Printer Friendly Page
ATLANTIC CITY MAYOR DISAPPEARS WHILE UNDER
INVESTIGATION FOR STOLEN VALOR -- Spokesperson
says he is hospitalized, but that can't be
verified.
For more about phony vets and wannabes, use the
VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/
sessearch.php?q=phony
+wannabe&op=or
Story here...
http://www.foxnews
.com/story/0,2933,299640,00.html
Story below:
-------------------------
Atlantic City Politicians Seek to Determine
Whether They Have a Mayor
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine planned to hold a
news conference in Atlantic City Friday afternoon to weigh in on the
mysterious disappearance of the city's Mayor Robert Levy.
Corzine planned to hold the boardwalk news conference with State
Assemblyman Jim Whelan, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Under federal investigation for embellishing his Army service in
Vietnam, a groggy-sounding Levy called in sick at City Hall, climbed
into his city-issued Dodge Durango and seemingly dropped off the face of
the Earth.
A spokesman issued a 36-word statement saying the mayor was going on
indefinite medical leave. That was a week and a half ago. Aides say he
is in a hospital, but they won't say where, why or for how long.
The mystery and the gathering scandal over Levy's military record have
worried civic leaders in this seaside casino resort, which has a long
history of corruption, with four of the last eight mayors busted on
graft charges and one-third of last year's nine-member City Council in
prison or under house arrest.
"It's a national embarrassment," said City Councilman Bruce Ward, who
planned to ask a judge on Friday to declare the mayor's seat officially
vacant, clearing the way for the council to name a replacement.
"We have entertainment companies that are considering investing billions
of dollars in Atlantic City. They need to know there is stability in
Atlantic City. And we have 40,000 residents here who need to be
protected."
Last fall, The Press of Atlantic City investigated Levy's accounts of
his wartime service and used military records to verify that Levy was a
20-year Army veteran with two Bronze Stars and two tours of duty in
Vietnam. But the newspaper found he was not a member of the storied
Green Berets, as he had claimed.
Shortly afterward, Levy, former head of Atlantic City's lifeguards,
admitted misrepresenting his record.
"I'm sorry for having this happen at all," Levy told The Associated
Press in November. "It's something I should have corrected 40 years ago.
It is what it is, and I apologize for the embarrassment I've created for
myself and my family."
But now, federal authorities are looking into whether the 64-year-old
Levy made the false claims with the intention of bumping up his
veteran's benefit payments, an official with knowledge of the
investigation said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Specifically, investigators want to know whether Levy was properly
awarded a Combat Infantryman's Badge that was used to obtain about
$25,000 more in military benefits than he otherwise would have been
entitled to, the official said.
Levy spokesman Nicholas Morici and the mayor's attorney, Edwin Jacobs,
did not return messages over the past few days. Aides will not say
anything about the mayor's condition, citing medical privacy laws. But
close aide Domenic Cappella said Levy will remain on sick leave for the
next few weeks.
About two dozen demonstrators gathered outside City Hall on Friday
afternoon to protest the stalemate.
Even before word of his embellishments became known, Levy was frequently
absent from City Hall. Levy, who took office more than a year and a half
ago and makes about $100,000 a year, took a leave several months ago
because of what he said were back problems.
Before his disappearance, political opponents had begun gathering
signatures to force a recall election, in part because of his sporadic
attendance, along with his political affiliation with disgraced former
City Council president Craig Callaway, who is serving a nearly 3
1/2-year federal prison term for bribery.
As for other Atlantic City politicians, one councilman is under
indictment on charges of helping to set up another councilman who was
lured to a motel room and filmed having sex with a prostitute.
Still another councilman is facing charges he drunkenly drove his
city-owned car across the Boardwalk and onto the beach in the wee hours.
He was on his way home from a party celebrating the arrests in the
sex-and-video case.
"Atlantic City has become, `Do what you want, when you want,"' said Jim
McDonell, a retired truck driver. "There's no professionalism or
competence here."
Cappella, who is the city's business administrator and has filled in
before when Levy was unable to serve, told The Press that Levy called
him from home on Sept. 26, sounding groggy, and turned over power to
Cappella.
At a news conference earlier this week, Cappella said Atlantic City
government is doing just fine in the mayor's absence.
"Police are still working, fire is still working, trash is still being
collected, and public works is out there sweeping the streets," he said.
The casino industry, whose taxes account for about 82 percent of
Atlantic City's municipal budget, is clearly concerned.
"Our industry generally looks for stability," said Joseph Corbo,
president of the Casino Association of New Jersey. "While the current
state of affairs is obviously is not ideal, we are hopeful that it will
be a short-term situation."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
-------------------------
Larry Scott --
