Blakeman moves closer to addressing school mask mandates

                                                                                  

Bruce Blakeman on Tucker Carlson Show Monday night

Incoming Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, pressured for months by parents angry and opposed to school mask mandates, addressed the controversial issue on the Tucker Carlson Fox News program last night.

First, though,  Blakeman getting a live interview on Tucker Carlson is quite a coup for his PR team. According to Deadline News, Carlson's hour-long show in November was the top cable news show in the country in terms of total viewers.

"Carlson’s show averaged 3.67 million viewers, followed by The Five with 3.51 million, Hannity with 3.23 million, Special Report with Bret Baier at 2.77 million and The Ingraham Angle with 2.66 million," Deadline.com reported.

"In the adults 25-54 demo, Tucker Carlson Tonight averaged 651,000."

So Blakeman theoretically was heard by millions of people across the country last night.

Carlson asked  Blakeman about his announcement that he will not enforce Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's indoor mask mandate when he takes office Jan. 1.

Blakeman explained that more than 90 percent of Nassau adults are vaccinated and the county is not in crisis.

Then, on his own, he addressed the school mask mandates.

"With respect to our children, the mask mandate for the school age kids, I feel, is wrong," Blakeman said. "We are stealing their childhood. I have asked the governor to allow local control for local schools boards so they can determine in each individual school district whether or not masks are necessary."

"Because talking with parents, they've had enough."

Blakeman led a rally last spring with parents and administrators calling on County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat that Blakeman defeated in November, to issue an executive order to ban school mask mandates.

Curran said then she didn't have the legal authority to issue such an executive order though she sympathized with parents complaints.

After Blakeman won, parents have posted pleas on his Facebook page to do what he promised and "unmask our kids."

Asked if Hochul has responded to his request to give local school boards authority to determine school mask mandates, or whether he is still contemplating an executive order, Blakeman issued this statement today:

“Everything is on the table when it comes to protecting parental and student rights while ensuring public health. I continue to believe that school boards know best when it comes to making decisions within their own districts.”