Legislator Seth Koslow, a Democrat, officially launched his campaign for Nassau County Executive on Jan. 8, challenging incumbent Bruce Blakeman, a Republican.
Long Island Press file photo
Nassau County Legislator Seth Koslow (D-Merrick) is challenging Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, for the county’s top job in the November elections.
Koslow threw his hat into the ring Jan. 8 after entering the political scene in 2023 and winning his legislative seat a little over one year ago. The one thing they have in common is that both are serving their first term in their current elected offices.
“In my short time in the legislature, I’ve seen that Nassau County is going in the wrong direction under Bruce Blakeman,” Koslow told the Press. “Costs keep rising, even though families are struggling to make ends meet, and there’s no leadership at the top of the county that’s fighting for us.”
Blakeman was quick to return the rhetoric.
“Bruce Blakeman didn’t raise taxes even after inflation went through the roof, refused to make Nassau a sanctuary county, put more cops on our streets, fought against radical pro-criminal policies and made Nassau the safest county in America,” said Chris Boyle, spokesperson for Blakeman, in a statement to the Press. “There’s no better choice for county executive than Bruce Blakeman.”
Koslow shot back.
“Let’s cut through the spin,” responded Sara Castelli, spokesperson for Koslow. “Bruce Blakeman promised to cut taxes and fees but didn’t. Instead, he pocketed the money for his own self-promotion and is stretching the police force so thin they’re actually suing him, putting everyone at risk.”
“If Nassau wants more empty promises and borrowed achievements, then sure, he’s your guy,” she added. “Otherwise, it’s time for a reality check. We deserve better.”
Koslow’s platform includes lowering property taxes, reducing “oversized administration expenses,” introducing “accountability measures” for more transparent county governance, and investing in infrastructure and law enforcement.
Nassau’s exorbitant cost of living is perhaps the most pressing issue for residents — something that, Koslow said, the county government could mitigate if not for Blakeman’s “frivolous lawsuits” and what the challenger dubbed self-serving county spending practices.
Under Blakeman, Nassau has “far exceeded its budget for outside legal services, approving exorbitant contracts for private law firms—some at rates as high as $1,200 per hour—without required legislative or NIFA approvals,” the legislature’s Democratic minority said in November.
Koslow pointed to Blakeman’s goal to organize a private county militia — offering applicants $150 a day for training — as a political stunt designed to get national attention despite its cost to the taxpayers. So too, he said, was the Donald Trump rally in September that reportedly used more than $1 million of taxpayer money.
These are “national headline-grabbing type of stunts that Bruce Blakeman does because it furthers his own political agenda and opportunity to find the next office for himself,” Koslow said.
“That money could have been used to make our streets safer, to hire more police officers, to invest in our infrastructure, to get better, cleaner water,” he told the Press.
That money could also instead go into the Nassau’s rainy-day fund, where Koslow would rather see it fund tax credits or rebates for residents struggling with the cost of living.
“People care about these things when they’re at home thinking, ‘How am I going to pay my bills? Why is it so expensive? Why am I paying so much for my water? Why am I paying an extra $100 for a red-light camera when Suffolk County didn’t have to pay for that?” he said. “These are the things that people struggle with on a day-to-day basis.”
“He’s [Blakeman] using Nassau County as a steppingstone,” Koslow said. “I want to make Nassau County the best it can be, so my kids and your kids and our families can all grow up here and keep Nassau going.”
If elected this fall, Koslow would be the fourth Democratic county executive in Nassau County’s history.