Nassau Dems threaten funding freeze over $150K needed for Hempstead park rehab: ‘Completely ridiculous’

Nassau Democrats gathered astatine Mirschel Park Monday — a crumbling Hempstead hub successful hopeless request of an overhaul — and blasted nan region executive for playing favorites pinch projects successful Republican-led districts.

Democrats are seeking $150,000 to repair nan park, but besides declare $9 cardinal worthy of projects are being stonewalled by Bruce Blakeman, nan Republican region executive. The Dems — if they don’t get their measurement — are threatening to withhold cardinal votes to artifact a backing transportation to nan county’s parks section budget.

Blakeman called nan claims “completely ridiculous.” 

Democrats are seeking $150,000 to repair nan park, but besides declare $9 cardinal worthy of projects are being stonewalled by Bruce Blakeman, nan Republican region executive. Brigitte Stelzer

He slammed Democrats and pointed to approvals he gave for Hempstead projects for illustration $1 cardinal for h2o treatment, $400,000 for nan African American History Museum, $100,000 for a occurrence truck, and much than $350,000 for licence sheet readers. 

They acknowledged Blakeman signed disconnected connected those projects — though they opportunity it was abstracted from nan superior money they’re looking for to money nan parkland rehab — but said nan OK’s didn’t travel without a partisan fight.

“They ne'er person thing bully to say,” Blakeman told The Post. “What they should opportunity is convey you.”

Mirschel Park is operated by Hempstead, not nan county, according to Blakeman.

He added that Roosevelt, a Democratic district, conscionable received a brand-new state-of-the-art installation astatine Eisenhower Park known arsenic “The Dream Court” successful 2023, named aft hometown fable Julius “Dr. J” Erving.

But Dems said nan $9 cardinal successful mobility is already allocated successful approved budgets and Blakeman conscionable needs to merchandise it.

Mirschel Park is operated by Hempstead, not nan county, according to Blakeman. Dennis A. Clark

“This backing has been backloaded since 2023 — and location is nary logic for that too blatant politics,” Legislator Scott Davis, a Democrat, said extracurricular Mirschel Park Monday.

“We are going to clasp up nan transportation until we spot activity connected our projects,” added Democratic Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, claiming astir 34 projects crossed GOP-controlled districts person been approved without 1 of nan Dems’ 32 proposals being passed. 

Blakeman said he has fixed plentifulness of backing to bluish districts and nan colony of Roosevelt successful particular.

“They’re trying to prime connected america because we’re holding a $150,00 petition erstwhile we’ve already fixed $3 cardinal to nan colony — it is wholly ludicrous,” he said.