New Bellone ad: Running, and loving it

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone launched his first re-election campaign ad on cable television Tuesday — a spot that touts his running, literally.

The entire 30-second spot shows Bellone lacing up at home, jogging through a neighborhood and a downtown, and ending up at a gazebo where the county executive looks out at the Great South Bay.

“When you start running it’s about a goal,” says Bellone, who serves as the spots’s narrator. “One mile, then two getting results every day, working a bit harder, going a bit farther, weathering the storm. That’s how I cut the deficit and balanced the budget for three straight times. It’s how we held the line on taxes, and why I cut my own pay.”

Bellone ends by saying Suffolk County now is, “investing to reach out to create high-paying jobs and clean up the water. There’s a lot left to do and I can’t wait to keep going.”

Bellone campaign manager Keith Davies declined to detail the cost of the ad, but described it as a “mid-six figure” ad buy that will be broadcast for several weeks.

James O’Connor, Bellone’s GOP opponent in the Nov. 3 election, said" "While Bellone keeps himself in shape, Suffolk is left on life support. He forgot to mention his sweetheart deal giving police $227,000 salaries and the rest of us a $45 million tax increase, four bond rating downgrades and skyrocketing crime rates."

O'Connor said he is planning direct mailings, which will hit shortly.

Clarification: Earlier versions of this story attributed the ad cost to another Bellone staffer.