Bruce Blakeman, a Republican candidate for governor, has unveiled his strategy to enhance safety and affordability in New York.
Currently serving as the Nassau County executive and the expected GOP nominee, Blakeman discussed his plan with The Post, detailing his approach for the first 100 days in office.
Blakeman criticized Democratic Governor Hochul, stating, “New Yorkers are being priced out of their homes by a governor who treats their paychecks like a slush fund.”
Key elements of Blakeman’s upcoming plan include terminating New York’s designation as a “sanctuary state” for illegal migrants and reducing state funding to NYC if it maintains its stringent sanctuary policies.
Blakeman, 70, stated, “I’m not going to give billions of dollars to New York City because they have a budget shortfall when they’re giving the money away and pissing it away on people who aren’t New Yorkers.”
He criticized Hochul for allocating $1.5 billion to cover New York City’s $5.4 billion budget deficit.
Blakeman introduced “The Affordability Mandate” as his plan, promising “historic” financial relief for one of the nation’s highest-taxed states.
The plan proposes a 10% income tax cut for those earning under $250,000 and the elimination of state income tax on the first $50,000 for single filers and $100,000 for joint filers.
Blakeman explained that a couple earning $250,000 would see their state taxes decrease from $13,000 to $6,000 annually, while a single person with a $100,000 income would pay $2,000 instead of $5,000.
He argued, “Kathy Hochul’s record-high taxes are driving New Yorkers to flee for states like Florida and Texas just to survive. We simply can’t afford not to cut taxes.”
Blakeman also plans to repeal Hochul’s congestion tolling initiative for Manhattan access.
Additionally, Blakeman intends to address high utility bills by reallocating $2.4 billion from unspent funds dedicated to “green energy” mandates back to ratepayers.
“New Yorkers are being crushed by utility bills 50% higher than the national average because of Kathy Hochul’s hidden taxes and green mandates,” he said. “We’ll end Hochul’s expensive energy experiments and pivot to reliable natural gas and nuclear power.”
Concerning public safety, Blakeman intends to collaborate with the state Legislature during the budget process to repeal cashless bail laws, which he argues allow criminals to remain on the streets.
He aims to increase funding for local police departments to hire more officers and enhance crime-fighting technology, having already supported hiring 600 additional officers in Nassau since 2022.
“Unlike the current administration, I will actually back our blue line and give them the tools to keep our streets safe,” he stated. “I will restore law and order.”
However, Hochul’s campaign spokesperson, Ryan Radulovacki, advised New Yorkers against relying on Blakeman.
“We know ‘100% MAGA’ Bruce Blakeman has a problem with the truth, but here’s what his first 100 days as governor would actually look like: jacking up costs and raising taxes like he did in Nassau, letting ICE abuse their power across New York, and gutting Medicaid — just like Donald Trump,” he asserted.
