Bruce Blakeman blasts Hochul, Mamdani pied-à-terre – Business News
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who’s at present working for New York governor, ripped Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax proposal in an interview with The Post — branding it the most recent left-wing coverage that’s “losing businesses and jobs each and every day”.
The proposed tax on luxurious second houses price more than $5 million nonetheless wants approval from the state legislature. But it’s already taking heat from business execs – particularly after Mamdani took goal at Citadel founder Ken Griffin’s $238 million penthouse in a viral video.
“Mamdani vilifies people who work hard, play by the rules and use their brains to create prosperity, not only for themselves but for the community,” Blakeman informed The Post when requested in regards to the video, by which a beaming Mamdani vowed to tax the billionaire’s property.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman with Stratis Morfogen, proprietor of Diner 24, during an occasion final week. James Keivom for NY Post
“He is a danger to the economy of New York City, which has been, up ‘til now, the financial capital of the world, but we are losing businesses and jobs each and every day because of the policies of Hochul and Mamdani,” Blakeman, a Republican, added.
Mamdani and Hochul’s workplaces didn’t instantly reply to The Post’s requests for remark.
Blakeman warned the tax might trigger an exodus of jobs from the town, after an appalled Griffin signaled he’s contemplating scrapping a $6 billion Midtown development project as a end result.
Hedge fund titan Bill Ackman has additionally slammed the proposed tax on the rich, defending Griffin’s investments within the metropolis and warning the proposal might drive more companies out of New York to low-tax states like Florida.
“If I were Ken Griffin, I would wait until November because help is on the way,” Blakeman mentioned, referring to his race in New York’s 2026 gubernatorial election. Primary elections will probably be held on June 23.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Mamdani at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park on Monday. Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Post
During an occasion at Diner 24 final week, Blakeman outlined his plan if elected governor, together with tax breaks for small companies and eating places and ending NYC congestion tolls.
Hochul – who’s up for re-election this yr – initially resisted Mamdani’s “tax-the-rich” proposals, that are an attempt to pay for marketing campaign guarantees like free childcare, free buses and city-owned grocery shops. But she flipped final week to assist the tax on second houses.
“You can’t trust Kathy Hochul. She does more U-turns than a cab driver,” Blakeman informed The Post – nodding to Hochul’s indefinite pause on Manhattan congestion tolls in 2024, which have been finally made everlasting in early 2025.
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“Her record is high taxes, high utility costs, low economic development and making people miserable rather than happy.”
Hochul’s marketing campaign has performed up Blakeman’s ties to President Trump, who has endorsed him within the November election – calling out the Nassau County pol’s controversial “civilian militia” program and claiming he raised taxes twice.
As presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature, Blakeman voted to raise property taxes by 3.6% in 1998, and again by 9.4% in 1999. He was reportedly seen because the “principal architect” of the 1999 tax hike on the time.
Blakeman warned the new tax on luxurious second houses might drive companies and jobs out of the town. Christopher Sadowski
“I did vote for a small tax increase 28 years ago and I admit it was a mistake. I learned my lesson and I haven’t raised taxes in my county for four straight years,” Blakeman informed The Post.
New York state taxes, nevertheless, have soared sky-high, he argued – noting that New York’s finances is roughly twice the scale of Florida’s, although they’ve similarly-sized populations.
He additionally argued that New York’s wealthiest are already paying a bulk of state taxes, and in the event that they go away, will probably be the center class who will probably be left to bear the burden.
The prime 1% of earners in New York state contribute 46.2% of all income taxes, in keeping with a GoodAsset research of 2025 IRS knowledge.
“We don’t have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem,” Blakeman mentioned. “If Zohran Mamdani and Kathy Hochul are serious about their budget issues, they should stop spending billions of dollars on people who have been here for 15 minutes.”
In early 2025, then-Mayor Eric Adams mentioned the town has spent more than $6.9 billion to take care of immigrants over the previous three fiscal years.
