Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman addressed the county Legislature, municipal leadership and residents Monday, March 9, in Mineola, touting low crime, fiscal conservatism and support for federal immigration enforcement.
“I am happy to report that our county remains strong, and our future is bright,” he told the session in his State of the County address on Nassau.
Blakeman took the stage to “The Business” by Tiësto, and gave an optimistic speech emphasizing Nassau’s low crime and poverty rates.
He said Nassau is the most affordable county in New York State.
According to theEconomic Policy Institute‘s comparisons of average living costs, however, Allegheny County is far more affordable than Nassau, with lower estimated costs for housing, food, childcare, healthcare, and taxes.
Theinstitutesaida family of four in Nassau needs almost $174,000 yearly compared to just over $105,000 annually for a family of the same size in Allegheny. It said that Queens County is also more affordable, with a family of four needing about $168,000 yearly.
Blakeman said the county is ranked the safest in the United States and credited law enforcement, the sheriff’s department, and the county police’s collaboration with federal immigration enforcement agencies.
He said violent crime across the county fell by around 10% last year and acknowledged recent police activity, including “the largestdrug bustin county history” and the “largest gang takedown in our history.”
Blakeman has signed a287(g) agreementwith the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s ICE agency, meaning local law enforcement can cooperate with federal agents. The agreement has been widelyprotested on the island, and Gov. Kathy Hochul hasintroduced legislationto outlaw such agreements.
He said Nassau is not a sanctuary county and that ICE arrests have not occurred in schools, hospitals, churches or daycare centers.
Source: LI Press
