Suffolk ethics commission overhaul OK'd

Two bills to overhaul Suffolk's ethics commission and its rules became law Monday when County Executive Steve Levy allowed them to take effect without his signature.

Levy said he supports many of the provisions of the local laws but declined to sign them because he felt its language "wrongly mars the reputation" of the current three-member commission. The county executive also said the legislature's bills vindicate his claim that past county ethics law was not as strong as state ethics legislation.

"If I vetoed, it would have looked as if I was opposed to expanding the [disclosure form] form or the number of people on the commission," said Levy. "But the wording of the bill(s) was defamatory toward the commission," he said referring to language about the commission's battles with the legislature.

Legis. Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor), the legislature's majority leader, dismissed Levy's remarks about vindication and said the legislature created a bipartisan committee to look into commission operations as part of its legitimate oversight function.

"I don't care what Levy says, I think we took great pains not to disparage members of the ethics commission," Cooper said. "It was all about revisiting rules and regulations that we had not reviewed in many years."

The new law stems from a lengthy battle between Levy and lawmakers who have maintained that the county executive wielded too much influence with the commission, a claim Levy has denied. Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota also has empaneled a grand jury to examine the commission's operations. It was Levy's filing of the state disclosure form as a member of the state Pine Barrens Commission, rather than the county ethics form, that first triggered the controversy. Levy maintains he acted properly, but later decided also to file the county form.

Under the legislation enacted Monday, the ethics commission would be expanded to five members, and make its advisory opinions public with names and some details redacted. The measure requires county officials to file the annual local financial disclosure form, even if they also file with the state. It also gives the legislature, following a two-thirds vote, access to all commission documents, a provision that Legis. Thomas Barraga (R-West Islip) criticized on privacy grounds.

Alfred Lama, the commission's current executive director expressed privacy concerns about potentially giving lawmakers access to all commission recordsNolan, commission chairman, could not be reached for comment.