Nassau Democrats block County Executive Blakeman's $400M plan
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. (PIX11) – Nassau Democrats have accused County Executive Bruce Blakeman of withholding critical first responder funding for their districts – and have refused to approve his $400 million plan for the county.
Lawmakers abstained from voting at the Nassau County Legislature on Monday in the stand-off, which goes back to the beginning of 2025. Democrats are demanding Blakeman sign an agreement that would guarantee their districts a share of money for their police, fire and public safety needs.
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They argued Blakeman has denied their districts essential public funding for the last two years while showering only his fellow Republican-lead districts with the cash instead. Democrats pointed out that 31 Republican-lead towns received funding while their hamlets were left without money to pay for essential fire and police needs, like bulletproof vests and bunker gear.
Blakeman decried what he called quid pro quo, but Democrats said not voting is the only way to ensure the county executive will equally share money across the county. Democrats said they're willing to keep negotiating and are hoping another vote can be scheduled next month.
Republicans would need just one Democrat to vote with them to release the more than $400 million in funding.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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