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Spin Cycle: D'Amato's bipartisan fundraiser

Eden Laikin on Long Island; Rick Brand on Long Island; Melissa Mansfield in Albany

October 13, 2008

Former Republican Sen. Alfonse D'Amato is apparently playing a major role in organizing a fundraiser for Democratic Gov. David A. Paterson - to be co-hosted by myriad bipartisan Long Island developers, lawyers, doctors and executives, at Island Park's Coyote Grill.

While D'Amato's name doesn't appear on the invitation to the $1,000-per-plate fundraiser, set for Nov. 2, guests must respond to his executive assistant, Dana Weisberg, in care of his consulting firm, Park Strategies. Neither D'Amato nor Weisberg returned calls for comment.

Of 15 invitees, seven are registered Republicans, two are Democrats, three are blanks and three couldn't be determined. They include: former Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta; Scott Rechler, partnering with Charles Wang on the Nassau Coliseum-Lighthouse project and listed as a finance co-chairman for Sen. John McCain's campaign.

- Eden Laikin on Long Island

CONSUMER AFFAIRS: Levy’s new pick?

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, a Democrat, wants to install former Islip Town board member Pamela Greene, a Republican, as the county's new $107,000-per-year consumer affairs director, several political sources said.

Levy aides are circulating a discharge petition to allow a vote tomorrow to reinstate the director's post. Levy earlier told Democrats in caucus he has someone in mind for the job, but wouldn't say who. Levy maintains he has chosen no one and is considering three or four names. He won't say if Greene is one, but said he thinks highly of her.

Greene, who declined to comment, lost a race for town supervisor to Democrat Philip Nolan two years ago. Greene and her new husband, political consultant Michael Dawidziak, are friends of Levy and his wife Colleen, and the strategist has done campaign work for Levy.

Levy would need to re-create the job because Charles Gardner, who ran the department until retiring last summer, worked under his civil service title as director of weight and measures, which gave him job protection a political appointee does not have.

- Rick Brand on Long Island

THE PATERSON WATCH

While having to deal with his own state's multibillion-dollar fiscal crisis, Gov. David A. Paterson found a way to help a county down south. When called by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, a Republican, Paterson had state insurance regulators meet with banks and bond insurers to come up with a $1-billion refinancing plan.

Bloomberg News reported last week that New York State regulates bond insurers who guarantee $2.8 billion of Jefferson County's $3.2 billion in sewer debt. Paterson, a Democrat, had Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo bring parties together to hammer out a deal to save the county.

Jefferson County plans on raising sewer rates, and pledges 1 percent of the sales tax receipts will go to school construction.

The Alabama legislature needs to approve the measure. Dinallo said Riley "wanted to have this $1 billion in hand so he could go back to his legislature. Now with that in hand, he can close the gap."

- Melissa Mansfield in Albany