Bruce Blakeman touts Nassau as an 'affordable' place to live

Daily Point

Is Nassau 'affordable'? It's debatable.

As Newsday's editorial board wrapped up its endorsement interviews in a host of local races this week, nearly every candidate consistently cited one issue that came up as they spoke with voters: the need to make Nassau County more affordable.

So, it was a bit surprising when Nassau County Executive Bruce A. Blakeman used his closing statement during Wednesday night's News 12 debate to describe the benefits of the county using that very word.

"We live in this community because we love the fact that we have a safe community, that we have an affordable community ..." Blakeman said during his closing statement.

"Safe" isn’t debatable: Nassau County has been rated as the safest community in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

But ... affordable?

The comment came after Blakeman, a Republican, had previously said that he was "proud" of Nassau's sky-high home values, noting that he wouldn't want to see them decline. The county's median home price stood at $849,000 in September.

His Democratic opponent, Legis. Seth I. Koslow, seemingly tried to talk to a very different audience.

"Bruce talks from his perch in his multimillion-dollar house he lives in in Atlantic Beach, about how home prices went up and it became better for everybody," Koslow said. "But you know what? The 23-year-old coming out of college can't afford an $850,000 house."

Added Koslow: "We want to make it more affordable for younger people here. He has no plan, because he's getting richer."

Responded Blakeman: "You're getting richer too, Seth. Everybody's doing better under my administration."

Polling, however, tells a different story. A Newsday/Siena College survey recently found that 77% of respondents across Long Island said the overall affordability of life in the region had grown worse. Only 8% of Long Islanders thought Long Island's cost of living was better, or more affordable, than other places. And 85% of respondents said there was a low availability of affordable housing.

So, is Nassau County affordable? Perhaps that is in the wallet of the taxpayer.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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Final Point

Facebook ads and palm cards used to reach voters

In the Election Day homestretch, reliable donors are opening their wallets for Long Island candidates.

Bolla Management Corp. CEO Harvinder Singh, a prolific political donor, gave $117,000 since August. Nassau County Executive Bruce A. Blakeman, a Republican seeking reelection, received $25,000 from Singh, while the Nassau County GOP committee received $37,500. The Nassau Dem committee got a $5,000 check from Singh, as did Republican Huntington Town Supervisor Edmund J. Smyth's campaign. GOP Hempstead Town Supervisor John R. Ferretti Jr. got a $10,000 infusion of cash.

Real estate developer David S. Mack, a longtime donor to Long Island campaigns and the county executive’s representative to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board, gave $12,500 to Nassau District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly's campaign since August. He also gave $7,500 to the Nassau GOP. Since August, Mack gave $45,000 to Nassau Republican candidates and committees. Caryl Ratner, daughter of the late Manhattan lawyer and philanthropist Joseph Ratner, gave $50,000 to Blakeman. Ratner is a relative newcomer to Long Island campaign donations. In 2023, she gave $47,000 to then-GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin and another $250,000 to a Zeldin-aligned PAC. She also gave the state GOP $117,300 that year.

With under two weeks to go before the Nov. 4 election, Long Island candidates are spending big on traditional campaign expenses like palm cards and consultants, and newer ways of reaching voters like online ads and fundraising texts.

In the Hempstead Town supervisor's race, Democrat challenger Joe Scianablo has outspent Republican Ferretti, who was appointed in August. Scianablo's 32-day preelection filings with the New York State Board of Elections list expenditures totaling $111,632.46 compared to Ferretti's spending of $36,818.91. Scianablo spent $82,600 for a campaign consultant and about $4,000 on mailings. Ferretti spent about $19,300 on Facebook ads, and about $8,500 on television ads and mailings.

North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer S. DeSena's campaign spent just under $200,000 against Democratic challenger Dave Kerpen, who spent about $108,000. Almost every penny of DeSena's expenditures were transferred to county and North Hempstead GOP committees, totaling $195,750. She spent $1,000 on office expenses and $550 on print ads. Kerpen transferred just over $51,000 to state and town Democratic committees. He spent about $12,000 on fundraising and $10,000 on a consultant. He lists about $6,000 on various office expenses including Uber, business cards and campaign stickers, and $1,575 on Facebook ads.

In Suffolk's Huntington Town supervisor race, incumbent Republican Smyth spent $136,254.30. His Democratic opponent, Cooper Macco, spent $24,923.84. Smyth transferred $39,100 to county and town GOP and Conservative committees and spent about $21,000 on fundraising. His campaign spent $15,000 on a consultant and $12,000 on campaign literature. He made about $15,000 in donations to various political action committees. He spent $13,400 on online ads and $9,100 for lawn signs. Macco spent $19,000 for campaign consultants and $3,470 on lawn signs.

In Suffolk's 8th Legislative District race between incumbent Republican Anthony A. Piccirillo and Democratic challenger Kelly A. Perry-Hyland, Piccirillo spent about $8,400 on traditional campaigning expenses like a consultant, lawn signs and palm cards. Piccirillo also spent about $1,600 on fundraising texts. Perry spent a total of $29,046.42 with about $9,700 going for lawn signs and campaign literature and $6,100 for postage. She also spent about $4,000 on fundraising and online ads.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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