After several New York Police Department officers were pelted by snowballs in Washington Square Park on Monday, Feb. 23, Nassau County executive and Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman called for the arrest of those responsible.
The record-breaking blizzard pummeled the city on Monday, leading New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to close city schools for the first time since 2016 and Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for several downstate counties.
A video posted to X shows several people cheering and throwing snowballs at officers walking through the park. Two officers are seen pushing those throwing snowballs into nearby snowbanks as they make their way past the gathered crowd.
Blakeman put the blame on Hochul and the city’s Democratic socialist mayor, calling the situation “a disgraceful and dangerous reflection of Mamdani’s anti-police rhetoric.”
NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch said the incident was being investigated and the NYPD announced they had arrested a 27-year-old in connection with the incident on Thursday, Feb. 26.
Hochul addressed the incident at a news conference on Thursday, saying, in part, “there is no circumstance where it’s OK to throw anything at a police officer.”
Blakeman calls Hochul’s budget ‘reckless’
Hochul’s 30-day amendments to the state’s fiscal year 2027 executive budget were released on Feb. 19 and included an additional $2.7 billion in spending, primarily due to the governor’s $1.5 billion pledge to help New York City reduce its budget gap.
Blakeman said the city funding pledge is “rewarding incompetence” and that “Albany is spending New York into the ground.”
“Bruce Blakeman is fighting to gut Medicaid and rip away health care from New Yorkers, but he’s more than happy to jack up families’ costs with illegal, expensive tariffs and blow taxpayer funds on his failing Trump Loyalty Tour,” Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said in response to Blakeman’s comments.
Hochul’s competitor also referenced a report released on Feb. 18 by state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli that reveals a possible budget gap of $27.5 billion through 2030 as projected state spending is estimated to increase at a faster rate than expected revenues.
“The Executive Budget for the upcoming state fiscal year comes at a time of unusual fiscal uncertainty, caused largely by federal policies that have injected unnecessary volatility into the state and national economies, and disruptive changes in the state’s relationship with the federal government,” DiNapoli said.
“These policies will result in lost funding and increased costs to the state, and could deal a devastating blow to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers,” he noted, adding “policymakers need to proceed with caution as they work on balancing the budget, improving affordability and maintaining vital services for New Yorkers.”
Hochul demands Trump provide tariff refunds to New Yorkers
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn President Donald Trump’s tariffs late last week, Hochul called on the Trump administration to refund an estimated $13.5 billion in tariff payments to New Yorkers on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
According to Yale Budget Lab findings, the average New York household has faced an estimated $1,751 in added costs due to the tariffs, which amounts to an estimated statewide impact of $13.5 billion.
“These senseless and illegal tariffs were just a tax on New York consumers, small businesses and farmers — and that’s why I’m demanding a full refund,” Hochul said. “I’ll never stop fighting for New Yorkers, and that means staying focused on putting more money back in your pockets — not ripping it away.”
Blakeman hasn’t immediately responded to a request for comment by the USA TODAY Network-New York, but has previously supported Trump’s tariffs and received an endorsement from the president in December.
In a Feb. 20 interview with Bloomberg, Blakeman said he thinks tariffs “play a minor role” in the state’s affordability issues and that Hochul’s policies are what have put New York “at the bottom of economic development of the 50 states of the United States.”
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers’ taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY governor’s race hits on NYC snowball fight, state budget, tariffs
Reporting by Emily Barnes, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
