Steve Levy and the "Global Thought": Steve Levy (D), the Suffolk County (NY) Executive profiled by the NYT a few weeks ago, is in the news again. Members of the New York state legislature's "minority caucus" are threatening to deny new tax revenue to Suffolk County due to Levy's opposition to "illegal immigration" and refusal to fund a center for "day laborers." According to this Newsday story:

Millions of dollars in sales tax revenue for Suffolk were imperiled Thursday by a dispute between Levy and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, a group of minority members of the Assembly upset over his unbending stand against illegal immigration and his opposition to a hiring hall for laborers.

In a rare move, the minority lawmakers forced a sales-tax bill for Suffolk to be tabled in protest of Levy. He has responded angrily, vowing not to bow to pressure by worker advocates to open a hiring hall for day laborers. He said he would rather forgo the estimated $300 million the county would generate if the bill became law.

On Friday, caucus Chairman Darryl Towns (D-Brooklyn,) said the caucus had to get involved. Members represent a political alliance that strives to give minorities, middle-class, the poor and the working poor a voice in state government.

"Some of the positions that he's taken concern us, especially being sons and daughters of immigrants," Towns said. "We wanted to take an opportunity, to put him back in the global thought. We're state legislators and the caucus has expanded to the point that we are not just legislators from New York City."