There is no love lost between New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. The acrimony came to a head when Blakeman gave the Governor a public warning at a panel discussion: “stay out of Long Island”.
The feisty governor didn’t take the rebuke meekly. “Should I just walk off the stage right now?” Hochul quipped back, taking the podium minutes after Blakeman’s discussion wrapped.
Hochul then facetiously referred to Blakeman and newly elected Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine as some of her “favorite county executives,” to rolling laughter from the crowd of hundreds of elected officials and business leaders.
She followed that up with a veiled reminder of who controls the purse strings: “You don’t want me to take all the money with me, though, right?” Hochul said.
Blakeman, a firm Republican, complained that Hochul and Albany Democrats forced bail reforms onto law enforcement, introduced unfunded mandates on local governments, and forced local elections into odd years — all ignoring Long Islanders’ wishes in the process.
“I am very, very open to having a relationship with state government, but it’s got to be fair and even-handed and not based on threats or punitive action,” Blakeman said.
Trying to ease the tension, he added, “I’m not looking for a fight with the state. The state has picked a fight with us on Long Island, not once, not twice, not three times, but at least four times in the last year, and at some point there has to be some pushback.”
In the end, both politicians tried to play down their heated exchange with Hochul professing her love for Long Island: “New York cares about Long Island immensely. I love Long Island. How can you not love Long Island? So nothing will keep me away from Long Island.”
