Nassau County Government Bruce Blakeman kicked off his second time period at a packed swearing-in ceremony Monday the place took a dig at Gov. Kathy Hochul in what could possibly be a preview of a heated election.
Greater than 600 supporters confirmed up on the Cradle of Aviation Museum as Blakeman, a Republican re-elected within the Democrat-heavy county in November, formally returned to workplace — with hopes to make use of it as a launching pad to win his celebration’s nod to tackle Hochul.
Blakeman, after taking the stage, stated that when he first took workplace 4 years in the past, “the entire state was in turmoil,” beneath Hochul’s management.
The county government informed the gang that he’s since labored to make Nassau County an anomaly regardless of the route of state management.
Blakeman stated his document within the county would be the mannequin for the state if he unseats Hochul, operating on a platform to overtake the state’s public security, immigration enforcement, power and tax system to make New York “safer and extra reasonably priced.”
The county government, who was sworn in by his spouse and county decide Segal, highlighted his first-term achievements, together with holding the road on taxes and setting county funding for police and immigration enforcement.
Oyster Bay City Supervisor Joseph Saladino additionally identified Blakeman’s accomplishments when introducing him.
“Bruce Blakeman is a pacesetter who has stood as much as nonsense and the radicals — and he did so with out elevating taxes a dime in 4 years,” stated Saladino.
In the course of the occasion, Blakeman bought proper again to county enterprise, signing a brand new spiritual security legislation.
The Spiritual Security Act, which was unanimously handed by the Nassau County legislature in December, prohibits protests inside 35 toes of the entrances of homes of worship and different spiritual buildings — and prevents demonstrators from coming inside 10 toes of individuals coming into or leaving.
The legislation mirrors laws proposed by state lawmakers and backed by Hochul. Violators could possibly be slapped with fines of as much as $250 and as much as a 12 months behind bars.
“You all know the way I really feel about spiritual freedom and the power of individuals to worship of their mosque, their church, their synagogue, their temple — and due to this fact, we are going to defend individuals’s rights to freely worship right here,” Blakeman stated.
A former county legislator and ally of President Trump, Blakeman took over as Nassau county government on Jan. 1, 2022.
He’s since pushed a robust conservative agenda, declaring Nassau wouldn’t be a “sanctuary” county — in distinction to Empire State steering that prohibits cooperation with the feds on immigrant civil enforcement actions.
Blakeman has additionally spearheaded a sweeping cooperation settlement with US Customs and Immigration Enforcement, together with coaching for a hand-picked squad of Nassau County cops.
The county government moreover beefed up hiring and coaching 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 throughout his first time period.
He closed the ceremony by alluding that his second time period will serve not solely as a continuation of his first, however show he’s able to pack up and relocate to Albany.
