County Executive Bellone "Tom Spota you must resign from this office"

By p.biancaniello

At a hastily arranged press conference held on the steps of the District Attorney office building this afternoon Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone called for District Attorney Thomas Spota to resign.  

Saying “Tom Spota you must resign from this office.” Bellone sited today’s Newsday article as a reason he was asking for Spota to resign today.  The article:DA Thomas Spota’s wiretap of Robert Macedonio: New details of probe By Gus Garcia-Roberts and Will Van Sant gives a detailed description of incidents that were not followed up on by the DA.

The District Attorney’s position is an elected position and as such, there is no procedure in place to forcibly remove DA Spota. Although there is a great deal of rhetoric and an ongoing federal investigation Spota has not been charged nor convicted of any crime. With cameras rolling Bellone delivered to an assistant district attorney a letter calling for Spota to resign his position. Should Spota not resign Bellone pledged to call on the Governor to take action to remove him. 

Bellone opened the press conference by referencing his first visit to the DA’s office some twenty years ago when James Catterson was the Suffolk County District Attorney. 

“I supported Tom Spota for district attorney because I believed that he was the man that was taking on corruption and would end corruption and political persecution. It has now become clear that that was simply a reshuffling of the deck chairs and that the culture of corruption that has clearly existed now in this county and in law enforcement for decades has continued unabated and has only worsened.” County Executive Steve Bellone