Deadline for Ethics records lapses; talks ongoing

As a deadline for turning over records to the special legislative committee investigating the Suffolk County Ethics Commission lapsed yesterday, lawyers negotiated behind the scenes in an effort to satisfy some of the committee's requests for records.

Last week, a special committee formed by Presiding Officer William Lindsay requested legal documents pertaining to the Ethics Commission and set yesterday as the deadline. Committee members declined last week to hear testimony, saying they wanted to review documents first.

Lindsay (D-Holbrook) could not be reached for comment yesterday, but said through a spokesman that the negotiations for the records were "ongoing."

Neither the Ethics Commission's attorney, Steven Leventhal, nor its executive director, Alfred Lama, could be reached Wednesday.

The Ethics Commission in the past has refused to release records of its proceedings without subpoenas. If the commission refuses to turn over the records, the committee may ask the full legislature to grant it subpoena power, said Kara Hahn, a spokeswoman for Lindsay.

Lindsay formed the committee after Newsday reported that Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy had been filing the state financial disclosure form instead of the county form. Roughly 650 county employees file the county form.

Among the documents requested were all complaints made to the commission since 2006, a list of all county officials allowed to file the state form in lieu of the county form and documents supporting the decision to allow Levy to file the state form.

Levy spokesman Dan Aug did not return a call yesterday.

Also Wednesday, Levy sent a letter to Comptroller Joseph Sawicki demanding that he publicly disclose the source of his wife's income on his county financial disclosure form.

Levy made the demand after Sawicki on Monday blocked Levy from putting a $61,726-a-year photographer on the county payroll. Sawicki said he filed the information on his disclosure form to the Ethics Commission, which agreed to his request to redact the name and address of the nursing home where his wife works to protect her privacy.