For Levy, silence is eerie

There is something eerie about the silence, however partial or brief, that has issued from the Suffolk executive's office.

For so long, County Executive Steve Levy could be relied on to openly dissect and impugn the motives behind any opposition. He worked the news media. He worked legislators. He worked party leaders. He pushed. He nudged. He contested. He denounced.

Fans cheered. Foes fumed.

One year ago this month, Levy turned Republican and, looking to start at the top of his new party -- as governor -- came out blasting at then-GOP rival Rick Lazio. He stood in Battery Park responding to Lazio's "10 reasons to oppose Levy" by shouting, "Give me one why we should vote for you!" He stridently slammed Lazio's record in Congress. On a radio show, he would not let the host get in a question until the volume was turned down.

Levy needed no warm-ups. In January 2010, Latino lawmakers -- long alienated from him over immigration -- said in a statement that if Levy ran for governor they'd consider "any supporters of Steve Levy . . . persona non grata on issues by state-level lawmakers." Levy claimed illegal conduct -- citing a bar on public officials asking those seeking state grants about political contributions. He filed a complaint with an ethics panel -- of which nothing was heard again.

Among the targets that time was a longtime nemesis, Assemb. Phil Ramos (D-Central Islip). "On a personal level, it's sad that, you know, his political career would die like this," Ramos said Friday.

"On a political level, he who lives by sword dies by the sword."

By all accounts, a mute button seems to have been installed on Levy regarding his arrangement with the Suffolk district attorney's office -- which produced last week's remarkably ambiguous bilateral announcements that Levy would forgo running for a third term and give up his $4 million-plus campaign fund following an investigation.

Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota apparently did two things that Levy had to consider bitter medicine. He facilitated a custom-made term limit, and forced surrender of the hoard of cash that seemed to fortify the executive against vulnerability at the polls. Now Levy and fellow GOPers must watch at least some "smart money" contributions flow to likely Democratic candidate Steve Bellone.

For Levy of all people, that has to be a painful punishment.