N.Y. governor rips Amazon critics; HQ may be shaky
Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Friday about what he called “political pandering” to critics of Amazon’s proposed secondary headquarters amid a report that the company is reconsidering its planned New York City headquarters.
But opponents said they’d keep fighting a project they consider corporate welfare.
The back-and-forth came after The Washington Post reported that Amazon is reconsidering its planned New York City headquarters because of some local politicians’ opposition to the nearly $3 billion in- centive package. The report cited two unnamed people familiar with the company’s thinking.
In response, Amazon would say only that it’s engaging with small-business owners, community leaders and educators, pointing to its pledges to fund high school computer science classes and contribute to job training.
“We are working hard to demonstrate what kind of neighbor we will be,” the Seattle-based company said in a statement.
Noting the report, Cuomo accused the state Senate — whose leader recently tapped an Amazon critic for a board that might have sway over the project’s subsidies — of “governmental malpractice” and siding with those who are “pandering to the local politics.”
“And that’s what could stop Amazon,” he said at an unrelated event on Long Island. “I’ve never seen a more absurd situation where political pandering and obvious pandering so defeats a bona fide economic development project.”
“It is irresponsible to allow political opposition to overcome sound government policy,” he said.
Cuomo and the Senate leadership are Democrats, as are many of the deal’s critics.
Cuomo and Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio say Amazon will transform Queens’ Long Island City area into a high-tech hub
and spur economic growth that will pay for the $2.8 billion in state and city incentives many times over.
“The mayor fully expects Amazon to deliver on its promise to New Yorkers,” spokesman Eric Phillips said in response to the Post’s report.
Critics see the project as an extravagant giveaway to one of the world’s biggest companies and argue it won’t provide much direct benefit to most New Yorkers.
“We rose up and held the line . ... It’s not over, but I’m proud of the values we fought for,” Democratic City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer said in a statement.