election Day.

Levy's platform focused on getting the state's financial house in order and reining in spending while decreasing property taxes. He also called for the creation of an independent control board, much like the ones formed by the state for counties who are in financial crisis, to help address New York's fiscal woes.[13]

Despite the support of state Republican chairman Edward F. Cox, Levy failed to gain the necessary support at the New York State Republican Convention for a Wilson Pakula, the document necessary for non-party members to seek a party's nomination. Authorizing such a document requires a majority weighted vote of the attending members of the party; Levy only received 42 percent, which barred him from entering the Republican primary, either by nomination or by petition. As a result, Levy was eliminated from the race.[14]

In 2011 Levy announced he would not seek reelection to a third term. Levy's announcement followed an investigation by Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota's Government Corruption Bureau. In a statement, Spota said his investigation revealed "serious issues with regard to fundraising and the manner in which it was conducted." [15] When questions were raised about Levy’s four million dollar campaign warchest, the outgoing executive agreed to have contributions returned to the original donors.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Vitello, Paul (June 13, 2007). "Suffolk’s Leader Wins a Following on Immigration". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-25. "born August 25, 1959" 
  2. ↑ Brand.Rick.Brand@Newsday, Rick (2007-05-27). "POLITICS & POWER, The rise of Levy,". 
  3. ↑ "Minutes of Organizational Meeting". Suffolk County Legislature. January 2, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-25. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Epstein, Reid J. (October 31, 2007). "Levy faces almost certain reelection". Newsday. Archived from the original on 2007-10-31. Retrieved 2009-01-25. "He was elected to the legislature in 1984 at age 25..." 
  5. ↑ http://www.aifl.org/html/web/Every%20Elected%20Official%20should%20Visist.pdf
  6. ↑ "Marriages at St. Ann's: Colleen West & Steve Levy". St. Ann's Episcopal Church, Sayville, NY. February 2, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-25. 
  7. ↑ "Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business Awards: 2008 Awardees: Colleen West-Levy". Long Island Business News. Retrieved 2009-01-25. 
  8. ↑ http://www.co.suffolk.ny.us/webtemp3.cfm?dept=19&id=2358. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  9. ↑ http://www.levyforny.com/index.aspx
  10. ↑ Peter Applebome. New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Nov 20, 2008. pg. A.36
  11. ↑ Semple, Kirk (November 13, 2008). "A Killing in a Town Where Latinos Sense Hate". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-14. 
  12. ↑ Peters, Jeremy. Planned Switch to G.O.P. Stirs New York Governor Race, New York Times, March 17, 2010.
  13. ↑ Auburn Pub, April 7, 2010.
  14. ↑ Vielkind, Jimmy (2010-06-02). Levy falls short on primary try; Lazio advances alone. Capitol Confidential. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  15. ↑ Peddie, Sandra. Steve Levy won't seek third term, Newsday, March 24, 2011.

External links

New York Assembly
Preceded by
Paul Harenberg		 New York State Assembly, 5th District
2001–2003 		Succeeded by
Ginny Fields
Political offices
Preceded by
Robert J. Gaffney		 County Executive of Suffolk County, New York
2004–present 		Incumbent
Political offices


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