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00:00So good morning everybody. It's great to be here in Washington Heights, a great
00:05community here in Manhattan. This is the highest point in Manhattan. It's a
00:12beautiful area and it has a great community. But what I'm concerned about
00:18is a few things. Number one, we want to keep this a safe community. And that's an
00:23issue I hear about everywhere I go when I travel around the state. Even here in
00:29Washington Heights, people are concerned about safety and security. And they're
00:33concerned about affordability. We're the highest tax state in America. That's why
00:38when I become governor, I will submit a bill that your first hundred thousand
00:43dollars, no matter what your tax bracket is, is a joint filing. No state income tax. As a single filing,
00:51your first
00:51fifty thousand dollars, no state income tax. It will save the average family between
00:58two and seven thousand dollars. We've got to put more money back in people's pockets.
01:04And our utility bills are seventy percent higher than the national average. Just a
01:10short ways from here in the Bronx, I was having lunch with some Hispanic and
01:15Latino community leaders. And the owner of the diner saw me. He recognized me. He went
01:21back to his office. He got his electric bill. He wanted to show me. It was sixteen thousand
01:28dollars. I said to him, how many hamburgers you have to sell a month just to pay your utility bill?
01:34That's the sense he has to sell one thousand hamburgers per month just to pay his utility
01:40bills. And then we looked at his utility bill. And I showed him. I pointed out to him. Thirty percent,
01:47only thirty percent of his payment was going for energy. The rest was taxes. Yes, Kathy Hochul taxes
01:53your energy bills. Excessive delivery costs. That's how you mass rate hikes. And by the way,
02:00Kathy Hochul increased our utility rates forty-eight times in four years. That's once a month. And the other third
02:08goes for investments in green energy that don't produce very much energy at all. Like wind turbines, sixty stories high,
02:16in the middle of the ocean. What could be more expensive than building in the middle of the ocean?
02:20Or solar farms that are under snow three months out of the year in upstate New York. Now look,
02:26I'm not against renewable energy. The gentleman I'm going to introduce in a minute, when he was governor,
02:33he had a goal of twenty-five percent renewable energy. I think that's a good, good point that he made,
02:41and a good target. But Kathy Hochul wants to go 100 percent in green energy, renewable energy. We're not
02:48going to be able to supply our energy for this state going 100 percent with wind turbines and solar farms.
02:57It's got to be a balanced approach to energy. We're sitting on one of the largest natural gas reserves in
03:02the world here in New York state. Yet Kathy Hochul won't let us extract that natural gas.
03:10In Pennsylvania, with a Democrat governor, John Shapiro, their utility bills are half ours,
03:15because he allows for the extraction of natural gas. We should have an all-of-the-above attitude
03:21towards energy. People are really suffering. As I walk down the street here, people are telling me,
03:27wherever I go, how expensive their utility bills are. We've got to get back to common sense and
03:34running our government and having an energy policy that works for people. Now when Governor Pataki
03:40was governor, we went through an unprecedented years of prosperity, years of job creation. People
03:49were happy under Governor Pataki. They're miserable under Kathy Hochul. Governor Pataki is somebody that
03:57I've known for the years. He's not only a good friend, but he's a mentor. He's somebody I look up
04:01to.
04:02He brought ethics and integrity to the office of governor. He was a governor that worked in every
04:10community. No matter where people were with concerns, he was there. Governor Pataki was somebody who felt
04:18comfortable in every community. And Governor Pataki, his budget made sense. Kathy Hochul's budgets,
04:26the average rate of inflation since Governor Pataki was governor, is about 1.8 to 2 percent. Kathy Hochul's
04:36budgets have gone up by 4.6 to 5 percent per year. It's not sustainable. Everywhere I go, people are
04:46telling me they're getting choked by taxes. They're getting choked by utility bills. And they don't feel safe in
04:51their communities. So I am so honored that Governor Pataki has joined with me today. And I can tell you
05:00this much, when I become governor, he's somebody I'm going to rely upon each and every day for advice
05:05and guidance. Because he has the experience, he has the know-how, and he has the drive to want to
05:14make New
05:15New York. A place, again, where it's affordable and safe for every New Yorker. And he's a great New
05:21Yorker. Probably the greatest governor we've ever had, but certainly the greatest governor we've had
05:26in the last 50 years. Ladies and gentlemen, Governor George Pataki.
05:36Thank you so much, Bruce. And let me just say what a pleasure it is to be back in Washington
05:42Heights.
05:43This is a community that I love. And since I've been governor, my wife Libby and I have been back
05:48going to restaurants and enjoying a great time here. I had an office a little bit up the block on
05:54Dykeman Street when I was governor. And it's just such a pleasure to be back, particularly on a day
06:00like this, when the sun is shining. The sun is not shining in Albany. When I look at what's happening
06:06there, I see that Albany works for the politicians and their friends, but not for the people. And we
06:12need to change Albany and put it back in the hands of Bruce Blakeman, who's going to put the people
06:18first and not party or his friends. Taxes. Since I left, Albany has done three things. Raise your taxes,
06:33raise your electric bill and make our streets less, less safe than they used to be. That has
06:39gotten to change. And Bruce Blakeman is the person to do it. Bruce has been a county executive of one
06:51of
06:51the best run counties, not just in New York, but in America. He's held the line on taxes. He has
06:57gotten criminals off the streets. In fact, today, Nassau County that Bruce Blakeman is the executive of
07:05is the safest county in the United States of America. That commitment, that willingness,
07:15that ability to cut taxes, to lower energy bills, and to make our streets safer is exactly why New York
07:24needs Bruce Blakeman as our mayor. It's easy to endorse again. It's another one to believe that
07:35that candidate is needed to make New York a better place. Albany has to change. We can't continue
07:43doing more of the same. Just this week, I read where Mondami is proposing a $9 billion a year new
07:53program. And Albany, Governor Hopeville is saying, this is a good idea. Where's the money going to come from? It's
08:00going to come from your pockets. It's going to come from what you need
08:03to take care of your families to take care of your families and pay your bills, not from some
08:08high in the sky that simply doesn't exist. So I'm proud to endorse, not just endorse, proud to be with
08:16my friend Bruce Blakeman. He's been a great executive for Nassau County. He will be a great
08:22executive for New York State. Thank you.
08:28I want to try and speak a little bit in Spanish.
08:31Yes, yes, yes.
08:33That would be nice.
08:35It's a pleasure to be with my friend Bruce Blakeman here in Washington Heights.
08:40I like this area a lot. I was happy when I was governor in an office with some blocks in
08:49this direction.
08:50Yeah.
08:51I'm sorry.
08:53I'm sorry because I know what seems to me to be the leader. This is what is our state.
09:00Albany, we work only for the politicians and its friends, not for the people.
09:07We have to have governors in New York who work only, first, for the people and the people.
09:16Your taxes are too low. Your bills of electricity are too low.
09:26And our streets are as safe as we need.
09:33You have to change everything.
09:35Mr. Blankman, a very strong leader, can and will do it for you, for the people, for the community here
09:45in Washington Heights, and for all the people of New York.
09:55My Spanish is not good, but I try.
10:08Thank you very much, Governor Pataki. It's an honor to have you as an advisor and mentor to me.
10:17And you are, again, a great New Yorker, and we love you.
10:20And I also want to introduce my running mate, the controller.
10:25I'm very proud of the kitchen we put together.
10:28We have Saritha Comitoretti, who is South Asian.
10:33Her parents emigrated from India, and her father is a doctor.
10:39And Saritha was a very, very experienced prosecutor who's going to make a great attorney general.
10:45And then we have the controller candidate, Joe Hernandez.
10:49He's an immigrant. He came from Cuba. His family came here with virtually nothing.
10:54He built a big business, and now he wants to get back to New York.
10:58So, without further ado, let's hear from our controller candidate, Joe Hernandez, for a few words.
11:03Yeah, let's go, guys.
11:08Thank you, Bruce.
11:08Governor, you're Spanish better than my friends.
11:11I've been speaking.
11:12So, I'm going to switch to Spanish for my Hispanic friends and people who are here.
11:17Thank you very much.
11:18Thank you for being here.
11:19My name is Joseph Hernandez.
11:20My name is Joseph Hernandez.
11:20My name is Joseph Hernandez.
11:21I'm a contractor.
11:22I'm an immigrant.
11:23I've been here for 7 years.
11:25My father lavated plates in the restaurant.
11:27My mother limped the house to put food in the restaurant.
11:31And it's true that New York is a very serious problem.
11:35The taxes are very expensive.
11:37The electricity is very expensive.
11:39The cost of life is very expensive.
11:41And there's no big crime.
11:43We need to control that.
11:44We need a governor who has a record of cleaning those things.
11:48And Bruce Blakeman is going to be the governor of the RIPAN.
12:02I think they've misused it.
12:05When we created it, the idea was to have zero impact on the consumer,
12:09that the revenue that was raised by the major emitters of greenhouse gases
12:14would be rebated back to the people in the form of lower bills.
12:18That hasn't happened.
12:18And so what they have done with it is used it as a slush fund in Albany.
12:23And that is the wrong thing to do.
12:25So that content is right.
12:27But the way it's being done is Albany is right.
12:30I have a question on the topic.
12:33Me or the governor.
12:35Mr. Blakeman, so you've said that your approach to reducing energy costs
12:40would be called brackling.
12:42But some people think that would take many years to get up and running.
12:46So what is your plan to reduce energy rates for people now,
12:51like in your first 60 months?
12:53And does the war in Iran need to stop in order for that to happen?
12:58Yeah, so first of all, I met with those same individuals and companies
13:05that are doing the extraction of natural gas in Pennsylvania.
13:09They told me they can be up and running in 60 days.
13:13So if Albany has the will to reduce people's utility bills and give us energy security
13:19and create prosperity in our state, then we can get it done in 60 days.
13:24Number one.
13:25Number two, Kathy Hochul's own state energy research board has said that her policies
13:32will increase our utility bills by $4,000 in the next five years.
13:38That's another $4,000 on top of the $4,000 annually that's gone up since she's become governor.
13:45And that our gasoline prices under Kathy Hochul will go up in the next five years by $2.25.
13:52We've got to stop Kathy Hochul's policies.
13:56They are creating a situation where we don't have energy security
13:59and it's made it less affordable for every New Yorker.
14:01And it will actually bankrupt most New Yorkers if we allow it to continue for the next four years.
14:07Mr. Whitman, do you have any reaction to the ongoing manhunt for the man who murdered someone in a midtown
14:12subway over the weekend?
14:14I have a lot of confidence in Jessica Tish as commissioner of the NYPD and the men and women of
14:20the NYPD.
14:20I believe they will solve that murder very shortly.
14:23But again, it just illustrates seven murders in our subways.
14:29It's up almost 100% under Zohram Andami and Kathy Hochul.
14:34Stop telling New Yorkers that it's safe.
14:36You've made it less safe.
14:38Nobody feels safer.
14:39I will make you safe.
14:44Are you talking to me?
14:51First, let me apologize for my Spanish.
14:54If Joe started talking, I thought, what was I thinking?
14:57But it was fun trying anyway.
15:01So, Governor, under your leadership, state buildings, you require that state buildings get at least 20% of energy from
15:08renewable sources.
15:09If you were governor today, is that different than what Governor Brooklyn is doing right now?
15:16What's happening today is a disaster.
15:18I mean, you cannot hook up natural gas to apartment houses and buildings in New York City today.
15:24Natural gas is the cheapest effective way that people can heat their homes or generate electricity.
15:31And we're not being allowed to do that.
15:33And that is simply wrong.
15:35I'm all for, as Bruce Blakeman said, we're all for renewable energy.
15:39But it's got to be part of a package that doesn't drive up costs through the roof.
15:44It can't be something that is based on ideology as opposed to the practicality of what the people need.
15:50And it's not right now.
15:52And then, County Executive, when it comes to the nuclear projects here, even at Indian Point, for example, do you
16:03think that President Trump should be greenlighting some of these nuclear projects?
16:07And would you like to see some of the information?
16:09Well, Kathy Hochul and her party closed Indian Point.
16:15I think that we have to look at the economics of reopening them.
16:19I spoke to Mike Waller about that.
16:22He's very, very bullish on reopening Indian Point, and I trust his judgment.
16:27So I think we can open Indian Point, which produced about 23 percent of our energy needs.
16:33I think it was pure folly to close it.
16:37And now we'll look at the economics of reopening it.
16:40But again, Mike Waller is a very experienced, confident and sober member of Congress.
16:48And if he thinks that that's a practical solution to our issues, you know, I will greatly lean on his
16:56advice.
16:57And he will be the point person in Washington to get the regulatory agencies to approve reopening Indian Point.
17:05So we'll work together on that.
17:07And then one more question for you.
17:09The governor's budget director sent a letter and said that AI could have a huge impact, especially on jobs here
17:18in New York.
17:19You know, hearing this and hearing just some of the concern about jobs tied to AI, would you as governor
17:26maybe rethink maybe a moratorium for AI?
17:30Under Kathy Hochul, our state is number 50 in economic outlook.
17:37Kathy Hochul hasn't figured out how to create jobs.
17:40All she's figured out is how to drive jobs out of our state.
17:44Just in the last year, hundreds of thousands of jobs have left our state.
17:48And she doesn't have the expertise.
17:52She doesn't have the right approach to job creation.
17:56You create jobs by lowering taxes, lowering energy costs and actually making business feel like they're a partner rather than
18:04an enemy.
18:05She is treating business as an enemy in this state.
18:08With AI, it's the future.
18:10We all know it's the future.
18:11So what I said is, let's all sit down and work out all the issues around AI and these data
18:18centers.
18:19And look, every revolution, the technology revolution, the industrial revolution, everyone has created uncertainty in the past.
18:29You just have to look at history.
18:30But if you have a leader who's willing to figure out a way, how do we make this work for
18:36the people?
18:36How do we make this work to create more jobs and to create more prosperity in our state?
18:41That's the approach that I will take.
18:43By just putting your head in the sand and saying no, no, no to the fastest growing industry in the
18:49world,
18:49in the once great empire state, is the reason we're number 50 in economic outlook.
18:54Okay.
18:55One more question.
18:57There's an article in the New York Focus describing the local state liquor authority donating $40,000 to a super
19:03PAC.
19:04Do you think there's a couple of ventures?
19:06She said she's going to keep the money.
19:07Should she return it?
19:09Well, let me just say this.
19:12I'm glad you brought up the state liquor authority because just a couple of months ago,
19:16I was having a slice of pizza and this couple came up to me.
19:20They recognized me and they said, we just opened the liquor store down the block.
19:26I said, really?
19:28It was closed for a year.
19:30What happened?
19:30I used to go there.
19:32And they said, well, we bought it a year ago, but it took a year to open this store
19:39because of the regulations of the state liquor authority when it was the same location, the same everything.
19:47They just changed the owners.
19:49All the state liquor authority needed to do was do a background check on these people.
19:53That wouldn't have taken more than two weeks.
19:56They had to pay the rent.
19:58They had to pay the utilities.
19:59They had to pay the taxes in a non-performing asset.
20:02So, my advice to that individual from Cathy Holton's State Liquor Authority Department is as follows.
20:10Pay less attention to politics and start working for the people and get those liquor licenses approved quicker
20:17so people can open businesses and create jobs and prosperity.
20:26That was great.