Nassau Democrats are fuming after Bruce Blakeman quietly re-upped his longtime political ally Peter King’s no-bid contract Monday, accusing the Republican county govt of cronyism and an absence of transparency.
The 81-year-old King, a former Republican congressman, was first employed in November 2023 as Blakeman’s “confidential adviser” on counterterrorism and homeland safety, a job that has allowed him to gather as much as $8,000 a month with no public vote or an open bidding course of as a result of delicate nature of the publish.
Data present Nassau has already shelled out $192,000 to King. And his contract, which was prolonged on Monday by the county govt, will now run by means of October.
“No-bid contracts for political insiders like Peter King are exactly why Long Islanders pay some of the highest taxes in the country,” county Legislator Seth Koslow, a Democrat who’s working in opposition to Blakeman in November, advised The Submit. “Bruce Blakeman is treating our wallets like an ATM for his mates.
“This so-called ‘sensitive’ legal work is just another excuse for a secret payout. While Nassau families are getting squeezed, the GOP machine is cashing in.”
Blakeman known as it “ridiculous” that the Democrats had been making a problem of the appointment.
He pointed to King’s practically three many years in Congress, the place he chaired the Home Homeland Safety Committee, served on the Intelligence Committee and helped lead post-9/11 emergency preparedness efforts throughout New York state. He represented each Nassau and Suffolk counties whereas engaged on Capitol Hill.
“Congressman King held the highest security clearances in the federal government, military, and law enforcement, and has not only a wealth of knowledge but an extensive network of intelligence professionals that he has made available to Nassau County,” Blakeman mentioned.
The funding, particularly as Nassau cops are gearing as much as help ICE, is required now greater than ever, Blakeman mentioned.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder additionally backed the rent, saying King is “available 24/7” and recurrently sits in on conferences with prime regulation enforcement officers from native jurisdictions to the federal stage. The ex-congressman has additionally been intimately concerned in main safety planning efforts, together with final 12 months’s Cricket World Cup held at Eisenhower Park, in response to Ryder.
Nevertheless, the Dems advised The Submit Blakeman’s transfer is much less about security and safety and extra about enjoying political favorites and doing so with out transparency.
Blakeman used a slim exemption to get King on the payroll that enables the county govt to rent exterior authorized counsel in “highly sensitive” issues, county information present — a carveout Dems mentioned opens the door to cronyism.
Since taking workplace, Blakeman has used the supply to dole out greater than $500,000 in related authorities contracts, together with $250,000 to a regulation agency — beforehand utilized by President Trump — for authorized recommendation on combating Gov. Kathy Hochul’s controversial reasonably priced housing plan.
Most county contracts require a vote from a Nassau Legislature committee and should undergo a aggressive bidding course of aimed toward securing the bottom doable worth for taxpayers.
Usually, solely contracts beneath $1,000 can bypass bidding necessities — however King’s deal wasn’t introduced earlier than lawmakers or opened as much as different distributors.
“Even if it’s legal, it doesn’t mean it’s ethical or defensible,” mentioned Koslow. “Quite frankly, it’s a handout.”
King’s relationship with Blakeman dates again years. The 2 have appeared collectively at a number of occasions, together with Blakeman’s current reelection kickoff and over the previous 25 years, King and his committees have poured greater than $1.1 million into native politics, together with many donations to Blakeman and the Nassau GOP.
Since leaving workplace in 2021, King has labored as a lobbyist and advisor, however mentioned he nonetheless maintains energetic ties with federal regulation enforcement and nationwide safety officers, spending a number of hours per week on county enterprise.
“I’m not saying it needs to be me instead of someone else,” King advised Newsday. “But I think it’s good to have somebody on the outside who can add a different dimension.”
Blakeman has not mentioned whether or not he plans to increase King’s contract past this 12 months.
