NY Governor Candidate Bruce Blakeman Pledges Lower Taxes, Safer Communities

FLUSHING, New York — On Aug. 11, New York Republican gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman visited Flushing, Queens to meet with business and community leaders in one of the city’s largest Asian-American hubs as the race for governor begins to take shape ahead of November’s election. Blakeman is looking to unseat Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Blakeman described Flushing as a thriving commercial hub but said conversations with residents and business owners touched upon the same concerns: Taxes, rising electricity costs, and public safety. “Everywhere I go, whether it’s here in Flushing or any place else in New York State, it’s the same theme,” Blakeman said. “We’re overtaxed. Our electric bills are higher than 70 percent of the national average.”

“This is a very strong and vibrant community,” he added. “This is a community that we, as government officials, should nurture, and we should help them so that they can grow and do even greater things than they’re already doing.”

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Taxes and rising cost of living

Blakeman pledged to make tax relief and reductions in government spending priorities if elected, arguing that New York’s fiscal problems stem from excessive spending rather than insufficient revenue.

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Pointing to his record in Nassau County, Blakeman said his administration halted property reassessments and blocked a proposed $150 million tax increase while increasing funding for law enforcement without raising county taxes. He also blamed state policies for high utility costs and argued that increasing energy supply would help lower electricity bills for households and businesses alike.

During the event, Blakeman announced that President Donald Trump would visit Nassau County on Aug. 14 (Friday) to tour local law-enforcement facilities, including the David S. Mack Intelligence and Training Center and a training village designed to simulate real-world environments for police.

Blakeman said the visit was intended to honor police officers, deputy sheriffs, corrections and probation officers, and volunteer firefighters while highlighting public safety.

Immigration and public safety

Blakeman also defended Nassau County’s cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the federal 287(g) program, rejecting criticism that his policies are anti-immigrant. “We removed over 2,000 illegal migrants with criminal records, from attempted murder to rape to robbery, to burglary, carjacking, drug dealing, gang activity,” he said.

“And she’s saying that it’s anti-immigration. No, it’s law enforcement,” Blakeman said, referring to Hochul. “I happen to be pro-immigration.” Blakeman said he supports creating a guest-worker program and establishing a pathway to legal status for certain immigrants who have overstayed visas but have lived in the country for years, remained employed, and avoided criminal activity.

“If you overstayed your visa and you’ve been here seven, eight, or nine years, you haven’t gotten into any trouble, and you’ve got gainful employment, we should have a path to legality,” he said. He added that his administration is consulting attorneys about its options amid a dispute with the state over local cooperation with ICE, including the possibility of legal action to support residents.

Bolstering higher education

Education also emerged as a major issue during the Flushing appearance. Blakeman voiced support for specialized high schools and gifted-and-talented programs, arguing that academically advanced students should be given opportunities to compete and excel. “Gifted schools are for students who need to be challenged and can’t be challenged in a regular school because they excel,” he said.

Blakeman also criticized Hochul over a statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers, arguing that New York risks losing investment in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries.

Rather than imposing broad restrictions, he said state and local governments should negotiate with developers over electricity, water consumption, and taxes. Blakeman said developers he has spoken with have proposed recirculating water systems and generating their own electricity to reduce the burden on surrounding communities. “I believe in getting everybody at the table and making it a win-win,” he said, adding, “Negotiate, work it out, listen to everybody’s issues, and then solve the problem.”

With the Nov. 3 election fast approaching, Blakeman used the Flushing appearance to directly challenge Hochul to three debates, calling for the candidates to publicly defend their respective records on taxes, energy, economic growth, and crime. “Kathy, let’s get on debate stage,” he said. “I’ll defend my record as county executive. You defend your record.”