It’s most apt that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who has ambitions of becoming New York State Governor, presided over an “America’s 250th” event at Peacock Point, a waterfront mansion in Locust Valley, to honor the founding of U.S. Naval Aviation by the First Yale Unit that became known as the “Millionaire’s Unit”, featuring a rainy-day flyover by a U.S. Navy T-45 Goshawk, before an audience of VIPs, Republican officials and county police and first responders, or that the host of the event, Henry Davison II, introduced him as “Mr. Governor…too soon?”
This wasn’t a flyover for 250,000, like at the Jones Beach Memorial Day air show, which this year, is being pushed back to July 5-6 to actually honor America’s 250th. The flyover lasting mere seconds – in rainy weather – was for an audience of about 60 invitees.
Blakeman’s boast about how he got the flyover was particularly revealing: “I called the White House to ask for a flyover and was directed to the Secretary of War,” he gleefully recounted. “Instead of 3 to 4, I got one” because there is a war on, you know. After the fly-by, the two pilots of Training Squadron NINE Tiger – US Navy Lt. Ravendran Shanmugam Thorny and Lt. Luke O’Sullivan (an “exchange” pilot from the Royal Navy Britain) – were ferried to the event by Nassau County Police helicopter, performing a second “flyover” and landing on the lawn.
Blakeman also related how he came to learn of the “Millionaires Unit.” it began at a dinner in New York City where he met a historian whom he asked what he might do to mark the 250th anniversary. He subsequently learned the history of these Yale students who formed their own flying club and went to Europe during World War I.
“The flying group they formed here at Peacock Point became the foundation for the U.S. naval air unit.
“Rather than do what others were doing for the 250th, I wanted to celebrate the rich history of the United States here in Nassau County.”
The event focused on the history surrounding “The Millionaire’s Unit,” a group of young Yale students who founded the U.S. Naval Aviation Reserves in Nassau County and became the first aviation unit to enter World War I from America. County Executive Blakeman highlighted Nassau County’s place in U.S. history and spoke about the values Americans should be proud of as we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary.
In fact, Long Island is known as the “Cradle of Aviation” (there is even a museum dedicated to it) for good reason – the first airplanes were developed and manufactured here, and it was from what is now Roosevelt Field on this very day in 1927 (of which Blakeman was not aware), that Charles Lindbergh set out on his historic solo, nonstop 33.5-hour flight 3,600 miles to Paris. Lindbergh actually stayed at Peacock Point.
“We are known as the Cradle of Aviation, but not that many people know what happened here at Peacock Point,” County Executive Blakeman said. “This is the greatest country in the world. This country was founded on values and principles that have made us a rich, diverse, and, quite frankly, the greatest country in the world…There are values that we cherish: Judeo-Christian work ethic…democracy, freedom of religion, freedom of speech – things we might take for granted. But on this day, we should remember that those freedoms cannot be taken for granted.”
The event was held on the property of Henry Davison II, the grandson of F. Trubee Davison, who with his brother, Henry P. Davison Jr., were founding members of the first Yale Unit (known as the Millionaires’ Unit). He reiterated the importance of honoring American history and spoke about his family’s connection to Nassau County.
“The Davison family has been here for a long time. We have been here longer than anybody but the Indians, and we plan to stay here. And we are never leaving Oyster Bay,” Davison said.
There actually is a link in this event – or rather this family – to America’s 250th. Davison noted that his wife, Christina, is descendent from Benjamin Talmadge who was George Washington’s first spy master. Nathan Hale, Talmadge’s roommate at Yale, was captured by the British very near to this place, and hung in 1776, famously declaring, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” After Hale’s death, Talmadge set up the Culper Spy Ring to report on British troop movements.
Davison, whose great grandfather, Harry P. Davison, was a managing partner of J.P. Morgan, related the story to illustrate his family’s commitment to duty and sacrifice. “There was an explicit understanding, that to whom much is given, much is expected.” Which is why the very wealthy, privileged Davisons and the other Yale men, formed the Millionaires Unit and went to Europe to fight in World War I, when they didn’t have to. “They were willing to sacrifice their own life for those who represented their ideals.”
Actually Harry P. Davison is an American Dream success story. Abandoned by his father and orphaned at a young age, he got into a card game with circus impresario P.T. Barnum who introduced him to his future wife, Kate Trubee, daughter of a local merchant family, and got Harry his first job as a cashier at the Astor Place Bank in New York City, where he foiled a bank robbery and came to the attention of J.P. Morgan. He worked his way up, founded the Bankers Trust Company, became J.P. Morgan’s personal assistant, and ultimately a partner. After J.P. Morgan died, he took the helm. He became chairman and raised funds for the American Red Cross during World War I – a demonstration of where the sense of noblesse oblige originated.
Marc Wortman, author of The Millionaires’ Unit that so inspired Blakeman, related that the First Yale Unit (dubbed “Millionaires’ Unit” for their privileged backgrounds), was a pioneering group of 28 wealthy Yale undergraduates who formed a private air militia in 1916. At a time when the United States had funding for but one airplane (but not for parts or equipment) and just 40 aviators (fewer than Bulgaria), they financed their own training, planes, and equipment and formed a private air militia. Their group became the founding squadron of the U.S. Naval Air Reserve and the first to fly for the U.S. in World War I, ultimately persuading Congress to create the Naval Reserve Flying Corps.
“They formed the vanguard, the nucleus of the service that grew to 40,000 men,” he said. Among them were the first American to fly a bomber, first to fly a submarine patrol, the first strategic bomber force and the first aviator ace (Lt. David Ingalls), as well as the first aviator killed in combat and numerous accounts of heroism – when Harry Davison’s friend, Di Gates, was shot down in Europe, he undertook a rescue mission (Gates was taken as a PoW).
Many members went on to become top government and military officials, including serving as Secretaries of War and Defense. Davison’s godfather was Robert Lovett, one of the Yale First Unit who became Under Secretary of State from 1947 to 1949 and George C. Marshall’s primary deputy. Lovett orchestrated the Berlin Air Lift and spearheaded early Cold War initiatives, including the Marshall Plan.
Wortman noted that the young men were well aware of the risks and horrors that would befall them. Trubee Davison had been an ambulance driver, bringing wounded from the front, before the United States entered World War I. “He knew how dangerous war and flying was.”
“They were after honor, loved their country, had a sense of duty, righteousness, loyalty and a spirit of mission.”
Their stories were all but forgotten when Wortman wrote his book (that was turned into a documentary) based in part on letters from Kenneth MacLeish to his brother, the Pulitzer prize winner Archibald McLeish. Kenneth MacLeish was shot down and killed over Belgium on October 14, 1918—just weeks before the war ended.
“They put their lives at risk for the ideals, the principles that kept our country free,” Blakeman added before unveiling a plaque that will commemorate Peacock Point as the place of the founding of U.S. Naval Aviation.
In addition to covering the history of aviation in Nassau County, the event also featured two live demonstrations. The proceedings began with a ceremonial flyover of a U.S. Navy T-45 Goshawk advanced jet trainer, operated by pilots of Training Squadron NINE “Tigers” of the Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi. A second flyover featuring a Nassau County Police Department helicopter concluded the ceremony.
For the first time in 30 years, the Long Island Rail Road, the biggest commuter rail system in the nation, is on strike, causing havoc across the region, as some 300,000 daily riders have to find alternate ways to get to work.
At a time when the air quality is already bad, the increased traffic and emissions will make it worse.
People who normally have to drive for work, to get to doctor, or some emergency are stuck in traffic, at a time when gas prices are reaching new heights, compounding family financial woes.
You look at the vacant cafes and shops around the train station that are normally bustling with people.
The timing is interesting, aimed at hurting Governor Kathy Hochul who is being challenged by Republican Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County Executive.
The NICE buses which are under Blakeman’s control, take only 13,000 people from Long Island train stations, depositing them at subway stations in Queens.
A commute that normally takes 40 minutes can take 2 hours.
The timing of the strike – the first in 30 years – is interesting, especially since the MTA put very favorable terms on the table, and the LIRR workers are already the highest paid in the nation.
I would bet Trump is behind the Long Island Railroad strike in order to boost Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is the Republican challenging Governor Kathy Hochul and thinks the strike makes Governor Hochul look bad and the pain it will cause the 300,000 daily LIRR riders will result in lots of angry votes against her, because of course you blame the Democrat – except it actually makes Blakeman look impotent.
It also makes it clear that like his idol, Donald Trump, Blakeman is willing to inflict misery and suffering on his constituents in order to benefit himself. The Teamsters, who have supported trump for the unfathomable notion that trump is for workers and for unions (when he has sold workers and unions under the bus at every turn) and that waving the trump flag makes them more patriotic and better Americans than others (radical liberal lunatics who want to be able to afford food, clothing and shelter) are doing this to bolster Blakeman.
Here’s how you know that Blakeman is enjoying seeing Hochul and Long Islanders squirm: he could offer to help organize NICE buses to relieve some of the stress, but instead, uses the opportunity to try to get Hochul to cancel congestion pricing tolls (which he sued to overturn), to be told by Hochul that it is not possible under the federal contract. Instead, the pro-Blakeman NICE unions are urging bus drivers to support the LIRR strikers and not change their schedules to help. (Where were the unions defending the federal workers as they were fired by DOGE?)
But Governor Hochul, while showing respect for unions and workers, has noted that Long Island Railroad workers are already the highest paid in the country, and if the MTA accedes to their fairly outrageous demands, it not only will force a further increase in fares for already hard-pressed Long Islanders, but will trigger similar, unsustainable increases throughout the workforce.
“The LIRR is more stable now than it has been for generations,” Governor Kathy Hochul stated. “The decision by some unions to strike over demands that would threaten that progress is reckless. These unions represent the highest paid workers of any railroad in the nation, yet they are demanding contracts that could raise fares as much as 8%, pit workers against one another, and risk tax hikes for Long Islanders. This is unacceptable. My priority is protecting affordability for riders and ensuring fairness across the workforce.
“The disruption that Long Islanders face starting tonight is the direct result of reckless actions by the Trump Administration to cut mediation short and push these negotiations toward a strike. For weeks, the MTA has attempted to negotiate in good faith and put multiple fair offers on the table that included meaningful wage increases, but you cannot make a deal if one side refuses to engage in good faith.
“Commuters are dealing with unnecessary dysfunction and thousands of union LIRR workers are being forced to go without a paycheck because of decisions made by a small group of union leaders. I stand with LIRR riders and will fight to preserve the long term stability of the MTA. I believe a deal can be done and I urge both the MTA and these unions to return to the table and bargain non-stop until a deal is reached.”
The “Cost of Blakeman” tour through New York State launched here in Nassau County, Long Island, on the steps of the Executive Building where Bruce Blakeman presides as County Executive, by the people “who know Blakeman best.”
They gathered to expose Blakeman’s record as County Executive – or the lack of it – and how he has prioritized appeasing Trump above working to benefit constituents.
“No one knows better than us how important it is to keep him away as far as possible from Governor’s mansion,” declared Jay Jacobs, state and county Democratic Committee chair. “We are taking this message across New York State because we know his record.”
“He has made the county less safe, more expensive for all, in hopes of making Trump happy.”
Blakeman backed Trump’s tariffs and downplays price hikes as a result of the tariffs and the Iran War, and raising property taxes indirectly because, despite his campaign promise, has done nothing to fix assessment system.
Jacobs accused Blakeman of abusing power by creating an armed private militia.
Blakeman has taken to opposing anything that Governor Hochul has proposed, from reforming the bail system to be more just (disregarding the changes to insure violent and repeat offenders are not released), to addressing the crisis in affordable housing, to her gun violence prevention legislation after the Supreme Court knocked down New York’s 100-year old gun control law, to challenging congestion pricing in New York City to improve air quality, reduce traffic and raise necessary funds for capital improvements to mass transit.
When Trump pulled billions from appropriated funding for the $16 billion Hudson Tunnel Project (hinting the money would be restored if New York renamed Penn Station for him), Blakeman didn’t
When Trump pulled millions of federal spending for local law enforcement and community violence prevention programs, Blakeman refused to a lift finger, but Hochul got the money back.
Under Blakeman – who interestingly has always made crime his Number One campaign issue – violent crime has gone up, spiked to the highest levels in decades, Jacobs said, “and excuses too”, despite violent crime rates dropping across the state and nation.
“Nassau declared ‘America’s safest suburb’ was bestowed on Blakeman’s predecessor, Democrat Laura Curran,” he noted.
But under Blakeman, Nassau County Police Department is lower in numbers, detective ranks lower (though pay has been significantly increased).
Blakeman has diverted County detectives to work with ICE for deportation, rather than focus on keeping us safe, and holds a press photo op every time alleged gang members are arrested (most recently, touting that 9 out of 35 people arrested were gang members). He has claimed the county arrested 2,000 criminal migrants, without noting that they were not adjudicated as guilty of crime. Among them, a long-time Great Neck resident, Tomas Orellana, who for years ran the railroad station café, a father of eight who the community is rallying around to provide support, while he was transferred to a detention center in Louisiana where it is difficult for him to obtain legal counsel.
Trump and the Republicans tax bill caused 500,000 New Yorkers to lose healthcare, and as governor, Blakeman has indicated he wants to further gut Medicaid and New York health care, while Hochul has been working to expand access to health care.
“He won’t disagree with Trump privately or publicly, ever. He finds new ways to praise Trump. He couldn’t even condemn Trump for bashing the Pope.
“His entire record is that he has done absolutely nothing…We need a governor who works for us, not to keep Trump happy. Hochul has been laser focused on her Affordability Agenda” – for example, working to build affordable housing, lower car insurance rates, provide child care, and give residents a Trump tariffs rebate. She has fought to claw back the federal funds – such as halting construction of the Hudson Gateway Tunnel and offshore wind projects that are nearing completion – that Trump unilaterally rescinded out of pique or to extort the state to enact his policies. Hochul is laser focused on her Affordability agenda.
“Hochul will make sure that Blakeman adds to his long, long track record of losing elections at every level,” Jacobs declared.
Adrienne Adams, former speaker of the New York City Council who is running with Hochul as Lt. Governor, also accused Blakeman of being 100% MAGA, costing families money while putting safety at risk.
He’s not just supporting Trump, he is promising to enact similar policies at the same level.
Trump stripped 500,000 New Yorkers of healthcare and Blakeman promises further cuts.
Blakeman supports tariffs that hurt New Yorkers while Hochul is demanding refunds to keep money in your pocket.
She is fighting for ICE accountability while Blakeman is fighting for a private MAGA militia [mimicking the unaccountable ICE agents].
He saw Trump go after New York for public safety, infrastructure, child care funds. “But from Blakeman only crickets. He’s not fighting back like Hochul.
He promises Trump-style leadership as governor. “New Yorkers know exactly what that means – and they want no part.
They want a governor to stand up for them. Hochul takes on trump and wins.
“Hochul is getting results, she has the receipts.”
The choice is a governor who fights for you or a MAGA politician who follows trump.
Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whittonnoted, “The past 4 years I’ve had the distinct challenge of trying to work with Blakeman. [His tenure is defined by] headlines, photo ops and political ambition. You don’t see the executive unless there is a camera.”
Democrats, who are relegated to a minority by gerrymandered districting by the Republican Supermajority, have put forward legislation to cap the gas tax, establish a 311 system to reduce pressure on 911, which she said, Blakeman ignored.
Terry Clark of Moms Demand Action, part of Everytown which advocates for gun violence prevention, railed against one of Blakeman’s pet achievements, the creation of a private militia.
“A private militia poses danger to law enforcement, neighborhoods, creates confusion, undermines trust, puts communities at risk. There should be no reason to guess who is charge, who is trained. When lines blurred, violence escalates. It is a matter of accountability and public trust. We deserve to know who the trained professionals are.”
Blakeman has argued for the need for his militia in the event of some emergency. But she noted, “we already have community response teams” who are trained for such emergencies.
“When lives are on line, clarity saves lives, confusion costs lives.”
Blakeman has a knee jerk response to anything that Hochul and the Democrats do. When the Supreme Court overturned New York’s 100-year old gun control law, he came out against Hochul’s newly crafted gun violence prevention law.
“The priorities are never about Nassau County, always about Bruce Blakeman,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “From the start, he has been more interested in auditioning for a role in the Trump administration” so has cheered tariffs, ICE enforcement, and has hosted Education Secretary Linda McMahon at Massapequa high school in decrying a state mandate to replace disrespectful (and inaccurate) Native American mascots at Nassau County schools, and recently hosted Treasury Secretary Bessent for a business roundtable.
“Blakeman has spent four years chasing attention rather than results,” DeRiggi-Whittonsaid.
Nearly half of the reserves have been spent down, she said, asserting wasteful spending and cronyism, like the millions of dollars handed to outside legal services.
Instead of spending the opioid settlement funds on programs, Blakeman has used the interest revenue to avoid having to raise taxes “while programs are desperately in need of funding,” she said.
The Nassau University Medical Center crisis was so severe – financial mismanagement leading to a massive $1.4 billion deficit, executive corruption allegations, and FBI scrutiny over diverted Medicaid funds – Governor Hochul and the state legislature executed a hostile takeover of the hospital’s board, clashing with Blakeman.
“I don’t see how Blakeman helps people. He is loyal to Trump, even after his ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ gutted health care, by $2 trillion, said John Sabo, a healthcare worker and 1199 SEIU delegate who said “the hospital where I work is the hospital where I was born.”
“As a health care worker, I see workers laid off, hospitals closing, health care premiums shooting up so that people pay more or don’t have. To what end? To line the pockets of billionaires, give money for ICE to terrorize neighborhoods and conduct warrantless searches, detaining on a whim, mothers and children. If you just look like a targeted group, you can be detained.
“Blakeman is loyal to Trump, not to people at health risk or who fear ICE will detain, or workers who have to work two jobs to get by. We can do better. Vote right in November.”
Blakeman’s push for the Sands casino project despite community opposition (which Sands ultimately withdrew), and push away of a proposed NYU Langone complex lost the county $7 billion in economic opportunity, DeRiggi-Whittonasserted.
Another example: Blakeman diverted $15 million in tourism promotion funding, taking $5 million for a television ad campaign in places like Oklahoma which promoted himself, and took $10 million the county had paid for years to the professional tourism marketing organization, Discover Long Island, awarding the tourism promotion contract instead to a home-based brand marketer with no experience or connections in tourism marketing.
While Long Island experienced a boom in tourism in 2024, generating $945 million in local and state tax revenue, and a record $7.9 billion in total spending, it was Suffolk County, not Nassau that accounted for the vast majority of the increase, while Nassau actually had a decline. Since Nassau County withdrew from Discover Long Island and redirected its $1 million annual tourism contract to the private marketing firm, Nassau’s tourism receipts declined by 0.4% in 2024, while neighboring Suffolk County experienced a 7% increase. Additionally, the split cost the region $500,000 in annual matching funds from New York State’s “I LOVE NY” program.
Blakeman has taken no action to boost economic development or invest in infrastructure to boost the county’s climate resilience, or address the epidemic of traffic accidents and deaths. What improvements and projects that have been underway have mostly been funded by the state, through such programs as Downtown Revitalization Initiative, grants through the state’s Environmental and Climate bonds, and Department of Transportation grant programs, and while his Comptroller (and possible successor Elaine Phillips) recently attacked state Democrats for sending $9.6 billion to Albany while receiving $4.8 billion in State funding, it is questionable whether the County ever applied for grants.
Partisanship, cronyism and self-service define Blakeman’s tenure.
“Now Blakeman wants to run the state. His arrogance is only matched by [incompetence]. Hochul’s leadership is dedicated to serving all – not just political allies and cronies – and governing seriously,” DeRiggi-Whitton stated.
Bruce Blakeman took only two questions during his hastily called presser to rebut the rally speakers, but refused to answer a question about his economic development accomplishments and how much he has invested out of the nearly billion dollars held in reserve – the interest revenue used to avoid raising taxes – but indicated that he would bring the policies from the county to the state.
He blamed high utility costs on Hochul – not on Trump attempting to cancel wind power projects nearing completion – while mimicking trump’s claim of “clean energy scam”, and vowed to overturn bans on drilling in the Marcellus shale. (Note: consumer’s problem isn’t a lack of availability of fossil fuel, because the cost is set on world market. The USA already produces more than it consumes and has become the #1 exporter.)
He complained about the county sending billions more to state than the county receives back, but there is a question about whether the county has bothered to seek grants for infrastructure, water projects, climate resilience and mitigation, or road safety.
Meanwhile, Blakeman did not bother to show up for an announcement by Governor Kathy Hochul of $150 million in state funding toward a $430 million New York BioGenesis Park, a world-leading specialized cell and gene therapy innovation hub located in Lake Succes (actually telling the Governor never to set foot in Nassau again) and immediately walked out of a ceremony before Hochul appeared to announce the completion of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant in Westbury.
Instead of offering any economic development achievements, he derided Hochul that the budget has been late for the fifth time.
He stressed as his major accomplishment removing 2,000 undocumented migrants, who he claimed were criminal rapists, gang members, gun traffickers (though it is unclear how they were adjudicated, since there are local groups that have monitored how people are being snatched off the street).
“We are the most overtaxed, overregulated state in the United States, 49 out of 50 in economic development, utility costs are 70% higher thanb the national average,” he claimed. “Hochul has made us less affordable, less safe,” despite data that shows the state’s crime rate declining.
“The last 4 years we have had budgets on time, surplus without raising tax. I cancelled the $150 million tax increase put in by my predecessor, and got 7 bond upgrades.
As for the unspent opioid funds that are being used to avoid needing to raise taxes, he claimed he would not do what Hochul does, throw money at programs and also uses the opioid fund interest to balance the budget.
When asked if the voters who put Republicans in power nationally and in Nassau County, are “losing faith” because of pocket book issues, tariffs, the Iran War, Blakeman explained away affordability problems using a phrase that mimics Trump, “The issue is with Hochul and green energy. She has been governor for four years and we have less affordable utility rates. Why aren’t we drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation, one of the largest reserves? That will cut utility costs.
“I would end green energy scam, open Marcellus Shale to drilling,” Blakeman stated.
Asked about the Trump tariffs impacting what New Yorkers spend, Blakeman pivoted to again attack Hochul for increasing energy costs for New Yorkers. (Actually, the increases in New York are being felt nationally, largely due to increased demand from new data centers, advanced manufacturing, and residential electrification, as well as some added fees to fund the transition to clean renewable energy and meet carbon-emission targets, but Trump sought to cancel clean energy projects which will increase supply and lower utility rates, and it is unlikely that Blakeman, if governor, would move forward with the state’s Clean Energy programs.)
As for “international affairs” – the war with Iran which has caused global energy shortage, price hikes and is threatening global recession – Blakeman mouthed the Trump administration line, saying “If in 9/11 they were willing to take out 3000 New Yorkers, if they had a nuke, they would take out 3 million. They hate Americans and have no respect for human life. I am in favor of the Iran War if it ensures Iran will not get a nuke.”
This provided another example of how Blakeman falls into line, recalling when he hosted a rally and blasted President Biden for not expelling Russians from their compound at Glen Cove, Long Island, held a photo op in which he gave Ukrainians a proclamation, but no longer supports providing aid to Ukraine to push out Russia in keeping with Trump favoring Putin.
In his State of the County speech, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman focused on public safety, law enforcement, boasted about the county’s alliance with ICE and its ban on transgender school kids playing on girls’ teams, as the key accomplishments of his administration.
Blakeman, who declared his intention to run for governor the day after his reelection, thanked the audience of county officials and electeds for the honor of serving as the county executive, closed out his 20-minute speech saying, “Looking ahead my commitment will remain stronger than ever. I want us all to continue to thrive. We have the lowest poverty rate in the state- that makes me happy. I want all our residents to live in prosperity, have a good job, good benefits, enjoy not just the necessities but luxuries – vacation, going out to dinner, buying daughter a prom dress. I want Nassau County to remain safest, most affordable, healthiest to live, work, and raise a family in all of America”
Missing from this speech was his usual jabs at Governor Hochul – such as Hochul’s audacity at proposing a no-nonsense plan to build affordable housing – which is interesting in light of his declaration to challenge her for governor. But the speech deliberately omitted any mention of his aspirations or the fact that if he is serious about running for governor, that will be his focus until November, leaving the county’s administration to an unelected underling.
Blakeman offered little in the way of economic development achievements, beyond reducing the time for approvals for business applications. Most of the significant projects were actually through the state’s Downtown Revitalization Program, infrastructure grants and other programs. But he was unable to cite any projects to mitigate climate change, enhance resilience or sustainability, or build upon efforts to turn Long Island into a biomedical, science and research hub.
Blakeman, who vigorously opposed Governor Hochul’s efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing, uncharacteristically cited one project: Frank Stiller’s Tunnels to Towers Foundation is investing $20 million to turn “a rundown, crime ridden” stretch of Long Beach into 50 new homes for vets, first responders and Gold Star families, “which guarantees all who served … a safe and welcoming place in Nassau.”
He boasted of not having raised property taxes for the entirety of his time in office – not mentioning that he has been sitting on close to $1 billion in unspent federal and state grant money, including almost $100 million in opioid settlement funds, in order to use the interest revenue.
But what he is most proud of are the policies and programs that mimic the Trump/MAGA administration’s “anti-woke” – that is anti-political correctness – policies:
“Under our leadership, we stand up for fairness, commonsense in sports- in Nassau County boys play with boys, girls play with girls,” he declared to a standing ovation. “Girls should not be forced to compete in an unfair, unsafe environment. We won’t have bullying. We always protect our girls.”
Blakeman also took a jab at the state’s Education Department which has banned the use of Native American mascots. “My admin will continue to support the traditions and histories of local communities. We are a staunch ally to keep Massapequa the Chiefs, and Wantagh the Warriors, resisting Albany’s efforts to erase our history.” (Actually, the Indian American mascots they have used are not the same tribe that actually lived in Massapequa or Wantagh.)
But he is most visibly connecting to Trump’s policy with his anti-immigrant stance, boasting “Nassau County under my executive order is not a sanctuary county,” receiving another standing ovation.
“In partnership with our federal partners in ICE, Nassau County coordinated the largest gang take down in history – hundreds of arrests, we removed dangerous criminals – MS13.. Our partnership with ICE has removed over 200 illegal migrants who committed crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, carjacking and human trafficking,” Blakeman said, adding that there were no raids at schools, hospitals, churches, daycare. “All arrests are targeted to removing criminals from community.”
He was referring to an incident where over the course of four days in August, 42 people were arrested, of which 25 were gang members, mostly of MS-13.
Of these, 33 of the offenders were in ICE custody without bond, pending removal.
But he tried to moderate his stance, announcing he is working with federal officials to launch a guest worker program aimed at helping businesses fill jobs across Nassau County. The program would focus on what he described as “law-abiding” immigrants.
“Our business community needs these workers. We will continue to work to improve their situations in Nassau County by working with federal officials,” Blakeman said.
Blakeman focused almost entirely on law enforcement, noting that Nassau County is once again (as it was under his Democratic predecessor Laura Curran) the safest county of its size in the country.
But while Blakeman likes to focus on public safety, he has ignored the epidemic of traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities in Nassau County, a no-show at summits and conferences dedicated to road safety.
Traffic fatalities in Nassau County rose to at least 78 in 2025, up from 67 in 2024, according to data from Newsday’s fatality tracker, while serious injuries increased significantly in 2024 (latest available data) to 873, up from 744 in 2023, according to Newsday. The increase in traffic fatalities in Nassau County is despite the fact traffic fatalities fell across New York State in 2025. Newsday has had an ongoing investigation into Long Island’s Dangerous Roads, concluding that the area has experienced higher rates of fatal crashes due to heavy car reliance, aggressive driving, and dangerous road designs for pedestrians and cyclists.
Almost at the same time as Blakeman was delivering his speech at the County’s Theodore Roosevelt Legislative Building, two pedestrians were struck and killed in separate accidents in Roslyn. 63-year old Elena Crowley, worked as a security aide at Roslyn HIgh School, was struck by a 57-year-old man driving a 2025 GMC pickup truck on Briard Street; earlier in the day, 69-year-old woman, Claudia Moncada of Glen Cove, was crossing the eastbound lanes of Glen Cove Road when she was struck by a red 2018 Dodge Challenger driven by a 26-year-old man traveling north.
Blakeman has done nothing to attempt to incorporate the recommendations of traffic engineers to improve road safety, nor promote a public education campaign aimed at encouraging a responsible, safe-driving culture.
His one public statement on traffic enforcement came from an attack on the state legislature which was contemplating restricting law enforcement’s ability to stop drivers as a pretext to checking their immigration status.
By the same token, he has done nothing for public health, using the same “ostrich with head in the sand” as Trump, resulting in hundreds of thousands of needless deaths. Coming into the office during the Omnicron version of the COVID-19 epidemic, he immediately declared COVID finished, and has never published incidents of coronavirus or flu, or urged residents to get vaccinations and boosters, in light of the administration’s anti-vax crusade.
In her Democratic response, Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton declared, “Tonight we heard a polished speech filled with promises. But Nassau County residents deserve results, and after five years, the gap between Bruce Blakeman’s rhetoric and reality couldn’t be clearer.”
DeRiggi-Whitton pointed to several key promises the County Executive made when he first ran for office that remain unfulfilled.
“When he ran in 2021, Bruce Blakeman promised to fix Nassau’s broken assessment system,” she said. “Five years later, it’s more broken than ever because he kept assessment rolls frozen, a move that hurts taxpayers while benefiting tax grievance firms that fund his campaigns.”
She also criticized the administration for failing to deliver on promised tax relief.
“He promised tax cuts. Not one has been delivered,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “Instead, $385 million in federal pandemic relief meant to help families and small businesses was used to plug budget holes while millions were spent on politically connected lawyers, parades, and galas.”
In contrast to his boasts about adding 600 police officers to the ranks and intention to add more, DeRiggi-Whitton said the administration has failed to address critical public safety staffing shortages.
“Police staffing is below required levels. 911 operator positions remain dangerously understaffed,” she said. “Those are basic responsibilities of government, and this administration is falling short.”
She also raised concerns about the County Executive’s decision to divert detectives to assist federal immigration enforcement while local staffing shortages persist.
DeRiggi-Whitton further criticized the administration for failing to deploy opioid settlement funding meant to combat addiction.
“More than $100 million in opioid settlement funds are sitting unspent while families continue to lose loved ones to addiction,” she said. “Those funds were meant to save lives — not make a budget look better.”
She also cited a lack of transparency surrounding the County Executive’s controversial armed volunteer deputy program – derided as his private militia.
“Nassau residents deserve transparency, especially when taxpayer dollars and public safety are involved,” DeRiggi-Whitton said.
DeRiggi-Whitton concluded by urging residents to judge the administration by its record.
“Campaign promises are easy,” she said. “Governing requires focus. Nassau residents deserve leadership that is focused on their needs, not personal political ambition.”
The question is whether Nassau County residents will let Bruce Blakeman, seeking reelection as County Executive, get away with his malicious lies that exploit and traumatize rape victims, while at the same time, hiding his accountability for shutting down the one safe haven for victims of rape, domestic violence and abuse available to them.
Republicans from the highest office (Trump) down to the lowest local politician have made lying the key weapon in well-funded campaigns. This is the latest and most egregious.
Using a law review article written by his opponent, Nassau Legislator Seth Koslow, as a law student (when they are being taught to defend both sides of a legal case), Blakeman accuses Koslow in his campaign flyers and commercials of being “an extremist” who supports rapists instead of their victims and won’t keep women safe. (Koslow went on to become a Queens prosecutor prosecuting family law cases.)
The mailers have triggered trauma of survivors of rape and domestic violence even decades after.
Yet it is months since Blakeman’s withdrew funding for the Safe Center (formerly the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Child Abuse), which provided the only safe haven for victims of domestic abuse in a county of 1.4 million people, forcing the service to close. At the time, Blakeman claimed to have another vendor (or the Nassau University Medical Center which was embroiled in financial scandal) to operate the shelter. But no new operator was contracted and without funding, the shelter was forced to close.
In 2023, the last year for which statistics were publicly available, Nassau County had 4,410 victims of domestic violence, according to the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Service, Newsday reported
Blakeman acknowledges in the mailers’ fine print that the damning accusations he levels against his opponent, Democrat Seth Koslow, are based on a law review article written while he in law school, where students are taught to defend both sides of a legal case.
“Americans are sick of politicians’ lies and distortions,” declared Jody Kass, founder of Nassau Residents for Good Government (NRGG), at a rally on the steps of the County Executive Building. “The insensitive, graphic mailers are triggering rape victims.”
She accused Blakeman of misogyny in trying to score political points by exploiting victims, while trying to hide away from his own actions which put women at risk of rape, abuse, even death.
“Blakeman’s disgraceful campaign lies are compounded by his actions that resulted in the shutting down of the Safe Center, Nassau’s only agency for domestic violence and sexual assault victims, earlier this year. And, his 2026 budget has zero funding for the Safe Center. Are Blakeman’s lies about his opponent intended to keep voters’ eyes off his own record of cutting services for rape victims, and victims of domestic violence? Voters demand transparency and honesty, not performative outrage coupled with a failure to act.”
Ronni Levine of Planned Parenthood Greater New York, who had worked with countless individuals seeking counseling and safety, said New Yorkers want to elect local and state representatives who are committed to protecting reproductive rights. But certain politicians are going after abortion rights, contraception and gender affirming care, cutting off grants that are creating unprecedented financial challenges, harming the ability to access care, and pushing policies that threaten bodily autonomy.
Planned Parenthood NY PAC, which endorses candidates that support reproductive freedom and health care, endorsed Koslow.
Blakeman also opposed Governor Kathy Hochul’s effort to restore gun safety legislation after the Supreme Court overturned the state’s century-old gun control regulations. At the time, Blakeman cheered the ruling, declared he wanted to expedite licensing and enable people to bring their guns into their synagogue.
Janet Goldstein of the Moms Demand Action’s Long Island group, said that gun violence is a women’s issue.
She referred to Everytown research showing that abusers with firearms are five times more likely to kill their female victims, and guns further exacerbate the power and control dynamic commonly used by abusers to inflict emotional abuse and exert coercive control over their victims. Every month, more than 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner. Nearly 6 million women reported having a gun used on them by an intimate partner. In 46 percent of mass shootings between 2015 and 2022, the perpetrator shot a current or former intimate partner or family member as part of the rampage. The ripple effects of firearms in the hands of an abuser extend far beyond the intimate relationship—affecting children who witness or live with it and the family members, coworkers, and law enforcement officers who respond to it.
“Guns don’t just escalate the abuse, they make domestic abuse more likely to end in death,” Goldstein said. “The trauma of domestic abuse lasts a lifetime. We need to fight for stronger laws. Instead of keeping people safe, Blakeman is exploiting the pain and trauma of domestic violence for political gain.”
A young woman recalled her own trauma of having been raped in Central Park when she was 14 years old. “It is still hard to say ‘rape,’ ‘sexual assault takes away some of the sting, but rape is true violence.” She said she was re-traumatized by Blakeman’s flyers coming into her mailbox and his commercials.
“Leaders are supposed to look out for all of us. We had a place where we could go for counseling, it even had a safe house. When I was raped, I didn’t have a safe center to go to – I was alone at a public health clinic in Jamaica Queens. I was re-traumatized by the mailings. I am tired of women and girls made to feel ‘less than’, exploited and victimized. We deserve more from our leaders.”
Lisa Saltzman, a criminal defense attorney who has represented “too many” victims, said the Safe Center was the “gold standard” to refer for services and safety. “Many survivors have to leave behind their home, their income, sometimes even their children. The Safe Center was a lifeline to regain their freedom and dignity, where they could get counseling, housing, employment, without living in fear of being raped, abused, even killed.”
“When the county supported the center, it was saying ‘You deserve to be safe, heard, free of violence at the hand of your abuser.’ By closing the center, Blakeman is saying, ‘No you don’t.’ Blakeman doesn’t care about women in Nassau County at risk of rape or being killed by their abuser,” Saltzman said.
“Stop lying and accusing your political opponent of not protecting women when that is what he is doing.” These lies are offensive and should be illegal.
Kass has been tracking and exposing Blakeman’s lies on the “Deceived Nation” website (DeceivedNation.com). “Blakeman’s lies cause damage, pain and suffering every day.”
But she said there is a through-line from Blakeman’s lies to George Santos, who committed fraud and lied his way to a Congressional seat in New York’s 3rd District. Kass’ group, Concerned Citizens of NY03, was largely responsible for Santos ultimately being expelled from Congress, though Republicans held on to him as long as possible because he provided a critical vote. Santos was indicted, prosecuted, and finally sentenced (after pleading guilty) to 7 ¼ years, but Trump has just commuted his sentence (and his obligation to pay his victims $350,000 in restitution) after just 84 days in a cushy prison.
“In Trump’s MAGA Republican party, lying is good, is encouraged, applauded and rewarded. Santos lied and was rewarded with a seat in Congress. Caught lying, the GOP kept him.”
“Blakeman also has serious challenges with the truth,” Kass said.”He’s served as County Executive for nearly four years, having campaigned on fixing the County’s broken tax assessment system, cutting $100 million in taxes, opposing the red light camera fees and protecting our constitutional rights, particularly on healthcare decisions, among other objectives,” Kass declared.
“Blakeman has cut services for women and brought nasty, partisan, misogynistic lies to Nassau, but has he achieved any of his campaign promises? Blakeman owes voters an honest and transparent report on his accomplishments. Instead of violating voters’ mailboxes nearly every day with his litany of dark and dishonest accusations and distortions about his opponent, it’s time for Blakeman to start explaining what he’s accomplished these last four years.
“Blakeman is lying to get reelected. He is the one taking away women’s protection.”
Nassau County, NY County Executive Bruce Blakeman has spent his entire time in office honing to the MAGA Trump Republican line in an attempt to curry favor – perhaps a position in the administration. He never fails to attack Democrats – cashless bail, affordable housing, gun safety – instead of working together with state and local leaders to improve lives, public health and safety of constituents. He is sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding from the Biden administration, and blaming Biden for opioid addiction he attributes to “open borders”, rather than spend the funds from the opioid settlement on treatment. He has proved complicit with the Trump administration’s cruel and unconstitutional crackdown on undocumented migrants rather than address the real public safety threats, including historic levels of traffic fatalities and injuries and outsized incidents of violent crime, including gun and domestic violence, when the state and New York City are seeing significant drops.Instead, he has diverted funds to create a private militia and banned wearing mask in public (but not for the migrant capturers).
He actually refused to show up when Governor Kathy Hochul came to the county to announce hundreds of millions of dollars invested in a new state-of-the-art world-class gene therapy research lab, and had told the governor months before to “never set foot” in his county. He also left a ceremony announcing the completion of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization grant program before the Governor began her remarks.
Instead of seeking out state funding for climate action, infrastructure and economic development, or working collaboratively to increase the supply of affordable housing, he diverted $10 million in tourism promotion funding from Discover Long Island, a professional tourism marketing organization, to a home-based branding person with no experience or contacts in tourism marketing, and used $5 million in television commercials to market himself in places like Oklahoma.
This op-ed penned by Nassau County Legislator Olena Nicks provides an inside view of what happens when elected officials only practice politics for the sake of political power rather than governing for the benefit of constituents – that is, all constituents, not just to appease their own voters. –Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com
Olena Nicks, of Uniondale, was elected to the Nassau County Legislature in a February 2025 special election. She represents Nassau’s Second Legislative District.
By Olena Nicks
My first five months as a Nassau County Legislator have been an eye-opening lesson in the operations of government, and it has reinforced my belief in how necessary bipartisanship is for a strong government to function effectively and equitably. Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Nassau County Executive Bruce A. Blakeman’s hyper-partisan approach to local government has erected unnecessary roadblocks, creating an indelible impression in my mind of the tremendous obstacles that are created by such an approach.
Since the start of this Legislative term, County Executive Blakeman has processed dozens of Community Revitalization Project (CRP) grants for districts served by Republicans, thereby allowing 50 of their requests to reach the Legislative calendar in regular order. Meanwhile, he has stonewalled every request for districts served by Democratic legislators, delaying funding for improvements to local parks, schools and libraries and impeding the delivery of resources for the firefighters, EMS, and local police that keep us all safe.
As a longtime Uniondale Fire Department member, it is mind-boggling that someone would prioritize funding for our first responders based upon political representation. Every first responder steps up to serve and protect the public without fear, favor, or consideration of the party registration of the person they’re helping.
Funding for these grants is allocated to each Legislative district through the County’s capital plan, so the money is already in place. While the County Executive’s role is strictly to process the applications onto the Legislative calendar, he has consistently refused.
This spring, I stood with my Democratic colleagues as we drew a line in the sand. We agreed that we would not release our votes for the Fiscal Year 2025 capital infrastructure plan, which requires a 13-vote supermajority to pass, until the County Executive funded first responders in all of our communities. By including guardrails such as this supermajority requirement for bonding, the drafters of the Nassau County Charter recognized the role of bipartisanship in healthy local government – and the importance of giving the Minority appropriate leverage with which to force an obstinate majority or executive branch to the negotiating table.
Limiting or politicking CRPs is just one example of how dysfunctional government becomes when even routine issues become a political showdown. Consider the following:
Nassau County is the only municipality in our region that does not recognize Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in America, as an official holiday. I recently filed legislation, which was introduced in 2021 by former Legislator and current Senator Siela Bynoe, to effectuate this change and require the County to begin good-faith negotiations with our unions. Democrats have filed this four times, and each time, the Republican-controlled Legislature has refused to advance it. A separate measure I co-sponsored to match Suffolk County in recognizing July 1 as Muslim American Appreciation Day has similarly not moved.
Democrats have introduced common-sense legislative proposals to put epi-pens in every police vehicle, equip every park and athletic facility with defibrillators and bundle fentanyl testing strips with every Narcan kit we distribute. The County Executive has blocked each of these with assistance from a Republican Majority that operates more as a rubber stamp than a coequal branch of government.
And, as we speak, the County is sitting on $98 million in proceeds from various settlements with opioid manufacturers, retailers and distributors. To date, County Executive Blakeman has gotten just 9 percent of those funds to agencies that provide prevention, treatment and recovery resources.
Which brings us back to where we are now – the County Executive is still refusing to process our CRPs in regular order. Now, we are fighting for the Blakeman administration to release long-stalled grant funds for local libraries, schools and parks – including $150,000 to modernize Hempstead Village’s Mirschel Park, and $162,150 for a Westbury Fire Department memorial to members who made the ultimate sacrifice while in the line of duty.
To be clear, bipartisanship does not entail sacrificing one’s core values. It calls upon us to seek areas in which we share common goals – supporting our first responders, making communities safer and stronger for our families, and ensuring effective, responsive government. Making one community more vibrant uplifts all of Nassau County, and it is essential for us to work together to achieve that outcome whenever we can.
Although these first several months have brought their share of frustrating moments, I remain optimistic and committed to doing my part to restore a spirit of collaboration to our county and our nation when it is needed the most.
Olena Nicks, of Uniondale, was elected to the Nassau County Legislature in a February 2025 special election. She represents Nassau’s Second Legislative District.
As Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman was signing an Executive Order showing support for the Trump Administration’s mass deportation activities, and stood up a private militia to assist, Nassau County Legislator, Democrat Scott M. Davis, penned this op-ed decrying Blakeman’s legally suspect “Provisional Deputy Sheriff” program.
Blakeman also advocated for passing the first ban on wearing a mask in public in New York State (notably, not a ban on wearing a mask during the commission of a crime, but anyone wearing a mask in public), inviting discriminatory police stops like the New York City, Rudy Giuliani-era stop-and-frisk policies that were ruled unconstitutional. But while Blakeman led the way to arrest people wearing a mask, he just signed an Executive Order allowing police to wear masks. Blakeman’sExecutive Order comes in the wake of a new bill that would ban ICE agents from wearing masks to conceal their identities while working in New York City. County Executive Blakeman derided the legislation and the decisions made by the New York City Council as being “pro-criminal and un-American.”
Notably, while the Supreme Court years ago ruled wearing a mask at a protest was protected under the Constitution, a federal judge just ruled that snatching people based on their skin color, language, occupation violated the 4th Amendment. Trump’s Deportation Czar Holman said that was exactly the criteria the ICE agents and their surrogates were using, and as a result, also swept up U.S. citizens. The agents’ use of masks is intended to shield them from accountability for their unlawful actions.
The Republican county executive, who has been hard at work currying favor and attention to prove himself a loyal soldier of the Trump’s team, is part and parcel of the Trump Administration’s march to a police state. How Blakeman will use his private militia – basically deputized private citizens with guns – in the service of Trump’s mass deportation policy is the issue and the concern. – Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com
By Scott M. Davis
As a Nassau County resident and member of the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee, I believe it is important for all residents to be fully informed about County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s ill-considered appointment of Provisional Deputy Sheriffs. The program, which has become known colloquially as Blakeman’s “militia,” is unlawful, an overreach of Executive authority, and creates an unnecessary risk of liability for Nassau County.
The program, which was launched in March 2024 and is currently being challenged in State Supreme Court, seeks to allow for the appointment of armed civilian volunteers to serve as “provisional deputy sheriffs” during a declared emergency. The purported rational for enacting this law, according to County Executive Blakeman, is “to provide an extra layer of protection”. He contends that these armed civilians would be deployed only in extreme emergencies where County and local law enforcement are overwhelmed and unable to respond – in essence inserting armed volunteer civilians into the worst possible circumstances which would be challenging even for the most seasoned law enforcement professionals.
Simply put, Nassau County does not need an “extra layer of protection” from a private civilian militia in 2025. Our nearly 1.4 million residents are protected by over 22 village and city police departments, a highly trained County police force numbering nearly 2,600 officers, an Office of Emergency Management, the New York State Police and the National Guard if necessary.
These resources have led U.S. News and World Report to designate Nassau County as the safest County of its size in the United States – a designation which is clearly indicative of a robust, well-trained, staffed and equipped police department that is fully capable of addressing any emergency in the County. To date, there has been no request for additional support from armed civilians by any law enforcement agency in the County, nor has there been any indication the current police departments would be understaffed should an emergency arise.
Moreover, this annual study of more than 3,100 Counties nationwide determined that we border two Counties that similarly excel in public safety – Queens to the west (20th safest) and Suffolk to the east (22nd safest).
Not only is the program unnecessary, I believe it is unlawful. The legal authority that the County Executive has cited for forming his militia is New York County Law section 655, which provides “for protection of human life and property during an emergency, the sheriff may deputize… such number of additional special deputies as he deems necessary”. Enacted in the 1930s, this archaic law was intended for emergencies where there were inadequate law enforcement personnel for protection of human life or property – particularly in rural areas with sparse populations and small police departments that could be understaffed and overwhelmed during an emergency.
It is my belief that Nassau is not a County that this antiquated law was intended for, and that this statute does not give County Executive Blakeman the authority to deputize and marshal a force of armed civilians.
My Democratic colleagues and I have many unanswered questions regarding the core details of this program. Who trains these civilians and what does the training entail? Will members of the militia be provided with uniforms and weapons? Who do members of the militia report to? Who determines when and where they are deployed? Is Nassau County liable in the event of negligence by a member of the militia?
The residents of Nassau County deserve transparency and answers. Faced with the Blakeman administration’s refusal to communicate with the Legislators or respond to Freedom of Information requests (FOIL) regarding the militia, and the belief that the civilian militia is a misapplication of the law, the only option remaining was to file a lawsuit against Blakeman challenging the legality of his Provisional Deputy Sheriff Program and compel transparency.
For these reasons, I along with my fellow Public Safety Committee member Alternate Deputy Minority Leader Debra Mulé, filed suit in Nassau County Supreme against the Blakeman administration on Feb. 5.
Scott M. Davis, of Rockville Centre, has represented the Nassau County Legislature’s First District since 2024.
