Suffolk lawmaker Montano called pivotal, prickly

Rick Brand

April 27, 2008

Lately, Suffolk Legis. Ricardo Montano has gone his own way ... a lot.

He's dropped out of the Democratic majority caucus. He's left Democratic County Executive Steve Levy's bipartisan budget committee. He was also at odds with Democratic Presiding Officer William Lindsay on issues, including packing the committee Lindsay heads with Levy allies. And in recent weeks he questioned the ethics of his newest committee member, Legis. Louis D'Amaro, who recused himself on a vote because his wife, Christine Malafi, is Levy's county attorney.

Friends and foes alike say that Montano may be the prickliest of Suffolk's lawmakers, driven as much by pique as principle. "Ric is just Ric," said Legis. Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Neck), the majority leader. "He can be smart and insightful, but building bridges and forging consensus are not his strengths."

Yet for all the controversy, Montano, 58, as chairman of the legislature's budget committee, remains a pivotal figure as Levy and lawmakers look to close a looming $150-million budget hole in a swooning economy.

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Montano maintains he is just doing his job as an independent legislator. He also said he is angry that Levy is opposing the re-election of his own assemblyman, Philip Ramos, over his bid to link the immigration issue to a sales tax extension.

"I'm still a Democrat, no doubt about it," Montano said, "but I see no point in attending caucus meetings. I'm holding my own and they can take all the shots they want."

The Central Islip lawmaker said he is particularly vexed by recent maneuvers that at first removed from his committee a proposal to sell the rights to tobacco settlement money to narrow the budget gap.

While the measure was later returned to his committee, Levy then bypassed it with an emergency resolution that went to the full legislature to create the agency to do the deal. Montano worries the maneuver will permit Levy to craft a take-it-or-leave-it proposal with no input from lawmakers. "The issues need to be looked at objectively and fairly," he said. "We should not be ramrodding things through."

But critics, Levy chief among them, say Montano goes on the attacks to hide his own shortcomings. "He picks fights with everybody; it's not unique to me," said Levy, who last month lambasted Montano, saying he had a "severe lack of knowledge" about budgeting.

The county executive said Montano often comes to committee meetings admitting he has not read bills being voted on: "Budget chair is a huge committee and it just seems at times, Ric is over his head ... he's like a deer in the headlights."

D'Amaro said Montano has also strafed almost every legislator and engages "in the politics of personal destruction." He said Montano tried to raise his recusal as "political extortion." But D'Amaro said there is no real issue and that he has always filed the necessary disclosures with the county ethics commission, something he maintains Montano failed to do when his brother was hired at the Board of Elections.

But Legis. Edward Romaine (R-Center Moriches) said such attacks are aimed at bullying Montano." I think independence is a word that does not go well with Steve Levy or the Democratic caucus," said Romaine.

Montano said his worries have only grown since several of his bills have been bottled up in committee, and Lindsay added Levy allies to the budget committee to ease the way for the county executive's proposals. "If a bill is before the legislature, let's consider it properly and not play politics by packing the committee," he said.

Vivian Viloria-Fisher (D-Setauket), who has had her own run-ins with Montano, worried that retaliation "only escalates and exacerbates" the potential for a divided legislature.

"You've got seven Republicans, and if Ric joins them, then it's eight. One more would be a tie," she said, "And wouldn't that be squandering the majority we have?"