Bruce Blakeman talks assessments, Nassau casino in State of the County address

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, in his second State of the County address, defended his decision to freeze the county's tax rolls and said a proposal for a new casino at Nassau's Hub should be "world-class" and generate enough jobs and revenue to gain county approvals.

Blakeman, a Republican in his second year in office, spoke on those and other issues in a 20-minute speech Wednesday. He did not say how he would reform the way Nassau values more than 425,000 residential and commercial properties or predict how long it would take to develop the casino project.

He promised to block state efforts to boost housing stock across New York by 3%, calling a proposal from Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul a "dangerous idea" that "threatens the suburban experience." He did not indicate whether he would seek to increase the county's supply of housing for young people.

Arriving to the beat of Tiesto's "The Business," the song that preceded his first State of the County address last year, Blakeman touted a recent agreement with the county's largest police labor union, high attendance at county parks and concerts and the recovery of stolen catalytic converters. He vowed a "star studded" lineup at county parks in 2023.

"My administration is committed to doing big things," Blakeman said.

Blakeman, who campaigned on reforming Nassau's assessment system, defended his decision to freeze the assessment rolls for the 2024-25 tax year.

The freeze, the third in a row, could delay county efforts to bring property values up to date and could prolong inequities among property owners.

Blakeman said: "Because of the volatile housing market caused by nationwide inflation, rising interest rates and the phase-in negotiated by my predecessor, which does not expire for another year, I felt that it would be unreasonable" to reassess the county again.

He also addressed the proposal from Las Vegas Sands to build a casino on the county's Hub property.

In January, Sands proposed a formal plan to build on the site of the Nassau Coliseum, after striking a deal to become the new tenants on the property.

Sands officials have said the development would include outdoor community spaces, five-star hotel rooms and "a world-class live performance venue honoring the long legacy of live music at the Nassau Coliseum."

Blakeman said the proposal must "be world-class, with a luxury hotel and entertainment component," generate "significant revenue" to Nassau and surrounding communities and have the community's backing in order to move forward.

Blakeman also said if the state advances a plan to considerably expand the county's housing stock, Nassau could not keep up with a significant increase in its population.

Describing the area as "diverse and dynamic," he said, "we must market Nassau County as the vibrant and exciting community it is."

He said the proposal is a "dangerous idea that will destroy the quality of life that we enjoy."

Nassau Legis. Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) criticized Blakeman's record on assessment reform during a Democratic rebuttal.

"Although assessment has been a problem for more than a decade, County Executive Blakeman campaigned promising to fix this issue," DeRiggi-Whitton said. "History shows that freezing the roll and basically ignoring the problem will only make the issue worse."

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.