Thursday, April 24, 2025
Nassau County families are paying the price for County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s broken promises and failed leadership. As a legislator and former prosecutor, I know what it means to hold people accountable — and it’s time someone held Blakeman accountable for his disastrous record.
'When Blakeman ran for office, he promised to cut taxes and make Nassau more affordable. Ask anyone in the county if that’s what happened. Taxes are higher than ever, and life here has only gotten more expensive. Blakeman promised relief, but instead, families in the Town of Hempstead got hit with a 12 percent tax hike. That’s not relief; that’s robbery.
Instead of focusing on what matters — lowering costs, fixing our broken property assessment system and helping working families — Blakeman has spent his time spinning stories, pointing fingers and playing political games. It’s all a desperate attempt to distract us from his failures. But no amount of spin can hide the truth: Blakeman hasn’t done his job.
While Nassau families struggle to keep up with rising costs, Blakeman has been busy funneling taxpayer dollars into the pockets of his political cronies. Last year alone, he handed out $20 million in contracts to outside attorneys — many of them his campaign donors — for work that the county’s own legal staff could and should handle. It’s a blatant abuse of power, a corrupt cash grab at the expense of Nassau residents.
Meanwhile, hardworking county employees, the backbone of our workforce, were promised affordable health care in exchange for their service. Blakeman turned his back on them, gutting their benefits and jacking up their rates, leaving these dedicated workers and their families to suffer. It’s heartless, it’s dishonest and it’s disgraceful.
Even Nassau’s bravest — our firefighters, police officers and EMS workers — aren’t safe from Blakeman’s political games. Right now, he is withholding over $1 million in crucial funding for lifesaving equipment, including turnout gear, CPR devices and communication upgrades, simply because those first responders serve in districts represented by Democrats. That’s not just petty; it’s dangerous. Nassau County’s first responders risk their lives for us every day. They deserve better than Blakeman’s political payback.
Meanwhile, he continues to sit on nearly $100 million in opioid crisis funding, most of it accrued during a previous administration. This money was meant to save lives — to fund education, prevention and treatment programs. Instead, Blakeman lets it collect dust while families lose loved ones to addiction.
And perhaps most reckless of all, Blakeman has introduced a dangerous militia program that gives police powers to armed civilians with barely any training. Nassau doesn’t want this. Nassau doesn’t need this. We already have the best-trained police force in the nation, and they don’t need untrained civilians with guns making their jobs harder and more dangerous.
Bruce Blakeman has had over 1,100 days to deliver on his promises. Instead, he’s spent that time playing politics, rewarding cronies, and putting Nassau families at risk. The truth is simple: His lies, distractions and failures are costing Nassau families — and the county deserves better.
It’s time for leadership that puts families first, not political allies. It’s time for leadership that delivers real solutions, not spin and distractions. It’s time for leadership that’s focused on what matters most: making Nassau County affordable, safe and strong.
We’ve waited long enough for Blakeman to do his job. It’s time for a change. We deserve better.
Seth Koslow represents Nassau County’s 5th Legislative District.
