Report shows Bellone has $1M war chest

Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone, who received campaign funds from town contractors and elected officials including the new governor, became a serious potential Democratic contender for Suffolk county executive Tuesday with a campaign war chest of $1,002,167.

Bellone filed a campaign finance report in Albany showing he has raised $701,744 since July, while spending $103,166 for fundraising events and making a $25,000 donation to Andrew M. Cuomo's gubernatorial campaign.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, a Democrat-turned-Republican who raised $4 million in campaign funds over his seven years in office, filed a report showing he has $4,177,848. Levy raised $381,000 in the past six months while spending $407,127. Levy's filing also showed that in the past week he has given $30,000 to the Suffolk GOP Committee. Earlier, Levy spent $53,000 on cable TV ads aimed at budget and union issues.

Bellone's filing showed he received $40,000 from 13 elected officials, including Democratic Town Supervisors Frank Petrone of Huntington, Mark Lesko of Brookhaven and Philip Nolan of Islip, once considered rivals for the nomination, as well as $3,200 from Cuomo.

Babylon Democrats gave Bellone's campaign fund $25,000 while Brookhaven Democrats chipped in $10,000 and Huntington Democrats $1,000. Babylon Democratic chairman Robert Stricoff and family members, lifelong friends of Bellone, donated $10,900 to the campaign.

John Jay LaValle, Suffolk Republican chairman, charged that Bellone "fell short" of his fundraising goal by "playing a shell game and making interparty transfers" to make it look like he hit the $1-million mark. "It's abundantly clear he's not measuring up," he said.

But Richard Schaffer, Suffolk Democratic chairman, said that Bellone's filing shows that Democrats are united. "I don't see any of the Republican committees giving to Steve Levy and it seems Levy has got to give to them to secure his nomination," he said.

Bellone also received $5,000 from Conservative Sheriff Vincent DeMarco, who was closely allied with Levy in taking over police highway patrols.

Surprisingly the firm owned by Levy's wife, Colleen, Enright Court Reporting, gave $450 to Bellone. Her firm does work for the town attorney's office. Bellone also got nearly $23,000 in contributions from 15 unions, including the Long Island Fed, the Teamsters and the Empire State Carpenters as well as $7,300 from county unions that have often clashed with Levy.

The supervisor's 34-page campaign disclosure report listed his biggest donor as Winter Brothers, which gave $13,000 under several corporate names and has a town contract to haul commercial garbage.