A man in a ski mask, arrested in Nassau County after police allegedly found a knife on him. The suspect, an 18-year-old migrant who illegally crossed the border in 2019. He was allegedly planning a robbery.

Then, released without bail.

For Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the byproduct of every progressive policy in New York was encapsulated in a single arrest.

“Cashless bail, the migrants, the fact that ICE now can’t hold these illegal immigrants, the fact that people wear masks to hide their identity, commit crimes, engage in acts of hate crimes — those are all the things we’ve been talking about,” Blakeman said at a news conference.

Earlier, Blakeman sat down for an extended interview with NY1.

Mayor Eric Adams has supported the idea of a ban on masks and Gov. Kathy Hochul is talking about legislation to enact one.

“They talked about it and I did it,” Blakeman said.

Enacting a mask ban, overseeing a police department without sanctuary policies, prohibiting the county from giving permits to sports leagues that allow males who identify as transgender girls or women to play alongside female athletes — Blakeman described these policies:

“People want to get back to common sense. That’s all they want to do. These crazy rules where they allow biological males to play against females, it lacks common sense and, quite frankly, I think it’s a violation of women’s rights,” he said. “When we talk about the mask law, that’s common sense. You don’t want people walking around wearing masks unless they have a legitimate purpose like a health condition or religious imperative.”

Nassau County under Blakeman has become a policy and cultural counterweight to Democratic policies that dominate in New York City and Albany.

“We are surrounded by people who have lunatic policies, far-left progressive policies, that quite frankly are destroying the fabric of America and they don’t want that to happen in Nassau County. That’s why we’ve been so successful in the elections, because Democrats are voting for us now, independent voters are voting for us now. They just want to be normal.

Yet, he is an unabashed admirer of former President Donald Trump.

“He was shot, he got right back up and said ‘fight, fight, fight.’ That’s the kind of guy he is. I admire that kind of courage. Our personalities are different,” Blakeman said.

Though when NY1 asked if he had some of Trump’s politics in him, Blakeman said, “my son Arlen would say I do have a streak of populist in me.”

Blakeman’s political history has more defeats than victories. That is, until 2021, when he upset an incumbent Democratic county executive running for reelection.

“He’s a doer, he’s a people person, he’s very bright, very energetic,” Joe Cairo, chairman of the Nassau County GOP, said. “When he gets out there, he’s on the move all the time.”

Before the interview, Blakeman met with veterans, upset that the commissary that provides cheaper groceries than supermarkets has been closed for months because of issues with the roof.

“Politics out here, they’re good. They respond to your needs. Bruce Blakeman, he’s a great county executive,” Matt DeGregorio, a Vietnam War veteran, said. “You can talk to these guys and they respond to you and they help us out.”

That’s critical in a county where there are more registered Democrats than Republicans.

“Quite frankly, many Democrats have felt that they have lost their party,” Congressman Anthony D’Esposito, a Nassau County Republican, said. “They feel that the party of common sense, the party of rational government, are Republicans and we continue to deliver.”

To Democrats, Blakeman and Republicans are doing everything but delivering on issues like taxes and affordability.

“He was a guy with a solution always in search of a problem but never a problem that we actually have here in Nassau County,” Jay Jacobs, chair of the New York State and Nassau County Democratic Party, said. “Our problem is property taxes. Our problem is getting the roads repaired.”   

Seth Koslow, a Democratic Nassau County legislator, said Blakeman is not making the county better.

“His main focus is his ego, his stature and his reputation in the political process,” Koslow said.

Koslow cited the ban on transgender women athletes as an example of Blakeman inviting legal challenges that spend county money and resources.

But when pressed on his thoughts on the issue generally, Koslow said, “As a father of two daughters, I am concerned about that possibly becoming an issue at some point, but, again, I don’t think that’s for the county to decide.”

To Democratic critics, Blakeman is just angling for a job in a potential Trump administration. GOP officials hope he runs for reelection as county executive.

NY1 asked him if he wants to be governor — Hochul is up for reelection in 2026.

“If you asked me that question 15 years ago, I’d probably say definitely,” Blakeman said. “But now it’s one step at a time and right now I have a great job. I love my job.”

Blakeman says he hears more from constituents about migrants and grocery prices than property tax reassessments.

While NY1 was in his office, he showed plaques showcasing free concerts in Nassau County for Boyz II Men and Joan Jett that broke attendance records.

“We’ve got museums that are world class, our shopping is better than it is in Manhattan, our restaurants are better than Manhattan, so my job is to market Nassau County, increase the base,” Blakeman said.

The tax base — maybe the Republican base, too.