Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is calling on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip the upcoming 25th anniversary commemoration of the Sept. 11 terror attacks at Ground Zero, arguing that their presence would cause additional pain for members of the 9/11 community.
Blakeman, the Republican candidate running against Hochul in November, told Newsmax’s “National Report” that he sympathizes with current and retired Port Authority police officers and other first responders who have asked the two Democratic officials not to attend the ceremony. Should Hochul and Mamdani appear despite those objections, Blakeman said attendees should respond with a peaceful demonstration.
“Hopefully they won’t go, but if they do, turn your back on them,” Blakeman said.
The Port Authority Retired Police Association, which represents approximately 600 members, sent letters dated Aug. 14 urging both Hochul and Mamdani to stay away from the Ground Zero commemoration. The organization pointed to Mamdani’s history of statements and positions regarding law enforcement, as well as Hochul’s decision to illuminate One World Trade Center in recognition of Muslim American Heritage Month. The group suggested that Mamdani commemorate the anniversary through a written statement, public message or separate event instead.
Hochul and Mamdani have both indicated that they intend to attend. Hochul’s office said the governor respects the 9/11 families and noted that Muslim New Yorkers were among the first responders on Sept. 11, maintaining that combating anti-Muslim bigotry does not conflict with honoring those murdered in the attacks. Mamdani has said he intends to pay tribute to the victims, survivors and first responders during the ceremony.
For Blakeman, the controversy carries a deeply personal dimension. He was serving as a Port Authority commissioner when the attacks occurred and lost his nephew, New York state court officer Thomas Jurgens, in the collapse of the South Tower.
“On that day, we lost 37 police officers. We’ve lost more since then with 9/11-related illnesses,” Blakeman said. “And I lost my nephew on 9/11. He was one of the court officers evacuating the South Tower, giving first aid to a woman who was severely burned. When my nephew was killed, he was murdered by the perpetrators of the attack on 9/11. So this is personal to me. I lost a lot of friends and colleagues from the Port Authority.”
Blakeman also attacked Mamdani’s record on law enforcement, accusing the mayor of failing to stand behind police officers and criticizing his handling of controversy surrounding the phrase “global intifada.”
“He doesn’t respond to the issues that are important to law enforcement. He doesn’t back the blue. He’s someone who wants to defund our police,” Blakeman said.
A total of 2,977 people were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, including 441 first responders, according to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Among those killed were 37 Port Authority police officers, representing the greatest single-day loss ever suffered by an American police department.
Blakeman argued that the wishes of relatives of those killed in the attacks should be given priority when determining who attends the annual Ground Zero ceremony.
“If the families of those who were murdered on that day don’t want you to attend, it’s like a wake,” he said. “If you’re asked not to attend a wake, you shouldn’t attend a wake. If the family doesn’t want you there, you shouldn’t go.”
Hochul is campaigning for a second full term as governor in the Nov. 3 election. Blakeman, who has led Nassau County as county executive since 2022, has made crime, public safety and his opposition to Mamdani’s policies major issues in his campaign to unseat her.
