Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman kicked off his second term at a packed swearing-in ceremony Monday where took a dig at Gov. Kathy Hochul in what could be a preview of a heated election.
More than 600 supporters showed up at the Cradle of Aviation Museum as Blakeman, a Republican re-elected in the Democrat-heavy county in November, officially returned to office — with hopes to use it as a launching pad to win his party’s nod to take on Hochul.
Blakeman, after taking the stage, said that when he first took office four years ago, “the whole state was in turmoil,” under Hochul’s leadership.
The county executive told the crowd that he’s since worked to make Nassau County an anomaly despite the direction of state leadership.
Blakeman said his record in the county will be the model for the state if he unseats Hochul, running on a platform to overhaul the state’s public safety, immigration enforcement, energy and tax system to make New York “safer and more affordable.”
The county executive, who was sworn in by his wife and county judge Segal, highlighted his first-term achievements, including holding the line on taxes and setting county funding for police and immigration enforcement.
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino also pointed out Blakeman’s accomplishments when introducing him.
“Bruce Blakeman is a leader who has stood up to nonsense and the radicals — and he did so without raising taxes a dime in four years,” said Saladino.
During the event, Blakeman got right back to county business, signing a new religious safety law.
The Religious Safety Act, which was unanimously passed by the Nassau County legislature in December, prohibits protests within 35 feet of the entrances of houses of worship and other religious buildings — and prevents demonstrators from coming within 10 feet of people entering or leaving.
The law mirrors legislation proposed by state lawmakers and backed by Hochul. Violators could be slapped with fines of up to $250 and up to a year behind bars.
“You all know how I feel about religious freedom and the ability of people to worship in their mosque, their church, their synagogue, their temple — and therefore, we will protect people’s rights to freely worship here,” Blakeman said.
A former county legislator and ally of President Trump, Blakeman took over as Nassau county executive on Jan. 1, 2022.
He’s since pushed a strong conservative agenda, declaring Nassau would not be a “sanctuary” county — in contrast to Empire State guidance that prohibits cooperation with the feds on immigrant civil enforcement actions.
Blakeman has also spearheaded a sweeping cooperation agreement with US Customs and Immigration Enforcement, including training for a hand-picked squad of Nassau County cops.
The county executive additionally beefed up hiring and training practices for cops and corrections officers, banned masks in public, barred trans athletes from competing on county property and created an armed citizen deputy program during his first term.
He closed the ceremony by alluding that his second term will serve not only as a continuation of his first, but prove he’s ready to pack up and relocate to Albany.
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