Spin Cycle

Rick Brand reports on an interesting political appointment:

Former Republican Islip town board member Pamela Greene quietly landed, at year’s end, in a Suffolk County job as assistant director of real estate, which pays $89,262 a year. James Burke, who made $105,000 annually, vacated the job in 2006.

Greene, a longtime friend and ally of County Executive Steve Levy, and wife of political consultant Michael Dawidziak, who’s worked for Levy, was originally slated to head the consumer affairs office, according to sources, but that plan was scrubbed when it appear Greene might have trouble getting the needed legislative votes for confirmation. Levy instead last month installed former assistant state attorney general Denis McElligott to administer the consumer agency, which has been without top leaders for months at $96,000 a year. McElligott will have to undergo a confirmation process when the office becomes a department in the coming weeks.