A.C. mayor goes AWOL

ATLANTIC CITY - Where's the mayor?

Not since "Where's Waldo?" and "Where's the Beef?" has such a query caused such a stir.

In this resort, where the streets are literally paved by gambling revenues, they're taking bets on what might have become of Mayor Bob Levy and whether his disappearance signals another impending scandal involving the city's top job.

Amid reports of a federal probe into false claims that Levy admits he made regarding his Vietnam military service, the mayor drove off last Wednesday in a silver, city-owned Dodge Durango and has not officially been heard from since.

His lawyer says that Levy is in a hospital, but isn't giving up anything else.

Rumors flew last week that Levy was ready to resign and would hold a news conference. But his assistants insisted that none of that was true.

How long will he be gone? And how does such apparent abandonment of his office bode for a city trying to attract new gaming business as new casinos in other states are popping up faster than jellyfish on the beach?

"You can't have this big mystery going on and have a functioning city government," said State Assemblyman Jim Whelan, a former Atlantic City mayor. "His first responsibility, as an elected official, is to the people who elected him to office. They deserve an explanation."

Whelan's statement may seem unremarkable, except for the fact that he has been Levy's best friend since they spent teenage summers together as lifeguards on Atlantic City beaches. Until recently, battling middle-aged paunches, they were rowing partners most mornings on Atlantic City's back bays.

So when Whelan publicly called for Levy to either explain his absence or resign, he was railed by his political opponents, who called his statement a cheap shot against a friend.

"My statement is out of frustration that I see a dysfunctional Atlantic City government that needs to fulfill its obligation to the people of Atlantic City, and really, the entire region," said Whelan in a telephone interview yesterday. "The casinos are the lifeblood of this region and at a time when we are competing to attract new investment, we cannot have this kind of dysfunction and appearance of an unstable city government."

The city's image as a bastion of bad government strikes deeply with Whelan, one of the city's few modern mayors whose administration did not end in disgrace. Three of the city's last six mayors have been arrested.

Currently, one-third of Atlantic City's City Council members are in prison or awaiting sentencing. Another city councilman was caught in a videotaped sex act with a prostitute last year. He said he was set up by political opponents.

Since taking office two years ago, Levy may have spent as much time out of his City Hall office as he did serving in it.

As 2006 closed, the mayor turned over city government to the city business administrator, Domenic Cappella, without telling anyone while he took a mysterious 11-day medical leave.

After Levy returned to work, his attendance record around the office and at City Council meetings has been spotty, according to colleagues. He rarely makes ceremonial appearances for groundbreakings or ribbon-cuttings.

After Levy went underground a week ago, his office issued a 36-word statement, saying he is on medical leave until further notice. Cappella declared himself in charge.

City Council members, though, say Cappella can't be in charge, because state law requires a mayor, when absent, to transfer power to an appointee for a specified period. They say Levy fled without formally transferring power to anyone.

The City Council on Monday petitioned the state attorney general to help determine who's running Atlantic City. It's unclear whether the answer is forthcoming.

Levy's attorney, Edwin Jacobs, one of the region's top criminal defense lawyers, confirmed the 59-year-old mayor was in the hospital "on extended medical leave." Jacobs, before leaving for a vacation himself, declined to elaborate.

Things got personal after Whelan, a Democrat in a contentious race for state Senate against Sen. James "Sonny" McCullough (R., Atlantic), publicly said Levy owes the public an explanation.

With all the drama of a Greek tragedy, Edward Kline, campaign manager for McCullough and his Republican slate, called Whelan's comments "a sad, shameful and sickening example of backstabbing for political advantage."

Then, in a local radio debate with Whelan Monday night, McCullough called for Levy's resignation "if he is incapable of being in office."

Levy's public problems started last fall, when he acknowledged to a reporter for the Press of Atlantic City that he misrepresented his military background during his mayoral campaign.

He had claimed to have served in the Army Green Berets during the Vietnam War, but in November said he never was in the elite Army Special Forces group.

Levy's service record shows he served two tours in Vietnam and was decorated for bravery twice.

The resort city's recent mayors include:

Michael J. Matthews, 1982-1984. Pleaded guilty to taking bribes from an undercover FBI agent and with other corruption schemes involving mob leaders. Sentenced to 15 years.

James L. Usry, 1984-1990. Charged in 1989 with 13 other political leaders in "Operation Comserv," and pleaded guilty to taking an illegal $6,000 campaign contribution. Admitted into a pretrial intervention program that expunged his conviction.

James Whelan, 1990-2001. Credited with stabilizing city government and running a corruption-free administration.

Lorenzo Langford, 2002-2005. Sued the city for employment discrimination, shared in an $850,000 settlement that a judge later declared "invalid."

Robert Levy, 2006-present. Federal law enforcement authorities are said to be investigating Levy's claims to have fought in the elite Army Green Berets in Vietnam.

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