County Legislature Approves Funding For First Responders

MINEOLA, NY — The Nassau County Legislature has voted to authorize borrowing for the 2025 capital infrastructure plan, a victory for the Democratic Minority Caucus.

Lawmakers successfully leveraged bond authorization — which requires a 13-vote supermajority to pass — to break Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s more than yearlong freeze on $1.3 million in grants for 14 first responder agencies and other crucial community projects for districts represented by Democratic legislators, Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton announced.

Wednesday’s vote also secured tens of millions of dollars in new resources for critical capital infrastructure projects in districts served by Democratic lawmakers.

“I have served in the Legislature with both Democratic and Republican County Executives. County Executive Blakeman’s unprecedented blockade of our grants, which reached a staggering 32-to-zero disparity, was outrageous - especially when you consider many of these grants are for people who rush toward danger on a daily basis,” Minority Leader DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) said..“I am tremendously proud of my caucus for demonstrating an unwavering commitment to our first responders and sending a clear message that we will not back down when the time comes to fight for our constituents.”

Christopher Boyle, a spokesperson for Blakeman said: “I am grateful that the County Legislature unanimously passed the Blakeman capital plan for 2025. The Democrat legislators who held hostage important public safety projects heard loud and clear from their constituents that this crass, political trick would not be tolerated by the electorate.”

However, DeRiggi-Whitton called it a "major victory for the communities we serve and the principle of fair and equitable governance."