By Hank Russell
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is running against Kathy Hochul for governor, is calling on the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to relocate its operations to Nassau County after the agency announced it was planning to relocate out of state.
According to Federal News Network, USACE made the announcement back in February that it intended to move out of its government building in New York City and into a new, leased commercial office in New Jersey. A lease agreement was signed last month.
The move would affect 500 workers, according to the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 98, the union that represents the workers. The union also claimed that they were not notified about the move, violating a clause in the collective bargaining agreement, Federal News Network reported. The union told the media outlet that the relocation “will have lasting repercussions on staffing and project implementation.”
Blakeman said the move will affect critical shoreline protection and dredging projects on Long Island. “Chasing out the people who fund this state is bad enough, but now Kathy Hochul is letting critical federal infrastructure lines flee too,” he said. “Her silence as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District plans to leave the state gives a green light to an exodus that will stall vital flood protection and force remaining taxpayers to pay millions for empty, idle contractor time. If you want to know why everyone is leaving Kathy Hochul’s New York, look no further than this total lack of leadership.”
He said he is offering USACE the opportunity to remain in New York State, which it has done for nearly 250 years.
“If Albany is too broken to keep this vital agency in our state, Nassau County stands ready to step up,” he said. “We officially welcome the specialized workforce of Local 98 and the entire district leadership to make Nassau County their new home. Here, your mission to protect our shorelines will be met with open arms, robust local support, and a government that actually values infrastructure and hard work.”
New York State Democratic Party spokesperson Addison Dick shot back, saying this move was another “harmful Trump administration action” and was another example of “Bruce Blakeman refus[ing] to stand up to Donald Trump when he hurts New Yorkers, rips away funding for healthcare and food assistance, and holds up vital infrastructure projects to play politics.”
“Blakeman is showing New Yorkers every day that he’ll let Trump do whatever he wants as Governor, and that he doesn’t have the spine to fight for our state,” Dick added.
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to USACE for comment, but did not hear back as of press time.