The Co-op and Condo Insider
The Co-op & Condo Insider is your trusted source for expert commentary led by advocates within New York City’s co-op and condo world. Each episode offers insights into the challenges, news, and stories that shape a community making up more than 20% of this great city’s residents.
The Co-op and Condo Insider
Property Rights, Energy Policy, and the 2026 Governor's Race with guest Bruce Blakeman
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Nassau County Executive and gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman joins Geoffrey Mazel and Richard Solomon for a wide-ranging conversation about the pressures facing co-op and condo owners across New York. Blakeman traces his path from watching his father campaign for the state assembly as a nine-year-old to running one of the largest counties in America, with stops along the way as a Hempstead town councilman, presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature, and Port Authority commissioner during 9/11. He talks about how Nassau earned its ranking as the safest county in America, delivered four budget surpluses and seven bond upgrades, and went four years without raising taxes.
The conversation then turns to the issue dominating board meetings across the city and state: cost. Blakeman breaks down why New York electric bills run 70 percent above the national average, pointing to delivery fees and taxes that he says leave only 30 percent of each payment going toward actual energy. He makes his case for natural gas extraction in the Southern Tier's Marcellus Shale, argues that what he calls the green energy scam is driving up rates without meaningful climate benefit, and pledges to end Local Law 97 mandates on co-ops and condos if elected governor. He also weighs in on the new pied-à-terre tax, proposed changes to the inheritance tax threshold, congestion pricing, and why he believes unfunded mandates threaten the long-term viability of cooperative housing.
The episode closes with Richard's lightning round, where Blakeman makes the pitch for Nassau County as a destination in its own right, from its beaches and museums to a restaurant scene he puts up against New York City's. He shares what he'd feature in his own version of an I Love New York campaign, and tells the stories behind the four wristbands he wears daily, including one honoring his nephew Tommy, who died helping evacuate the South Tower on 9/11. Whether you own a co-op, a condo, or a house, this one gets into the numbers behind the affordability crisis and what the 2026 governor's race could mean for homeowners.
A $16,000 Electric Bill Story
SPEAKER_03I was at a diner in the Bronx and I was just having lunch there and the owner spotted me. He came to me with his electric bill. He said, Mr. Blakeman, my electric bill last month was $16,000. I said, How many hamburgers do you have to sell to pay your electric bill? He said about $1,600 a month just to pay his electric bill. It's out of control.
Show Setup And Guest Introduction
SPEAKER_00This is the Co-op and Condo Insider, the podcast dedicated to New York's cooperative and condominium communities. This is your trusted source for the latest insights, strategies, and stories shaping the world of shared housing. You will hear from the people who are leaders in this community. Information and insights you will not hear anywhere else. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you're in the right place. The views and opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of the host or any affiliated individuals or organizations.
SPEAKER_02Hello, and welcome to the Call Picondo Insider, where we explore the real-world issues facing call pencondo communities across New York City and New York State with insight, expertise, and a healthy dose of stray talk. I'm your host, Jeffrey Mazel. I'm a co-op attorney and legal advisor of the President's Call Papo Council and CopenCondo United of New York. I'm thrilled to be joined by my co-host, Richard Solomon, a seasoned voice in public radio for over 20 years. Richard has taken his listeners around the world to meet experts, newsmakers, and the people making a real difference in our everyday lives. Richard, it's great to have you on the mic with us today.
SPEAKER_01It is great to be here. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02And talking about newsmakers and people making a real difference in our lives, we are thrilled to have as our guest today Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County Executive and Gubernatorial Candidate. Welcome, Bruce. Thank you so much. It's an honor to be on your show. Okay. And again, we're going to be talking about issues, of course, that are important to your campaign, and we'll try to touch upon also, of course, issues of particular importance to the Culpin Condo community and really homeowners. I never thought I'd be saying this, but homeowners are being challenged for owning homes like never before, especially in New York City with what we're seeing with the unfunded mandates and things like that. So we'll get into that.
Blakeman’s Path Into Public Service
SPEAKER_02Let's go back. I know you're you're from Valley Stream, right? Yes.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
SPEAKER_02Grew up, graduated from Valley Stream Central High School. Okay, I believe my son-in-law went there. I'll have to fact check him. Okay. So there's the most interesting man in the world, and you're the most interesting man from Valley Stream. So that's quite the honor. I'm not sure of that, but what inspired you to pursue public service? Let's go back to the beginning.
SPEAKER_03When I was nine years old, my father was in the state assembly. There were five kids in my family. And to give my mother a break, my father would take me campaigning. He would take me up to Albany. He would take me to community meetings. And I love public service. I love the ideas. I love the subject matter. I like the fact that it's a sure way that you can help people. I've always had an interest since I was a little boy in public service. And it's something that comes natural to me because I enjoy people, I like people, and I'm very comfortable with people. So this is a people business, and you got to love people to be successful in this business.
SPEAKER_02And what was the first public office you saw?
SPEAKER_03So I was a Hempstead town councilman back in 1993, and I represented the whole town. At that point, town councilman had at-large positions. It was the largest township in America. So basically, our town was larger than three states in population. So I got right from the get-go a tutorial on running in a large area. I started off as a town councilman, then I became a county legislator. I was elected the first speaker, they call it presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature. After that, I served as a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for eight years. I was there during 9-11, unfortunately. And then after that, I've always practiced law. I've always been a business consultant. I've developed real estate myself. I've represented condos and co-ops in the past. And I have a deep appreciation for the private sector and people who have to make payroll and pay taxes and utility bills. And eventually I went back to that town board and I served on the town board for another five years. And then I ran for county executive. And for the past four and a half years, I've been county executive of one of the largest counties in America. We have a $4.3 billion budget. Our gross domestic product is larger than 144 nations. We are larger, as they said, in population than eight states. We have almost 1.5 million people. So it's a big job. I've had it for four and a half years, and I was just re-elected in a landslide in a Democratic county, a county with 110,000 more Democrats than Republicans. That was something that was very gratifying to me because it meant that not only Republicans were supporting me, but Democrats and independents like the job I was doing here in Nassau County, the safest county in America. And I haven't raised taxes one penny in four years.
SPEAKER_02As a Nassau County resident, I appreciate that aspect of
Running Nassau County Without Raising Taxes
SPEAKER_02it. So what accomplishments are you most proud of during your tenure as county executive?
SPEAKER_03Even before county executive, I have some things that I was proud of. Number one, I'm very proud that I established the first breast cancer learning resource center in America here in Nassau County when one out of every nine women in Nassau County was contracting breast cancer. And as county executive, I'm proud that U.S. News and World Report named us the safest county in America. Niche Magazine named us the most desirable place to live in New York State. And that basically I've been able to establish programs that are cost efficient and not raise taxes. I've hired almost a thousand new law enforcement professionals in the last four and a half years. I've gotten four budget surpluses and seven bond upgrades, which is unprecedented. I'm very proud of my record.
SPEAKER_02So how did you do that? Did you cut waste? Did you cut spending? Did what what were your tools to balance those budgets and surpluses?
SPEAKER_03So, first of all, I spend money very wisely. There has to be a cost-benefit analysis to every expenditure. It's got to be something that's beneficial to the public and at a cost-efficient price. Number one. Number two, economic development. I welcomed economic development into my county. I actually went out and recruited various big events for my county. I started a tourism program for Nassau County, which they had never had to the extent that I've done it. We welcomed business in. Like I said, we made it attractive for businesses to come to Nassau County. We marketed the county. Our economic development was really off the charts. And therefore, we didn't have to raise taxes.
SPEAKER_02If you had to summarize your leadership philosophy in a few words, what would it be?
SPEAKER_03When you're a leader, it's not what you expect, it's what you inspect. So I'm not a micromanager, but you do have to keep your finger on the pulse. And when you give somebody a job to do, you have to inspect and make sure that it's been done properly.
SPEAKER_02And if I recall, wasn't Nassau County under receivership before your NIFA?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so is that over? Yes. So basically, it is not over. It should be over. As I said, we've had tremendous success financially here. But of course, Kathy Hokel wants to keep her hooks dug into Nassau County and try to keep control over us, even though we are probably one of the best-run counties in the United States fiscally, even the Democratic controller, Tom Dinapley, said our fiscal house was in order and that our finances were excellent. That's a bone of contention between me and Kathy Hokel. Kathy Hokel's into control. She wants to control every aspect of people's lives. She wants to control our county. And quite frankly, because I have resisted her control, we have the safest county and we have one of the most prosperous counties in the United States.
Energy Policy, Rates, And The Grid
SPEAKER_02So let's jump to climate policy, energy, and affordability. These were issues. I know they're big issues on your campaign. And there are big issues in the cop and condo community. And we'll touch on the various aspects of it. But it's become a significant financial issue. Facing cop and condo homeowners, let's start with on the ratepayer side.
SPEAKER_03Just take a look at your electric bill. If you take a look at your electric bill, only 30% of your payment goes for energy. The rest goes for more taxes. Kathy Hochel taxes your electric bill. It goes for excessive delivery fees and what I call the green energy scam. She takes money from every payment that you make, puts it into a fund, subsidizes green energy projects that produce very little energy. They don't help the climate to any material benefit. And basically, it's a way for her to get campaign contributions from people that she gives billions of dollars in contracts. And I'll give you an example of how crazy this is. So I was upstate New York a few months ago at one of these solar farms, and basically it was covered in snow. And I said to the local people, I said, How long has this solar farm been covered in snow? And they said, for about three months. So you know it's not producing any energy, but we, the ratepayers, are paying huge subsidies for companies that put these solar farms up. And we are sitting on one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world in New York, and we don't extract it yet. We buy the same natural gas from Pennsylvania. So Pennsylvania gets our tax revenue, they get the jobs, they get the prosperity. New York pays Pennsylvania for natural gas when we have one of the largest natural reserves in the world. Natural gas is clean energy. And Kathy Hokel wants to take away your gas stove. She wants to make your house all electric. That will be a disaster. The grid can't handle it, number one, so there'll be rolling blackouts. And number two, it is the most expensive form of energy generation. So it's absolutely insane. Our climate or carbon footprint, I should say, in New York State, the whole state of New York, 20 plus million people is 0.02% of the world. So if they're not doing clean energy in India or China or Pakistan, there's not going to be any change in climate. So let's stop the facade, let's stop the scam, and let's get back to natural gas. People want it for their homes, they want it in their stoves. It's cheap, it's clean, it's efficient, and it's in abundance in New York State.
SPEAKER_02So is with that, so you would reinstitute or institute the fracking on the southern tier of New York State.
SPEAKER_03And is that the area we're talking about? Yes, of course. The Marcella Shale on the southern tier of New York State, one of the poorest areas of New York State. Not only could we make that area more prosperous, get tax revenue from that area, but also we would get an abundance. You increase the supply, it brings down the cost significantly. And why give the money to Pennsylvania? Right now, New Yorkers in the metropolitan area, Westchester, New York City, Long Island, we're subsidizing the people on the southern tier because they have no industry. They have no economic development. So basically, it would achieve not only cheap energy, but it would be a way to create economic development in our state.
SPEAKER_02So recently in the last legislative session in New York State, a HOCHOL pushback to 2030, CLCPA, the Climate Leadership Act, deadlines to 2040. Do you think that'll have any impact with respect to the clean energy projects? And does that will that benefit ratepayers in New York State, in your opinion?
SPEAKER_03It's a scam. The whole thing is a big scam. The fact of the matter is, whether it's 2030 or 2040, we are not going all electric. We keep falling behind in energy production. That's why our electric bill is 70% higher than the national average. 70%, 7-0. We've got to bring that cost down. I was at a diner in the Bronx and I was just having lunch there, and the owner spotted me. He came to me with his electric bill. He said, Mr. Blakeman, my electric bill last month was $16,000. I said, How many hamburgers do you have to sell to pay your electric bill? He said about $1,600 a month just to pay his electric bill. It's out of control.
SPEAKER_02Obviously, COP and condo owners in New York City have the added burden of forced conversions to electric sources through local 197. What can you do as governor to either push back the deadlines or help get rid of those requirements for the Copen Condo community?
SPEAKER_03That that will be ended when I become governor. I will tell New York City if they want to get funded, if there are projects that are important to them, they've got to stop this scam on the ratepayers of New York City. So I will end that.
SPEAKER_02Because the grid is maxing out right now. And Donnie in yesterday's New York Post told everybody to put their air conditioner up to 78 degrees because he was afraid the grid wouldn't handle it.
SPEAKER_03Kathy Hokel said the very same thing. She said, put your thermostat at 78 degrees. And isn't it funny how these people they're so disingenuous? Reporters at City Hall found that the rooms in City Hall varied from 68 to 72 degrees. So basically, it's do what I say, not what I do. They're hypocrites. And the fact of the matter is that we need that natural gas. We need to cut out the excessive delivery fees. We need to end the green energy scam. I can cut utility rates in half. That will help everybody. Kathy Hochel has made this an unaffordable state. And when she says she's going to fix it, she made it that way. We're the highest tax state in the United States. We're number 50. We're dead last in economic outlook of all the 50 states. We are in a crisis. We're in a death spiral. And a lot of it is due to her energy policy and her taxation policy.
Co-Ops, Condos, And Unfunded Mandates
SPEAKER_02Let's talk a little bit about this. Is the Cooper Condo Insider, so let's talk about home ownership and cooperative housing. And Rich and I talk about this every guest. Co-op and condominium housing provides non-trade home ownership in New York City. And there's many, of course, in Nassau County, too. Just how important do you believe this housing sector is to New York's future and to New York's economy?
SPEAKER_03I'm a former co-op owner. I'm a former condo owner, and I'm currently a townhouse owner. I know how important it is. It's a lifestyle choice for many people. And in some cases, it's a necessity. People may not be able to afford to have the house with the picket fence, and they need to start off with a co-op or they choose to live in a co-op or a condo. So it's an important part of our economy. It's an important part of our housing stock. And everything that I've seen on behalf of Kathy Hochland, Zoran Mandani, has been promulgated to hurt or destroy that class of housing that we have here in New York State. The laws that are promulgated, the mandates that are promulgated, are going to cost co-op owners and condo owners a tremendous amount of money. Zoran Mandami is anti-property rights. He would like you to lose your property rights. Kathy Hochel is now subservient to him as Zoran Mandami is running the Democratic Party. This isn't the Democratic Party of John F. Kennedy, of Daniel Patrick Moynihan. This is the Democratic Party of Zoran Mandami and the left-wing lunatics and socialists and communists and anti-Semites. So the fact of the matter is that I respect property rights and I certainly believe that condo and co-op homeowners should not be having the burdens they have inflicted upon them by government.
SPEAKER_02So what policies would your administration make to make homeownership, whether it's houses or co-ops and condos, for middle class families more affordable? What ideas do you have for them?
SPEAKER_03First of all, I would end the unfunded mandates that are placed on condos and co-ops that virtually will drive them into bankruptcy. The things that are required by the government now without funding is something that co-op and condo associations have told me are untenable on a financial basis. People won't be able to afford it. So what we've got to do is get government out of the business of over-regulating our housing stock. And that includes, and it's probably highlighted by co-ops and condos.
SPEAKER_02And what message would you like to directly send to millions of New Yorkers who live in co-op and condos?
SPEAKER_03First of all, we have to bring your property taxes down because whether you live in a co-op or a condo, if you pay property taxes directly as a condo owner or whether you pay it through maintenance charges with a co-op, the taxes on property are too high. And that also is because of state unfunded mandates on local government, which require local government to do things without any control over the spending that make it imperative for high property taxes rather than reduce the property taxes. I would end the unfunded mandates. We can bring down property taxes. We've seen throughout the United States, those states that have low property taxes are prospering. And we want to prosper as well. So the property taxes are a big issue. Electric costs, electric bills. Again, if you pay your electric bill directly or you pay it through your maintenance, they keep going up and up. Kathy Hochle has approved over 45 rate hikes on your electric bill. This is an area where it affects everybody. It doesn't matter what house you live in, it doesn't matter what business you're in. Our electric cost being 70% higher than the national average is a terrible burden on everybody who lives in the state.
Pied A Terre Tax And Property Rights
SPEAKER_02And as you I'm sure you're aware, in the last legislative session, they passed the P at a tear tax, and it's going to have a huge impact on the Coop and Condo community. What is your opinion of that tax and do you think it was needed?
SPEAKER_03First of all, the P at a tear tax is completely unnecessary. It's driving high net worth individuals out of our state. They're taking valuable jobs. When they leave, they take the tax revenue with them. So then the burden falls on the middle class. And who else does it hurt? Carpenters, plumbers, electricians, waiters, waitresses, dog walkers, cleaning companies. It has a material effect on everybody. And we should be encouraging high net worth individuals to live in our state rather than driving them out with excessive taxes. That's number one. Number two, this is just a prelude to overtaxing middle class homeowners and co-ops and condos, which is something that Zoran Mandami talks about all the time. Every time he gives a speech on economics and housing, he denigrates property rights, talks about collectivism, which is communism. He doesn't believe in property rights. So he would just as soon take your property and give it to government control and run everything through the New York City Housing Authority, which is the largest slumlord in the world. So I have to put a stop on Zoran Mandami and Kathy Hokel's plans to destroy our interests in property rights, because even with the inheritance tax that they're talking about now, lowering the threshold from $7 million to $750,000, for most middle class people, their biggest investment is in their home. And they want to be able to leave that to their children and grandchildren. In addition, some homeowners finance their homes in order to pay for their kids' college. So it's a big piece of equity that is important to the economy, especially middle class people who own homes in New York State. I'm against the inheritance tax and I'm against the pied de terre tax, and I am definitely against congestion pricing, which quite frankly is a tax on the privilege of using a public road that you as the taxpayer already paid for.
Day One Priorities And Public Safety
SPEAKER_02So if you're elected governor, what would be when? When you are elected governor, what would be your top three priorities? Top three day one priorities.
SPEAKER_03So first of all, Kathy Hokel has spent eight and a half billion dollars of the taxpayers' money. Every taxpayer is contributing to the housing, the feeding, the transportation of illegal migrants, including a free cell phone. Basically, she is giving away our tax dollars to people who aren't New Yorkers. They're here illegally. And no matter how you feel about immigration, and I am very pro-immigration, we shouldn't be giving away stuff for free for people who haven't earned it in our state with taxpayer dollars. So on day one, we will no longer be a sanctuary state. I am not spending your hard-earned dollars on people who aren't New Yorkers. I am putting New Yorkers first. Kathy Hochel's made New Yorkers miserable. I want to make them happy again. And one of the ways to do that is to put New Yorkers first. So that's going to be the first thing I do. Second thing, concentrate on cutting electric bills, which are out of control, as I said, 70% higher than the national average. I will have a detailed energy program, which includes ending the excessive delivery costs, the taxes, andor reducing the taxes, and also ending the green energy scam so I can cut your electric bills in half. Then I have issues with respect to laws that make it easier for criminals to operate, like cashless bail. I want to eliminate those because we have so much lawlessness now in New York State that it's getting out of control. People don't feel safe in their communities. And the number one job for government is to keep communities safe. So I have demonstrated in my county that I know how to do that, and I'll do that for the whole state. So what did you do in Nassau County that that makes it the safest county in the state? So first of all, I back the blue. That's number one. Your police officers, correction officers, probation officers have to know that their leader backs them up. That's number one. Number two, I invest in them. As I said, I hire close to a thousand new law enforcement professionals in the last four and a half years. I also invest in technology, training, equipment, so that my police officers have the best of the best. So that's one of the ways that I have been able to keep us the safest county in America.
Tourism, Jobs, And Selling New York
SPEAKER_02Richard, I'm gonna turn Richard's a lot more fun than me. We call this the lightning round. Richard, I'm gonna turn this over to you.
SPEAKER_01First of all, Mr. Blakeman, thank you for the honor for being with us. Nassau County is some of the most beautiful resources. You have the beaches and parks, all this great stuff. What are the hidden gems that the Nassau County Office of Tourism has promoted that may have not been on the radar before?
SPEAKER_03First of all, we've never marketed our county as a destination location. We've always been considered a bedroom community of New York City. I have changed that. I have made Nassau County a destination. We have the most beautiful beaches in the world. We've got the most incredible park system. We've got great museums like the Fine Arts Museum, the Cradle of Aviation Museum, the Children's Museum, the Firefighters Museum. We now have a new museum on the history of disabilities in America at the Viscardi School. So we are very much into culture. We have beautiful parks. We have great beaches, and our restaurants are as good as anywhere. Our restaurants are as good as in New York City. We've got every kind of cuisine here in Nassau County that you could possibly want. Our shopping is second to none. Our shopping is as good as New York City. We have a tremendous amount of assets here, but for many years nobody knew about them. I've invested in marketing our county, and that's why our county's economic prosperity is so good.
SPEAKER_01You know, the New York State I Love New York campaign sometimes features the governor who says, I love New York. So if you were going to create such a promo for New York State, we have the wine regions, we have great skiing, we have farms and all kinds of drive-in movie theaters and all this great stuff. What would you include in your promo ad? And could I be an extra in the background?
SPEAKER_03First of all, I would love to have you as an extra. Second of all, people love New York, but they don't love the governor. She has made us miserable. One of the things that I think is imperative is economic development in this state. We need to promote economic development. We need to make it business friendly. Thousands and thousands of businesses have left New York under Kathy Hokel. They've taken away hundreds of thousands of jobs, good jobs. We've got to make our communities prosperous. We've got to create business. We need better jobs with higher wages and better benefits, or young people will leave. They won't want to stay here. And we've got to attract those businesses here. We are the most business-unfriendly state in the United States. That's why we're 50 in economic development. So I want to promote economic development, and part of that is tourism. Like you said, we've got great skiing areas, we've got the finger lakes, we've got farmland, rich farmland, we've got all these little villages dotted throughout New York State that are very charming. We have areas in New York State that are just among the most beautiful natural beauties in the whole world. And we have to exploit that. One of the things I got to tell you that was striking to me was Niagara Falls. On the Canadian side, it's beautiful, it's tourist friendly. On the New York side, it's a dump. That just shows you how Kathy Hoechel has completely ignored a natural wonder and a tourist attraction that really could be first class. Listen, I always feel it's cheaper to go first class. I will redo everything in this state to make it attractive to people from around the world to come to New York State and spend their money here and create economic development and prosperity for our residents.
Wristbands, Values, And 9/11 Loss
SPEAKER_01I notice you have some wristbands. We're on a Zoom thing. Could you tell us what's on your wrist?
SPEAKER_03So the first one says, Thank you, Hashem. Hashem is Hebrew for God. Every day I thank God for all my blessings because I think it's important to recognize that our blessings come from God. Then the next one is this green bracelet, which encourages people to donate their organs so that they will help people who need those organs in order to survive. I want to recognize organ donation and encourage people to do that. The next one was given to me by a woman whose son was murdered. And it reminds me every day that we have to put victims ahead of criminals. And under Kathy Hokel's world, she puts criminals over victims. So that's a reminder to me that we have to keep our community safe because if a young boy is murdered, it not only kills his life, but it destroys the family, and they can never recover from that. And the last one is for my nephew Tommy, who was a hero on 9-11. He was helping to evacuate the South Tower. He was giving medical aid to a woman who was severely burned when the building collapsed on him and he died that day. He was murdered by Islamic terrorists at nine on 9-11 at the World Trade Center. Sorry for your loss. Thank you.
Final Thoughts And How To Help
SPEAKER_02I know you'll be traveling throughout the city and visiting co-op and condos personally, and just expressing your appreciation of this form of home ownership. And uh and we we really appreciate the fact that you'll be fighting for them to keep them viable, to keep them affordable. And it's important.
SPEAKER_03If you want to volunteer or contribute, please go to Blakeman for New York.com. I'm your last hope to stop Mandami and Hokel in destroying our state. BlakemanForNewYork.com.
SPEAKER_02That's what I want to encourage all our listeners out there to subscribe to the CoFakondo Insider on their favorite podcast platform. Thank you for listening, and we'll catch you on the next one.