Steve Levy, Welcome to the Race

Dear Friends,

Today, at 10AM, liberal Democrat Steve Levy announced that he is changing his registration and is going to seek the Republican nomination for Governor. Steve is not a Republican. He will be registered as a Democrat on election day. He will be unable to vote in the Republican primary. He is a supporter of Barack Obama and has been a close ally of Shelly Silver, and he has voted for the largest tax increase in New York state history. He even said that the Obama stimulus package was "manna from heaven" that would "save lives".

We want to welcome Steve Levy to the race. Enough pleasantries. We want each New York citizen to look at - and Steve Levy to explain - a transcript of a wiretap of Steve Levy talking to people who would eventually be convicted of bribery. Look at the crass language he uses, and particularly pay attention to what he says about the Brookhaven Republican Party.

Steve, welcome to the race.

Best,
Kevin Fullington
Campaign Manager

Source: State v Prospect
Suffolk County Court - Riverhead
Annex building archives
Indictment number: 2153-04

SB= Stephen Baranello

WP = Wayne Prospect

SL= Steve Levy

SB- No. You should have the ability to say, I want to put somebody here and I don't mean her particularly. Let's say Maryann Neil's daughter wanted a fucking job.

SL- Right, right...

SB- Or people that are loyal to you...

SL- Right.

SB- You should be able to take care of people because at the end of the day you're just gonna be a guy running for re-election with an organization with nine million and they control the whole fucking thing

SL- Yep.

SB- You understand where I'm going with that...

SL- I do. I do.

SB- Yesterday, Wayne brought me to lunch to meet, um, Leslie Mitchel.

SL- Don't! You know...do me a favor...

SB- Listen, it was unrelated to what you did.

SL- Get me fucking pissed...

SB- Yes...

SL- ...not at you...But, you know...

SB- Yeah.

SL- Ah, ah...I, don't, don't want you to be used that way.

SB- (Laughs)

SL- You know what I'm saying?

SB- Listen to me. I sat there and I listened. Okay? I, I, said I don't make the decisions on anything. And, by the way, she was not, she just says, look, I just want you to know that if it is never an issue that I don't have my degree, ah, I got six months more to go and I'm in the process of doing that right now. I've always loved Steve. I've known him...I used to sit at his table at his mom's house when he was running for State Senate. I just listened to her, you know. I listen to the whole thing, you know. You know the deal. I don't know what you gotta do there. I'm just telling, she appears to be somebody...

SL- No, listen. I don't dislike her, but, ah, I've gotta have a set of eyes over there.

SB- Yes.

SL- You know how, you know how I gotta get a set of eyes at the Board of..

SB- Yes, you do.

SL- ...Elections. I've gotta get a set of eyes at Public Works...

SB- Right.

SL - If I'm keeping this guy Bartha...

SB - Right.

SL- ...there's got to be someone there to make sure that he's not only doing things for me, but he's not doing it for the Brookhaven Republicans at the same time.

SB- Right.

SL- I understand he's taking major calls from fucking Judy Pascale every week. Judy Pascale's that fucking prick who worked with Romaine.

SB- I know who you are talking about.

SL- So, you know, he's probably being put on the spot and this and that...

SB- Right.

SL- And, you know, and he's a loyal trooper and everything. But he's probably feeling loyalties at both ends. I'll want ears there. I want eyes there.

SB- Listen, I understand that. So, you know, I just sat there and just, you know, I'm not going to say anything. I just listened and, ah, you know, let her plead her case. Look, I don't care what Wayne did what he did, because, you know, this is a person that Wayne knows for a hundred years.

...

SB- You know, it's really, it's really, not fucking healthy. By the way Feig took a fucking hit there this week, so you know.

SL- A hit? What do you mean?

SB- Well he got stripped of a lot of power that he had. He didn't lose any money or any car but he got stripped of his power. Yeah, Casale did his number on him.

SL- AH, you're, you're not crying.

SB- No, I'm not crying at all.

SL- You hate that fuck, right?

SB- Well, I don't like the fuck because he used to call me into his office and say, ah, you're with him, Levy. (Laughs) You guys, you fucking idiots, both of you's.

SL- So, so, I want him to come looking...I want him to come to me looking for a fucking job.

SB- He ain't gonna come there looking for a job. He's not, he's not gonna do it.

...

SB- Okay.

WP- ...he can't, can't play both ends of the middle. He's either out for McKay's ass...

SB- Yeah, well, then...

WP- ...or, or, or he's gonna use McKay to make some good deals that help Democrats.

SB- Right.

WP- You know...

SB- I...

WP- ...whatever the game plan is, it is. I don't...analyze it.

SB- I understand.

WP- You know?

SB- I understand that. Okay?

WP- OTB, any, ah, thing going on there?

SB- Um...you know, Steve's in Washington right now.

WP- Right.

SB- I've talked to him about it. It can wait another day till I have my discussion with hi tomorrow when he gets back.

WP- All right.

SB- All right. I will talk to him about that. I've mentioned it to him already. Let's see where that goes.

WP- What was his first reaction?

SB- It was not negative. It was, you know, he understands, but he's like, you know, but, you know, he goes I hear all this shit about Crecca wanting to be a fucking judge...God. You know? Dawidziak calls me up and says look, you know. Dawidziak. I mean, you know, you got two rivals in this County, LaValle and Crecca. You know, if we can work something out with Crecca, you got nothing to worry about. And Steve was like, "You know something? I pray that that fat fuck runs against me. I can't wa... I hope he runs against me."