GOP unable to pay Levy donation

Suffolk Republican Chairman John Jay LaValle admits he cannot fulfill a pledge to give prosecutors $100,000 that ex-County Executive Steve Levy donated to the county party. That was just before Levy dropped his re-election bid and gave up his $4 million campaign cache to end a fundraising probe. "The reality is we just don't have it," said LaValle, who last spring vowed to turn over the funds to District Attorney Thomas Spota because he felt the money was "tainted." The funds were used to pay party bills. LaValle intends to create a "Heart of the Elephant" fund for the needy in hopes the party can afford "a few thousand here and there," which he called "very consistent with the district attorney's goal" of giving leftover Levy funds to charity.-- Rick Brand