In a special return appearance, Levy attacks and denies

Steve Levy was back in his element yesterday.

The former Suffolk County executive -- who always sought to have the final word in his many battles with lawmakers -- held court for a dozen reporters and cameramen to continue assailing his successor over a leaked memo critical of his budgeting practices. Never mind that, two days earlier, the Republican had already released a three-and-a-half page response to the memo by aides to Democrat Steve Bellone, which said Levy had willfully misled bond agencies over the state of county finances.

"In my 25 years of government," Levy began his news conference, "I can't remember a more despicable, manipulated, partisan political maneuver as I saw with the leaking of this memo a few days ago."

Levy, dressed in a dark pinstriped suit and light blue tie, went on for nearly a half-hour before he took any questions, often referring to a sheet of hand-scribbled notes. He punctuated his words with forceful finger points and hand gestures, saying the situation was alternately "sad," "ridiculous" and "chilling."

This time, though, he wasn't on the 12th floor of the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge. The news conference was held inside a spartan office suite in Holbrook; Levy sat at the head of a meeting table in room with little more than a portrait of Abraham Lincoln hanging on the walls.

Outside the complex, to let media members know they had the right place, someone posted a white banner from Levy's failed 2010 bid to earn the Republican nomination for governor. It read: "A proven leader to save our state."

Levy, as he called for various investigations of Bellone and his aides, challenged the new county executive to a debate on finances and kept returning to the memo's suggestion that projecting certain revenues that don't materialize, and then presenting that information to Wall Street rating agencies to claim fiscal health, could be subject to fraud investigations by agencies including the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Are we going to have prosecutions everywhere?" Levy asked, making the point that Nassau County leaders had recently projected twice as much revenue from red light cameras than materialized, and that some state officials dispute Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's latest revenue projections.

As Levy was facing cameras, Bellone was holding meetings with legislators to discuss a plan that addresses the county's projected $530 million budget deficit through 2013. He has already called the internal memo's release to four lawmakers "a rookie mistake," and said that some of its findings "may be overstated."

In response to Levy, Bellone released a statement that regretted the memo's release and fallout had "temporarily brought back the circus-like atmosphere that has characterized Suffolk County government for the last several years.

"I apologize to Suffolk County residents and businesses for this distraction and want them to know that I am completely focused on addressing the county's fiscal crisis, making government more efficient, growing our economy and protecting taxpayers."

Later in the day, after the back-and-forth between Levy and Bellone had played out, someone who has been on both sides weighed in. Former County Executive Robert Gaffney, who preceded Levy, noted that the spectacle was "rather bizarre."

Historically, he said, the person recently out of office kept quiet in an effort to not "step on the toes" of his successor. Gaffney said this has even been the case when the successor throws criticism at the recently departed county executive.

"It's just the way it is," Gaffney said. "You're a big boy, you understand it's going to happen and you just grit your teeth."

But Levy, after learning of Gaffney's statement, had to have the final word. He noted that he wasn't planning on have a news conference until he learned that Bellone aides were suggesting that his actions could be criminal.

"That's a little different," Levy said.