Long Island leader and governor hopeful brings campaign to Sunset Park

Nassau County’s top elected official and gubernatorial candidate, Bruce Blakeman, visited Sunset Park in mid-January, holding a press conference with local Republican leaders to criticize city and state positions on education policy and rent regulation. After the event, Blakeman stopped by the Guangdong Association of America and businesses along Eighth Avenue to meet the owners.

Executive Blakeman, State Sen. Steve Chan, and Assemblymember Lester Chang gathered near Ninth Avenue and 63rd Street, where Blakeman said he was troubled by public remarks from Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul on several key issues.

Blakeman said many immigrants start by buying a two-family home, then open a shop, and later build a larger enterprise. He argued that those steps not only create economic opportunity for families but also bring prosperity to the wider community.

“But now we’re seeing a mayor talk about taking away property rights, limiting rent increases, and freezing rents, claiming that’s how you encourage investment in affordable housing,” Blakeman said. “All credible economic research shows that freezing rents only leads to fewer affordable housing units, so this is the wrong direction.”

On education, Blakeman said preserving specialized high schools and gifted programs is a key priority. He said closing these programs and placing students with different learning levels in the same track would reduce academic challenge for high-performing students and limit their opportunities. Mamdani has proposed eliminating the kindergarten entry point to the city’s Gifted and Talented programs, while keeping gifted classes that begin in third grade.

Blakeman said Asian and white students make up about 35% of New York City public school enrollment, but about 70% of students in gifted programs. “That’s why this matters so much to the Asian American community,” he said. “So many Asian kids work incredibly hard to excel academically. We should be supporting them and making sure they have the chance to thrive. We shouldn’t adopt policies that make it harder for them to pursue excellence.”

State Sen. Steve Chan said the “affordability” Hochul talked about in her State of the State address doesn’t match his definition of the term. He argued that affordability shouldn’t mean taking money out of taxpayers’ pockets, but lowering property taxes and stopping further increases in business and income taxes. Chan also called for a fresh look at policies tied to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, saying they have helped drive up home heating and electricity bills by roughly 25% to 30% in recent years, adding to residents’ costs.

Assemblymember Lester Chang said homeowners who rent out a few units face steep legal costs and long delays when trying to evict tenants who refuse to pay rent, and that some owners would rather keep apartments vacant than continue renting. He criticized city proposals such as a rent freeze, arguing that these small building owners still have to cover repairs, taxes, and other expenses, and can only keep operating if they can earn a reasonable profit.

During a Q&A, Blakeman said that if elected governor he would move immediately to stop congestion pricing. He argued the toll started in Lower Manhattan and could gradually expand under the current administration. “Congestion pricing is a terrible idea,” he said. “It’s essentially a tax hike on hardworking middle-class New Yorkers, and it needs to end right away.” He added that the policy has not made the city safer and has not delivered meaningful results, and said businesses in the toll zone have complained of sharp drops in sales.

On immigration and sanctuary policy, Blakeman emphasized that Nassau County is not a sanctuary county. He criticized the state for spending about $5 billion in taxpayer funds to support “people who just arrived and have not yet contributed to society,” and said New York City has been forced to spend an additional roughly $7 billion on shelter and related services.

Blakeman said public resources should prioritize education, health care, and other services for New York City and New York State residents, rather than adding to local taxpayers’ burden. “Our job is to put New Yorkers first,” he said, “not spend money on illegal immigrants who have been here for 15 minutes.”

After the gathering, Blakeman visited the Guangdong Association of America and nearby Eighth Avenue businesses, introducing his platform and speaking briefly with community members.