Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman launches reelection bid, vying for second term

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman kicked off his reelection campaign Monday, running on a platform that includes cutting taxes and lowering crime.

A crowd of several hundred supporters packed the American Legion Post 1066 in Massapequa facing a stage lined with elected officials, chanting, "Four more years." Blakeman, a Republican, is running in the November election and expected to face Legis. Seth Koslow, the county’s Democratic candidate. No other candidates have announced a run.

"When I got into office, kids — little kids — had to wear masks," Blakeman said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic that compelled health experts to recommend mask usage. He added that shortly after taking office he made wearing masks to conceal one’s identity in public a crime. "Let our kids be kids."

Blakeman also touted his move to embed Nassau police detectives with U.S. Immigration Customs & Enforcement and promised to direct public funds to longtime residents over "people who’ve been here for 15 minutes."

Blakeman defeated former County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat, by about 2,100 votes in 2021 — running on a platform of reforming Nassau’s tax assessment system. Democratic legislators say that he has made no meaningful changes to the system during his tenure, while Blakeman says he has settled grievance cases sooner and saved taxpayers on interest.

Oyster Bay supervisor Joe Saladino, the event’s lively emcee, rallied the crowd, who poured out the door. Nassau County Legislature Presiding Officer Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence), who holds the leadership post Blakeman once occupied, praised the county executive’s track record.

Kopel pointed to Blakeman’s commitment to "protecting women’s rights in sports," referring to when he barred transgender women from playing women’s sports on Nassau properties, and "making sure hoodlums can’t hide behind masks," referring to mask restrictions in public.

Koslow released a statement responding to Blakeman’s announcement Monday.

"I will fight to put money back where it belongs, in the hands of taxpayers, and ensure our county is safe, affordable, and well-run for everyone," he wrote.

As of November, there were about 385,000 registered Democrats in Nassau, about 306,000 Republicans and about 277,000 independent voters.

Campaign filings show Blakeman had raised $1.7 million as of last month. Koslow had raised more than $100,000.