In the wake of Levy scandal, a chorus of calls for county campaign finance reform

The so-called pay-to-play campaign fundraising scandal that effectively ended County Executive Steve Levy’s tenure has Suffolk County legislators and the county executive himself trumpeting the need for campaign finance reform.

Members of the Suffolk County Legislature this week proposed three competing campaign finance reform bills and Levy plans to do the same next week. All but one of the measures had been introduced in prior years but died on the vine.

First District Legislator Ed Romaine introduced “A Charter Law to Establish a Truth and Honesty Zone for Clean Campaign Practices in Suffolk County by Banning Improper Fundraising.” First introduced in 2009, Romaine’s bill would impose sweeping restrictions on fundraising activities by anyone seeking county office.

“No money from unions, no money from contractors, no money from county employees, no money from special interests, no more pay to play,” Romaine said of his proposal.

“It’s pretty comprehensive reform and because of its sweeping nature, it will probably go nowhere,” the veteran legislator said. “But I won’t give up on it.”

“It’s time for good government in Suffolk County,” Romaine said.

Romaine’s bill would put an outright ban on contributions to a candidate’s campaign by people and businesses doing business with the county. The ban would extend for a period of one year after completion of a contract with the county.

The measure would make it illegal to accept campaign contributions from a political action committee “that is formed or created by or is the recipient of contributions from” any county contractor.

It would also prohibit county employees from soliciting campaign contributions on behalf of a candidate for county office, and it would ban contributions from county employees to a candidate’s campaign.

It would make it illegal for a candidate to solicit or accept campaign contributions from county employees or from nonprofit organizations, including labor unions.

Romaine said he believes the county executive is supporting his bill. “And that’s interesting. Had my bill been in effect, he would not have gotten into the trouble that he did,” Romaine said.

Levy and District Attorney Thomas Spota stunned Suffolk County March 24 with back-to-back announcements that the county executive would not seek re-election in November. Spota said Levy’s decision was made “to resolve a 16-month investigation” by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Government Corruption Bureau into fundraising practices by or on behalf of Levy.

Spota did not announce any indictments but indicated the investigation would continue, though the investigation into the county executive himself was concluded, Spota said. Levy agreed to turn his $4 million campaign war chest over to the district attorney’s office, which would return contributions as requested and distribute the balance of the proceeds to charity, Spota said.

Levy spokesman Dan Aug said the county executive “would be inclined to support” Romaine’s bill, but also planned to reintroduce legislation next week that’s “more comprehensive.” The county executive’s bill, Aug said, would impose a fee on contractors that do business with the county, the proceeds of which would be put into “a blind trust,” creating “a resource for underfunded candidates that would help level the playing field.

Aug said the county executive has introduced his campaign finance reform measure every year since 2004.

“It’s never made it through legislative committees before,” Aug said. “We’re hopeful that, considering the focus of the legislators now, maybe they will see the light on this issue.”

Two other campaign finance reform bills were introduced by legislators this week.

Second District Legislator Jay Schneiderman (I-Montauk) and Legislator Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor) have reintroduced a bill they originally filed in 2006 which would ban contributions totaling more than $500 during any election cycle by county contractors that have county contracts exceeding $10,000 in a calendar year.

Unlike Romaine’s and Levy’s proposals, the Schneiderman-Cooper bill does not ban contributions by labor unions. That’s a major shortcoming, said Levy’s spokesman. “Municipal union contributions typically make up 40 to 50 percent of contributions to legislators and candidates for county-wide office.”

Cooper also introduced a measure that would establish a bipartisan commission to develop a public campaign financing system for Suffolk County.

Cooper said the Levy scandal underscores the need for “meaningful campaign finance reform that will obliterate the ‘pay-to-play’ politics of the past and usher in an era of transparency, accountability and renewed public confidence in the individuals and mechanisms of county government.”

All three bills are scheduled for public hearings at the May 10 legislative meeting in Hauppauge.