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Bruce Blakeman
10th Executive of Nassau County
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2022
Preceded byLaura Curran
Member of the Nassau County Legislature
from the 7th district
In office
January 1, 1995 – December 31, 1999
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byJeff Toback
Personal details
Born (1955-10-02) October 2, 1955 (age 69)
Valley Stream, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationArizona State University, Tempe (BA)
California Western School of Law (JD)

Bruce Arthur Blakeman (born October 2, 1955) is an American attorney and politician currently serving as the 10th County Executive of Nassau County, New York.[1] He was elected in the 2021 election, defeating Democratic incumbent Laura Curran. He previously served as the commissioner for the New York-New Jersey Port Authority as well as a Nassau County legislator and Hempstead town councilman.

Early life and education

Blakeman was born in Valley Stream, New York. Blakeman's father was Assemblyman Robert M. Blakeman. His mother, Betty, served in the Army and his father was a Merchant Marine and later Naval Reserve Officer. His brother is Brad Blakeman, who was Deputy Assistant to President George W. Bush.[2]

Blakeman attended Valley Stream Central High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and government from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctor from the California Western School of Law.[3] Blakeman holds a certificate in Homeland Security management from Long Island University.[4]

Early career

Bruce Blakeman was first elected to the Hempstead Town Council in 1993.[5]

In 1993, federal district court judge Arthur D. Spatt ruled Nassau County's Board of Supervisors to be in violation of one man, one vote. The Board of Supervisors authorized the creation of the Nassau County Legislature as a successor to their body. Elections were held in November 1995, and Blakeman, at the time a Hempstead town Councilman, was elected to the first legislative class to represent the 7th district. He was also elected the body's first presiding officer.[6] The body took their seats on January 1, 1996.

In 1998, Blakeman was the Republican nominee for New York State Comptroller. He lost in the general election to incumbent Democrat Carl McCall.

During a particularly bad election year for Nassau County Republicans, Blakeman lost his seat in the Legislature in the election of November 1999 to Jeff Toback, and the Republicans lost the majority.

In June 2001, Blakeman was appointed by Governor George Pataki as a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He held that position until 2009.[7][8] He was a commissioner during the September 11th attacks.[relevant?]

In 2007, as a member of the New York law firm Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Greenberg, Formato & Einige, Blakeman brokered the purchase of 52 acres of land in Melville by Canon USA for the construction of new headquarters.[9] About 1,200 people worked at their old Lake Success offices at the time. Previous attempts to move their headquarters to Westbury and Brookville were unsuccessful, and Canon was expected to move out of state if the deal fell through.[10] Long Island Business News reported that Blakeman received a "multimillion-dollar" commission for the sale.[11]

In the 2010 special election, Blakeman ran for United States Senate, but lost the Republican primary to former congressman Joe DioGuardi. In 2014, Blakeman ran for the 4th congressional district, after incumbent Carolyn McCarthy announced her retirement.[12] He won the Republican nomination, but was defeated 53% to 47% in the general election by Democrat Kathleen Rice.

Hempstead Town Councilman

In January 2015, Blakeman was appointed to the Hempstead Town Council, replacing James Darcy[13][5] after previously serving on the Hempstead Town Council from 1993 to 1995.[5]

In 2017, Blakeman joined fellow Republican councilwoman Erin King-Sweeney in endorsing Democratic challenger Laura Gillen in the race for Hempstead Town Supervisor.[14] Gillen, who ran against incumbent Town Supervisor Republican Anthony Santino, went on to win the election, becoming the first Democratic Hempstead Town Supervisor in over 100 years.[15] Gillen named Blakeman Deputy Town Supervisor.[16][17]

In 2019, Blakeman and King-Sweeney endorsed Republican Receiver of Taxes Donald X. Clavin Jr. against Democratic Town Supervisor Laura Gillen for Town Supervisor.[18] Clavin went on to win against Gillen.[19]

Blakeman was succeeded on the Hempstead town council by Republican Assemblywoman Melissa Miller.[20]

Nassau County Executive

In March 2021, Blakeman was chosen by Nassau Republicans to run against incumbent Democratic Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.[21] In the 2021 election he squeaked by with 50.35% of the vote.[22]

On September 19, 2022, Blakeman introduced his annual budget proposal. This proposal did not raise nor lower taxes, and added nearly 100 additional police and law enforcement jobs to the County payroll.[23]

On January 11, 2023, Blakeman joined Nassau Republican Chairman Joseph Cairo and other elected officials to call for the resignation of Congressman George Santos. Blakeman pledged not to work with Santos, criticizing him for lying about his resume, and falsely claiming his grandparents were Holocaust survivors.[24][25]

COVID mandates

Before taking office, Blakeman pledged to fight actions imposed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic, such as the face mask mandate in public school districts and public places, including businesses. On January 6, 2022, he signed an executive order making masks optional. After a Nassau County Supreme Court Justice declared Governor Hochul's mask mandate unconstitutional, Blakeman pushed for all local mandates be made optional. However, the New York Court of Appeals stayed the ruling pending appeal.[26] Blakeman also refused to support a vaccine mandate for county workers.[27]

Bail Reform

After taking office, Blakeman signed an Executive Order directing the Nassau County PD to record the number of criminals released under the Bail Reform law passed under former Governor Andrew Cuomo. He has since called for the repeal of such bail reform law, citing statistics showing over 9,000 Nassau criminals being released and committing new crimes once released, as well as the general uptick in middle-of-the-night robberies of people's vehicles.[28]

On March 31, 2023, in response to the state legislature's not repealing bail reform, Blakeman created a new Nassau County Police unit modeled after New York City's Hercules team, to help deter crime and decrease response times. Blakeman Split the county up into four quadrants, and assigned 4 teams of five cars per quadrant who patrol with their lights on, traveling under the speed limit to increase visibility.[29][30]

Ukraine

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Blakeman helped conduct a rifle drive which resulted in the collection of 60 rifles for Ukraine at a Nassau County gun shop. At the time it was unclear how the rifles would be sent to Ukraine: a Homeland Security said that a weapons shipment would have to be approved by the Department of State. A couple weeks later, the Florida gun manufacturer Kel-Tec agreed to deliver the donated guns to Ukraine as part of a larger shipment of 400 weapons.[31][32]

Nassau Coliseum

Blakeman is a proponent of a lease from Nassau County to the Las Vegas Sands entertainment company to redevelop the site of the Nassau Coliseum, including the construction of a casino.[33] The deal passed the Nassau County Legislature with a vote of 17-1 with one recusal to transfer the Coliseum lease to the Sands.[34] Hofstra University filed suit against the deal, claiming that the county violated the state open meetings law by not adequately providing enough transparent, public hearings for the project. Hofstra had also been critical of the project due to possible increases in crime, traffic and gambling addiction. On November 10, 2023, a state judge ruled in Hofstra's favor and struck down the deal. Barring a reversal on appeal, the County would have to re-initiate the process and hold more thorough hearings and re-vote in order to continue with the casino initiative.[35]

On January 17, 2024, Blakeman and Nassau Legislative Presiding Officer Howard Kopel announced the issuance of subpoenas to Hofstra University President Susan Poser. Blakeman and Kopel accused Poser of colluding with Hard Rock International, a direct competitor for the casino license. Hard Rock and Hofstra stated that neither had been in touch with the other. Hofstra described the subpoenas as retaliatory and an "attempt to distract and impede a fair and open process."[35][36][37][38][39][40]

Support for Daniel Penny

On May 24, 2023, Blakeman held a rally and press conference in Manhattan in support of West Islip resident Daniel Penny. Penny, a former marine, was arrested by the NYPD on a charge of fatally choking Jordan Neely, a homeless man who was allegedly acting in a threatening manner, aboard a New York City subway train on May 1 in Chinatown.[41][42] Over the course of the rally, 3 counter-demonstrators were arrested.[41][42]

Viral Water Balloon Video

While walking in the annual Stewart Manor 4 July parade, a 10-year-old girl, threw a water balloon at Blakeman from 100 feet away striking him in the head. It is a long-standing tradition to throw water balloons at fire engines, and politicians at this parade.[43][44]

Blakeman obtained a video of the strike and posted it across social media with the caption "The Mets and Yankees could certainly use her". The video immediately went viral, having been seen more than 40 million times across all platforms.[45]

Blakeman was able to locate the girl, 10 year old Alexa Cardona from Franklin Square, NY and her family, and worked with New York Yankees President Randy Levine to bring her to a Yankee game and enjoy watching batting practice from the field.[45][44]

Immigration

On August 16, 2023, Democratic Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said Nassau Coliseum should be among the options for housing some of the thousands of migrants currently in New York City. During a Media availability, Blakeman responded to Richards' claim saying "Let me make it clear — one more time — Nassau County is not a sanctuary county. We have no plans to have any migrant program here in Nassau County,".[46]

One week Later, Governor Hochul said she would not force counties to shelter migrants saying "...we cannot, and will not, force other parts of our state to shelter migrants. Nor are we going to be asking these migrants to move to other parts of the state against their will," [47][48]

War in Israel

Following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, on October 11, Blakeman held a rally in support of Israel at the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theater in Eisenhower Park. 6,000 people were reported to have attended. Aid for Israeli Defense Force soldiers was collected at the rally.[49][50] On November 28, 2023, Blakeman called for the resignation of Susan Poser, president of Hofstra University, over a letter she sent to the Hofstra community about the Hamas attacks in Israel. Blakeman accused Poser, who is Jewish, of anti-semitism.[51][52]

Transgender women at county sports facilities

On February 22, 2024, Blakeman issued an executive order banning women's sports teams that include transgender women from using county facilities. The ban applies to youth, college, and professional sports. Sports teams including transgender men were not targeted. In a press conference beforehand, Blakeman repeatedly referred to transgender women as "bullies" and "biological males," and recommended that they join men's or co-ed teams instead. LGBTQ advocates condemned the order as discriminatory and illegal under state law, and accused Blakeman of using the controversy over transgender people in sports for self-promotion. Governor Kathy Hochul spoke out against the order, and state attorney general Letitia James and the NYCLU said they were reviewing legal options.[53][54] In March the Long Island Roller Rebels, represented by the New York Civil Liberties Union, filed suit against Blakeman over the order.[55]

Personal life

Blakeman married Segal Magori Blakeman in 2015.[56] He was previously married to Nancy Shevell, who is now married to Paul McCartney of The Beatles. He has one son, Arlen,[57] and two step children, Ariel and Avi. Blakeman is the first Jewish Nassau County Executive. He is a member of the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach, a Modern Orthodox synagogue.[58]

His nephew, NYS Court Officer Tommy Jurgens, was killed in the line of duty on 9/11 while assisting in the evacuation of Tower 2 of the World Trade Center. Blakeman provided a DNA sample to identify his nephew's remains.[59]

References

  1. ^ "County Executive | Nassau County, NY - Official Website". www.nassaucountyny.gov. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Brad Blakeman". Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  3. ^ "Nassau GOP picks Bruce Blakeman to challenge Laura Curran". Newsday. March 15, 2021. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  4. ^ "New York Police Chief's Benevolent Association". New York Police Chief's Benevolent Association. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Blakeman back on the town board". Herald Community Newspapers. January 21, 2015. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  6. ^ "Bruce Blakeman's time as presiding officer in '90s cited in current Congressional race". October 24, 2014. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  7. ^ "GOP Ex-Port Authority Commissioner: Lane Closure 'Highly Suspect'". The New York Observer. September 8, 2014. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  8. ^ "Candidate - Bruce A. Blakeman". OurCampaigns.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  9. ^ "$103M Land Grab Keeps Canon in Long Island". globest.com. June 6, 2007. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  10. ^ Wotapka Hardesty, Dawn (July 28, 2006). "In Canon USA move deal, Nassau's loss, Long Island's gain". Long Island Business News. Ronkonkoma, NY.
  11. ^ Winzelberg, David (June 8, 2007). "CanonUSA promises big things at Melville headquarters". Long Island Business News. Ronkonkoma, NY.
  12. ^ "Former county legislator announces run for Congress". Herald Community Newspapers. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  13. ^ "Bruce Blakeman, Erin King Sweeney appointed to Hempstead Town Board". January 14, 2015. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  14. ^ "Blakeman crosses party lines, endorses Gillen for town supervisor". Herald Community Newspapers. October 27, 2017. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  15. ^ Klar, Rebecca (January 2, 2018). "Laura Gillen sworn in as Town of Hempstead's first Democratic town supervisor in 100 years - News". Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  16. ^ "Bruce Blakeman Named Deputy Town Supervisor". Garden City, NY Patch. January 8, 2018. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  17. ^ "Bruce Blakeman appointed Hempstead Town deputy supervisor". Newsday. January 7, 2018. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  18. ^ "Hempstead council members Blakeman and King Sweeney endorse Don Clavin for supervisor". Newsday. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  19. ^ "Clavin claims win, Gillen doesn't concede in Hempstead supervisor race". Newsday. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  20. ^ "Miller to succeed Blakeman on Hempstead town board". Herald Community Newspapers. February 9, 2022. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  21. ^ "Nassau GOP picks Bruce Blakeman to challenge Laura Curran". Newsday. March 15, 2021. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "Bruce Blakeman defeats Laura Curran for Nassau executive after count of absentees". Newsday. November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  23. ^ "Nassau exec proposes 2023 budget with no tax increase, more cops". Newsday. September 16, 2022. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  24. ^ "More Republicans call for scandal-plagued Congressman George Santos to resign". PBS. January 12, 2023. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  25. ^ "George Santos Rebuked by Nassau County GOP: Resign". MSN. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  26. ^ "NY Mask Mandate to Stay in Place During Appeals Process as Core COVID Rates Plunge". NBC New York. February 1, 2022. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  27. ^ "Bruce Blakeman: I won't mandate vaccines for Nassau County workers". Newsday. November 6, 2021. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  28. ^ Pelaez, Robert (January 26, 2022). "Executive order allows Nassau Police Department to publish bail status, case information of repeat offenders - Featured". The Island Now. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  29. ^ "Nassau police launch patrol unit to deter crime at schools, houses of worship". Newsday. March 31, 2023. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  30. ^ "Nassau County police implementing new strategy with more visible patrols". www.cbsnews.com. March 31, 2023. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  31. ^ Cergol, Greg (March 3, 2022). "NY Official Seeks Gun Donations for Ukraine, But Unclear How Ukrainians Would Get Firearms". Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  32. ^ "Nassau County Executive Blakeman announces first shipment of donated guns to Ukraine". ABC7 New York. March 18, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  33. ^ Winzelberg, David (January 12, 2023). "Sands to buy Coliseum lease to develop casino". Long Island Business News. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  34. ^ Tomassetti, Briella (May 23, 2023). "Lawmakers approve transfer of Nassau Coliseum to Las Vegas Sands". Fox 5 NY. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  35. ^ a b "Nassau County accuses Hofstra University of colluding with casino competitor". ABC7 New York. January 17, 2024. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  36. ^ "Nassau County officials accuse Hofstra of 'colluding' with Queens casino bidder". New York Daily News. January 17, 2024. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  37. ^ Cruz, Brandon (January 26, 2024). "Poser won't appear before Blakeman and county legislature until February". Herald Community Newspapers. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  38. ^ McLogan, Jennifer (January 18, 2024). "Hofstra University president subpoenaed amid competition for downstate New York casino license - CBS New York". www.cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  39. ^ "Hidden inside the Hofstra-Nassau legal battle". Newsday. January 18, 2024. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  40. ^ "Where the chips may fall: Is Sands rival in touch with Hofstra?". Newsday. January 11, 2024. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  41. ^ a b "NYC rally supporting chokehold suspect Daniel Penny, organized by Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman, disrupted by counter-demonstrators". Newsday. May 24, 2023. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  42. ^ a b Siff, Andrew (May 25, 2023). "NYC Rally In Support of Subway Chokehold Suspect Daniel Penny Leads to 3 Arrests". NBC New York. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  43. ^ "NY Yankees Honor Girl Who Beaned Politician With Water Balloon". Inside Edition. August 4, 2023. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  44. ^ a b "Yankees honor fifth-grade girl who drilled Long Island politician with water balloon throw in viral video". CBSSports.com. August 2, 2023. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  45. ^ a b Wallace, Danielle (August 2, 2023). "Yankees praise 'impressive' arm of girl who pelted NY politician with water balloon". Fox News. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  46. ^ "Coliseum should be option for migrant housing, top Queens official says". Newsday. August 18, 2023. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  47. ^ Roy, Yancey (August 25, 2023). "Hochul: State won't force counties to accept migrants; Adams earlier had sought shelters on LI, elsewhere". Newsday. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  48. ^ "Adams: Gov. Hochul 'wrong' to not force counties to accept migrants". Newsday. August 29, 2023. Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  49. ^ Asbury, John (October 11, 2023). "Long Islanders rally to support Israel in war with 'the face of evil'". Newsday. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  50. ^ Staff, Newsday (October 10, 2023). "'Heartbroken' Long Islanders rally in support of Israel, shaken over death toll". Newsday. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  51. ^ "Nassau County executive calls on Hofstra president to resign over Israel-Hamas statement". News 12 - Long Island. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  52. ^ Amid, Roksana (December 8, 2023). "Blakeman, Poser clash over Israel-Hamas comments". LI Herald. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  53. ^ Ingram, Molly (February 22, 2024). "Nassau County bans transgender women from competing on women's teams". WSHU. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  54. ^ Gusoff, Carolyn; Bordonaro, Lori (February 22, 2024). "Nassau County banning transgender athletes from competing in female sports at its facilities". CBS New York. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  55. ^ Allen, Jonathan (March 22, 2024). "A New York roller derby team's newest opponent: an order restricting trans athletes". Reuters. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  56. ^ "Blakeman's wife leaves county job". Newsday. May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  57. ^ Agate, Samantha (March 15, 2023). "Paul McCartney and Wife Nancy Shevell Enjoy St. Barts Trip: Photos". Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  58. ^ Kornbluh, Jacob (January 2, 2022). "Interview with Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County's First Jewish Executive, guided by Orthodox tradition". The Forward. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  59. ^ "In Cedarhurst, pol shares 9/11 luck, sorrow". September 11, 2011. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
Political offices
Preceded by County Executive of Nassau County, New York
2022– 		Succeeded by
incumbent
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