Amazon has backed out of the New York City headquarters plan after protests. There are many things to dislike about a crony arrangement between Amazon and New York rulers Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo. However, Long Island City is a dump and this was going to create jobs.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had previously touted the deal’s benefits, which include a pledge from Amazon to create 25,000 jobs, paying an average of $150,000 per year in exchange for a slew of city and state tax breaks and subsidies worth up to $3 billion.
In a statement, Amazon said: After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens,” the Seattle-based Amazon said.
They will continue in Arlington and Nashville.
The attacks began with ill-informed people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and spread from there. The people were worried about gentrification. But when places are dumpy, they want them fixed up.
Amazon reps were grilled in multiple city council meetings and met with statements like, “New York is a Union town,” by council members.
Therein was the real problem.
The full statement:
After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.
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We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion — we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people, and culture — and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners, and residents. There are currently over 5,000 Amazon employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and we plan to continue growing these teams.
We are deeply grateful to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and their staffs, who so enthusiastically and graciously invited us to build in New York City and supported us during the process. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have worked tirelessly on behalf of New Yorkers to encourage local investment and job creation, and we can’t speak positively enough about all their efforts. The steadfast commitment and dedication that these leaders have demonstrated to the communities they represent inspired us from the very beginning and is one of the big reasons our decision was so difficult.
It could be a ploy, but it seems like they are serious.
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