Yesterday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy asked for a preliminary injunction to bar 37 gang members from a two-mile square "safety zone" in Wyandanch. Levy said, "Gangs ... have a propensity to take over school yards and street corners. They do not own those streets, the people of the community own those streets," and the injunction would prohibit gang members from wearing "gang colors, making gang signs or even gathering on corners or in parks," Newsday reports. more ›

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, aka the Democrat who became a Republican to try to run for Governor, takes Thanksgiving very seriously. Which is why he's proposing a law that would force stores over 7,500 square feet—wink wink, Kmart and Wal-Mart—to close between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving next year. Why? So employees can spend time with their families. more ›

Looks like NY State Republican chair Ed Cox's plan to have Democrat-turned-Republican Steve Levy run for Governor (foiled, by the nomination of Rick Lazio) has angered national Republican Chairman Michael Steele. The Daily News reports, "The National GOP is funneling cash for local elections directly to county leaders - a step never before taken in New York," which is a "clear snub" and a "direct slap at Cox." Cox admitted he was surprised, but told the News that he and Steele "spent a very warm six hours" together last week, "[Steele] put his arm around me in a very warm way and told me now that the convention was over he was looking forward to us working together." more ›

Yesterday, the NY State Republican Party nominated Rick Lazio to face off against Andrew Cuomo in this fall's race for the governor. However, it seems the process has caused problems for the GOP, vs. the Democrats. The Post reports one consultant as saying, "This whole thing was a disaster. Politically, it was a disaster. Organizationally, it was a disaster. It was a train wreck." more ›

Today, the Republican Party formally selected Rick Lazio as its preferred candidate for Governor in this fall's election. Lazio won nearly 60 percent of the vote in the first round of balloting at the convention, while opponent and former Democrat Steve Levy received only 28 percent, meaning he won't be able to run in a primary. Lazio will likely face a primary battle versus Tea Party-favorite Carl Paladino, who said he was also considering forming his own party. more ›

The NY State Republican Party will be endorsing a candidate for governor today, but with a crowded field of candidates and their supporters sniping at each other, here's how the scene at the convention—which is being held at a Sheraton in Midtown—is described: more ›

The NY State Republican Party's convention begins today, and four men—Suffolk County Executive and former Democrat Steve Levy, former Congressman and one-time Senate candidate Rick Lazio, real estate entrepreneur Myers Mermel, and Buffalo real estate millionaire Carl Paladino— are hoping for the nomination to challenge Andrew Cuomo for the governor's seat this November. But the crowded field means one thing: Chaos. The Post says—in a story headlined "GOP rift over who'll be Cuo-mowed down"—a "prominent statewide GOP official said, "This is an insider fight within our party over leadership and control, and we all recognize that it has nothing to do with the outcome of the November election." more ›

Rick Lazio won the Conservative Party's endorsement for governor yesterday. However, NY1 reports, "Lazio only got about 54 percent of the vote, just barely above the threshold needed to get on the ballot. A dissenting Conservative Party member got about 36 percent, setting up the possibility of a Conservative Party primary for governor this fall." more ›

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was formally nominated as the Democratic candidate for Governor yesterday, and he sounded his theme of "Albany sucks," telling the convention in Rye, "When you go around the state, from Montauk to Buffalo, you hear over and over and over again the betrayal people feel towards the government," and "We need to restore the public trust in government. We're going to have to show them they can trust the state government." more ›

Steve Levy, the Suffolk County Executive who switched from being a Democrat to a Republican in order to run for governor this fall, could be out of luck come election time. Politico's Ben Smith reports that NY State Conservative Party has moved up its convention to be three days before the Republican Convention, which is "seen as a direct challenge to Republican State Chairman Ed Cox's efforts to insert [Levy] on his party's line... No Republican has been elected statewide in decades without the Conservative line." Conservative Party chairman Mike Long says he's committed to Rick Lazio running on the Republican ticket, which could point to a Lazio vs. Andrew Cuomo matchup this fall...if Cuomo ever confirms he's running. more ›

The NY Times looks at the war chest of Steve Levy, who shed his Democratic allegiance in a bid to run for NY Governor as a Republican. Specifically, how much of Levy's $4 million was accumulated from Democratic donors (Levy's GOP rival Rick Lazio has about $640,000). While there are no rules about returning money, Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf "playfully" suggested Levy give it back, "These are cases of consumer fraud. The label said ‘Democrat’ or it said ‘Republican.’ But when you opened up the package, you got the exact opposite." There's even a Levy Pay Us Back website. more ›

A group headed by former mayor Ed Koch has gotten agreement from three 2010 gubernatorial candidates and one very likely 2010 candidate to support nonpartisan redistricting of legislative and Congressional seats in New York State. Republicans Rick Lazio, Steve Levy and Carl Paladino signed a pledge to the group, while Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the expected Democratic frontrunner, signed his own letter (since he's not an official candidate). Gerrymandered districts are alive and well in NY—check these out. more ›

We already knew that GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino is "not politically correct" and enjoys forwarding photoshopped images, but this is some next-level stuff: today a liberal Buffalo-based blog revealed dozens of emails from the mad-as-hell millionaire, featuring a potent cocktail of bestiality, racism and really bad jokes. more ›

Back in law school gubernatorial hopeful Steve Levy had a mustache AND a beard! The bushy hair on his face—along with the towel on his head and the rifle slung over his shoulder—was integral to his 1983 terrorist Halloween costume, dug up recently from the St. John's University Law School yearbook, and exposed via the Daily News. more ›

Buffalo millionaire real estate developer Carl Paladino announced his candidacy for the 2010 NY Governor's race by rallying the crowd with the immortal words of Paddy Chayefsky, "I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!" He said, "The government is in shambles, and we’re paying for it in unbearable taxes far, far above the national average. Are you mad? Are you gonna take it anymore?" and also took a shot at the presumed Democratic frontrunner, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo: "Some of the people I oppose think they are entitled: 'My daddy was governor.'... We're going to unhinge the Albany ruling class." more ›

As Steve Levy steals the spotlight in his bid for the governorship, "well-placed Republicans" say the GOP wants former party favorite Rick Lazio to step aside. According to the Post, it's encouraging the under-funded candidate to pursue a different office, attorney general maybe, or Kirsten Gillibrand's seat in the senate. However a state party spokesman denies the reports and a source close to the the former Long Island congressman called both ideas "patently absurd." more ›

Carl Paladino, a Buffalo millionaire who's interested in running for governor, wants voters to know he's angling for the Republican Party nomination. And he knows how to photoshop. The businessman who elicited gasps when he compared health care reform to 9/11 exhibited his questionable taste once again, pasting possible opponent Steve Levy's head onto a Titanic poster. The Post reports the image—that also features GOP chairman Ed Cox, a Levy backer—was sent out through Paladino's campaign manager. more ›

“I’d want to run against Lazio,” said Norman Adler, a Democratic political consultant. “He’s got no resources, $600,000 in the bank and has raised no money recently,” but the new man in town, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, is another story. Experts think the state may see a real show-down between the mustachioed “bomb-thrower” and the former favorite, presumed Democratic candidate Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, both vying for the governor's seat. With each promising reform in Albany, voters are about to find out what happens when two mavericks collide. more ›

Party-switching Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy wants to "take a sledgehammer to Albany and knock it to pieces and then rebuild it from scratch"—which is exactly what the mustachioed man is doing to the Republican Party. Since he entered the race, Levy has created a major rift among Republicans, according to Politico. Levy won the backing of state GOP chairman Ed Cox, but former Gov. Pataki and former Mayor Giuliani are backing Rick Lazio's Republican bid. Insiders say Levy will emphasize his fiscal responsibility and hard-line stance against immigration to run as a "Scott Brown-type candidate, not as a moderate," but his opponent is already trying to depict him as a liberal for supporting tax increases and calling President Obama's stimulus package "manna from heaven." more ›

Former NY1 political pundit Dom Carter has started his comeback. After being convicted of misdemeanor assault for "punching, choking, and kicking" his wife, getting hit with a 30-day sentence, and losing his TV show, the newsman has begun blogging. more ›

Things got nasty yesterday between Republican rivals in the gubernatorial primary, starting with an appearance by each on Fox 5's "Good Day New York." When the show's host read aloud from Rick Lazio's list of "top 10" reasons not to vote for his opponent, volatile Steve Levy got worked up, the Post reports. "Hey Rick, how 'bout one reason why people should vote for you?" he taunted, adding that Lazio "has no traction in the polls." Despite having switched from the Democratic party just a week ago, Levy called his Conservative record "unparalleled." more ›

This won't please notoriously "image-conscious" gubernatorial candidate Steve Levy. Observer reporter Azi Paybarah tweeted a link to this mock board game, which puts the face of the Suffolk County executive and recently-declared Republican candidate on Borat's scantily-clad body. The game—dubbed "Steve Levy's Wild Mustache Ride To Albany"—evokes allegations of anti-Latino policing under Levy's watch, and references a controversial quote in which he said an anti-bias housing law would make it so that "[e]ven Shaniqua could file a complaint." Levy isn't the first gubernatorial hopeful to get mocked this election season. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo still hasn't officially declared his candidacy, but the Democrat has already been the subject of a fairy tale-themed attack ad. more ›

As Attorney General Andrew Cuomo slowly moves toward announcing his candidacy for governor—sources swear he'll come out with it no later than April 25—is he scared of new Republican candidate Steve Levy, who's reportedly "a little crazy" and "something of a nut"? That's what the Post's Fred Dicker says, even after Rick Lazio won an important endorsement Saturday. According to the columnist, Cuomo's camp thinks the "Suffolk County executive is a far more dangerous GOP opponent than former Rep. Rick Lazio, the undistinguished current Conservative favorite." more ›

"I'm going to be the Conservative and the Republican candidate," said gubernatorial hopeful Rick Lazio, who yesterday received the endorsement of the state Conservative Party. When asked what he thinks of Long Island executive Steve Levy’s recent announcement that he’ll defect from the Democratic party to vie for the Republican nomination, he said “I am not worried about him,” but there’s reason to think he should be. For Lazio—who’s short on funds and quiet on the issues—the endorsement could give a boost to a campaign without much oomph. Just as easily it could be taken away. more ›

This image from newly Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Levy's press conference yesterday might say it all. Observer political beat reporter Azi Paybarah snapped the shot, writing, "pictured above is Levy and the clown who wanted a photograph with him." Next, we hope to see Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in a ringmaster hat! more ›

A Long Island Democrat is planning to become a Republican so he has a better shot at becoming Governor. In a move that could turn out shaking up an election many thought was already decided—even though the predicted winner still hasn't officially declared his candidacy—Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy will leave the Democratic Party and become a Republican in pursuit of higher office. more ›

A grand jury indicted the seven teens accused of killing an immigrant in Patchogue. All face charges of gang assault as a hate crime--the teens were allegedly targeting Hispanics-- while one was also indicted on charges of manslaughter as a hate crime for fatally stabbing Marcelo Lucero. Last night, over a 1,000 people held a vigil to honor Lucero--and speak out about racism. According to Newsday, Stony Brook University's director of the Social Justice Center Ruth Brandwein said, "This is an unfortunate, terrible tragedy of racism and bigotry that has some roots here. It's time we in Suffolk acknowledge it and move on," while one El Salvadoran immigrant said Nassau County was more tolerant. Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, whose hardline immigration policies prompted two recent editorials in the NY Times and Newsday, called the seven teens "white supremacists." One of the teens, Jose Pacheco, is Hispanic; his lawyer said, "Jose is distraught that some people think he committed a crime against another Hispanic." more ›

After an Ecuadorean immigrant was stabbed to death, apparently by a group of teens looking to "f--- up" Hispanics, in Patchogue, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy denounced the crime but later claimed it was a "one-day story," suggesting it was getting media attention because of his immigration policies. more ›