Green With Envy

I’m a little behind on this one, so let’s just jump right in: Atlantic City’s mayor, Bob Levy, has said for years and years that he was a Green Beret. He isn’t.

Okay, someone lying about military service isn’t all that rare — but what makes it weirder is Levy had a distinguished service record and was honorably discharged after 20 years. What makes it funnier is that Levy’s successful mayoral bid was based on a platform of ethics. Oh, and he also got out gory photos from Vietnam to try to scare a reporter into submission.

The Press of Atlantic City first looked into the mayor’s past back in September, after a veteran hoping to get Levy to speak at a veterans group he belongs to double-checked to see if Levy was the real deal.

A bunch of records searches by the vet and the Press followed. But here’s where it gets even weirder, after a reporter began to ask the mayor about his military past:

On Oct. 16, a reporter gave administration spokesman Nick Morici a copy of Levy’s publicly available military record and asked for another interview, saying it seemed to indicate Levy had not served with Special Forces.

Within an hour, Morici was on the phone.

“You better open up your ears, now, okay?” Morici told the reporter. “Legal action will be taken if you proceed with this story, by our office.”

Asked why Levy avoided the question, Morici said “Mr. Levy doesn’t have to answer your questions! Okay, and for you to intrude in his life, okay, like this, going off on the whims of talk radio hosts and people who are individuals not connected with this administration and not Atlantic City business, is just totally despicable.”

Later that day, Atlantic City Solicitor Kimberly A. Baldwin faxed a two-page letter demanding that the newspaper “cease and desist from printing any article alleging or implying that Mayor Levy’s military service did not include an assignment to Special Forces. Should such article appear in your newspaper, the mayor is prepared to take swift legal action, including but not limited to a defamation action seeking monetary damages.”

So, basically, the ethical mayor’s buddies responded to the revelation that he wasn’t a Green Beret by threatening to sue. For defamation. Even though he wasn’t a Green Beret. And the story printed would say “he wasn’t a Green Beret.” Right.

Right: You’re waiting for the spin from Levy. Oh, it’s fantastic:

Levy told The Press, “I actually wore a green beret, a Vietnamese green beret. I served with one of the Vietnamese provincial reconnaissance units. Yes, it was green, with a parachute badge in front and wings on the side. … But do I have a S identifier on my MOS? No. That’s not going to be there.” He also said, “I’ve had problems with post-traumatic stress and have been to counseling. This (Green Berets issue) has not helped.”

What, no alcoholism? PTSD is a nice touch, though. The kicker, by far, is that his claim that hopes you make you infer “Oh, he wore a green beret in Vietnam, same thing. Yes, it was green.” Do we have any other spin? Oh, Mrs. Levy, overshadowing the mayor’s appointing to government positions of family and friends of Craig Callaway, the former AC City Council prez who admitted taking bribes.

Man. Corruption and lies in Atlantic City. Can’t they just choose the mayor with a giant roulette wheel or something?

Atlantic City Mayor Levy admits he was never Green Beret [Press of AC]
Investigating the Green Beret claim: A chronology [Press of AC]
Mayor’s wife: I know the man, his heart [Press of AC]
Mayor Bob Levy’s Lie [Press of AC]