Bellone report shows where funds came from

The campaign fund of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone, the Democratic candidate for Suffolk County executive, includes money from a variety of prominent Democrats, labor unions and developers, campaign finance reports show.

Bellone's January campaign finance report, which included funds raised through the middle of that month, showed a war chest of $1,002,167, just exceeding the $1 million goal set by Suffolk Democratic chairman Richard Schaffer for prospective candidates.

Since then, Bellone's backers say he's raised about $500,000, though his next campaign finance filing is not due until July. Schaffer said Bellone has about $1.5 million banked now and has a goal of raising $2 million by the July deadline.

Bellone raised $701,744 between July 2010 and January -- when he was seen as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination -- money that came largely from the usual sources: other Democratic politicians and organizations, local private labor unions that are big political contributors, and companies and developers that do business with Babylon Town and Suffolk County.

The January filing showed Bellone raised $40,000 from 13 elected officials, including Supervisors Frank Petrone of Huntington, Mark Lesko of Brookhaven and Phil Nolan of Islip, Democrats once considered rivals for the nomination. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo gave $3,200. Suffolk Sheriff Vincent DeMarco, a Conservative, gave $5,000.

Town Democratic committees in Babylon, Brookhaven and Huntington gave Bellone a combined $36,000.

Bellone received $7,300 in contributions from county public employee unions, including two that have battled with Levy for years. The Suffolk Police Benevolent Association, which represents rank-and-file police officers, and the Suffolk Association of Municipal Employees, which represents the civilian workforce, each gave $2,400.

Fifteen private labor unions gave Bellone $22,950.

Bellone's largest individual and corporate donors include the Burman family of Garden City, contractors who gave $15,000, and Winters Brothers carting contractors of Westbury, which gave $13,000.

Bellone said during an interview this week that he has never engaged in so-called pay-to-play fundraising.

"People understand when they contribute to me what they can expect in return is that we are going to deliver good government to the people of the town," Bellone said. "And the same would be true to the people of the county."

Suffolk GOP chairman John Jay LaValle did not return phone calls Wednesday.