The Day

Amazon says ‘no thanks’ to NYC headquarte­rs Rhode Island governor calls for stronger gun control laws

Reversal by online giant is blow to Cuomo, de Blasio

- By JOSEPH PISANI and ALEXANDRA OLSON By JENNIFER McDERMOTT

New York — Amazon abruptly dropped plans Thursday for a big new headquarte­rs in New York that would have brought 25,000 jobs to the city, reversing course after politician­s and activists objected to the nearly $3 billion in tax breaks promised to what is already one of the world’s richest, most powerful companies.

“We are disappoint­ed to have reached this conclusion — we love New York,” the online giant from Seattle said in a blog post announcing its withdrawal.

The stunning move was a serious blow to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had lobbied intensely to land the project, competing against more than 200 other metropolit­an areas across the continent that were practicall­y tripping over each other to offer incentives to Amazon in a bidding war the company stoked.

Cuomo lashed out at fellow New York politician­s over Amazon’s change of heart, saying the project would have helped diversify the city’s economy, cement its status as an emerging tech hub and generate money for schools, housing and transit.

“A small group of politician­s put their own narrow political interests above their community,” he said.

But Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City’s new liberal firebrand, exulted over Amazon’s pullout.

“Today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers and their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitati­on, and the power of the richest man in the world,” she tweeted, referring to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

The swift unraveling of the project reflected growing antipathy toward large technology companies among liberals and populists who accuse big business of holding down wages and wielding too much political clout, analysts said.

“This all of a sudden became a perfect test case for all those arguments,” said Joe Parilla, a fellow at the Brookings Institutio­n’s Metropolit­an Policy Program.

Amazon ultimately decided it did not want to be drawn into that battle.

Amazon announced in November that it had chosen the Long Island City section of Queens for one of two new headquarte­rs, with the other in Arlington, Virginia. Both would get 25,000 jobs. A third site in Nashville, Tennessee, would get 5,000.

The company planned to spend $2.5 billion building the New York office, choosing the area in part because of its large pool of tech talent. The governor and the mayor had argued that the project would spur economic growth that would pay for the $2.8 billion in state and city incentives many times over.

After Amazon backed out, De Blasio, who according to his press secretary learned of the decision an hour before it was announced, criticized the company for not doing more to try to win over New Yorkers, saying: “You have to be tough to make it in New York City.”

No replacemen­t planned

In pulling out, Amazon said it isn’t looking for a replacemen­t location “at this time.” It said it plans to spread the technology jobs that were slated for New York to other offices around the U.S. and Canada, including Chicago, Toronto and Austin, Texas. It will also expand its existing New York offices, which already have about 5,000 employees.

Amazon faced fierce opposition over the tax breaks, with critics complainin­g that the project was an extravagan­t giveaway — or worse, a shakedown — and that it wouldn’t provide much direct benefit to most New Yorkers.

The list of grievances against the project grew as the months wore on, with critics complainin­g about Amazon’s stance on unions and some Long Island City residents fretting that the company’s arrival would drive up rents and other costs.

Opposition to the deal was led in the Democrat-controlled state Senate by Michael Gianaris, the chamber’s No. 2 lawmaker, whose district includes Long Island City. Initially among the politician­s who supported bringing an Amazon headquarte­rs to the city, Gianaris did an about-face after the deal was announced, criticizin­g the secrecy surroundin­g the negotiatio­ns and the generous incentives.

Earlier this month, Gianaris was appointed to a little-known state panel that could have ultimately been asked to approve the subsidies.

The City Council probably would have had to file a lawsuit to scuttle the deal, which was structured to avoid the land use review process that most projects undergo.

In recent weeks, City Council members held hearings at which they grilled Amazon officials about such things as the company’s contract with Immigratio­n and Customs Enforcemen­t to provide facial recognitio­n technology.

One City Council leader tried to get Amazon officials to agree to remain neutral in the face of any potential union drive. But an Amazon executive would not give such a commitment.

A Quinnipiac University poll released in December found New York City voters supported having an Amazon headquarte­rs 57 percent to 26 percent. But they were divided over the incentives: 46 percent in favor, 44 percent against.

Constructi­on industry groups and some local business leaders had urged the public and officials to get behind the plan.

Eric Benaim, a realty executive who gets most of his sales and rentals in Long Island City, had led a petition in support of Amazon, drawing 4,000 signatures.

“I woke up this morning and I had no clue this would happen. Zero. This news is a shock, and I’m devastated,” he said.

Andrew Ousley, a business owner who lives near the proposed site, said he had been considerin­g moving out before Amazon moved in.

“Now that they’re not coming, I’m more likely to stay and see how the neighborho­od continues to grow and evolve in a more organic fashion,” he said.

Associated Press Writers Verena Dobnik, Karen Matthews, Kiley Armstrong in New York; Chris Rugaber in Washington; and Chris Carola and David Klepper in Albany, New York, contribute­d to this story.

Providence — Gov. Gina Raimondo marked the anniversar­y of the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, on Thursday by calling for stronger gun control laws in Rhode Island.

The Democratic governor and Democratic Attorney General Peter Neronha joined activists at the State House to announce three bills they want state lawmakers to pass. They want the legislatur­e to pass a measure to ban guns in schools and they want a statewide ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Raimondo talked about the one-year anniversar­y of the shooting rampage that claimed 17 lives, acknowledg­ing a student from Parkland who was in the audience at the State House.

“We’re here today because we’ve decided it’s time to take action so that doesn’t happen in our state, to our kids and to our teachers,” she said.

The bills face an uphill battle in the General Assembly. Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello hasn’t been receptive to these ideas in the past.

Mattiello has said that people legally carrying firearms aren’t the ones responsibl­e for school shootings. He favors the use of school resource officers and infrastruc­ture enhancemen­ts, and doesn’t want to infringe on Second Amendment rights.

His spokesman, Larry Berman, said Thursday that Mattiello has a long-standing record regarding this issue, and the bills will go through the regular legislativ­e process when they’re introduced.

After the Florida school shooting, Rhode Island was the first state to establish a new policy to try to keep guns away from people who show warning signs of violence. Raimondo signed an executive order on Feb. 26, 2018, directing law enforcemen­t to use all available legal steps to remove firearms from those who pose a threat, such as confiscati­ng guns that were obtained illegally.

She said Thursday that she has heard from many Rhode Island residents who want her to do more to prevent gun violence. She’s basing her policy proposals largely on recommenda­tions from a gun safety task force she created, though the group couldn’t agree on how to ban assault weapons and suggested that these weapons be registered with law enforcemen­t.

“A small group of politicans put their own narrow political interests above their community.” NEW YORK GOV. ANDREW CUOMO

 ?? MARK LENNIHAN/AP PHOTO ?? People stand in the lobby of the Amazon offices Thursday in New York. Amazon will not build a new headquarte­rs in New York City, a stunning reversal to an ambitious plan that would have brought an estimated 25,000 jobs to the city.
MARK LENNIHAN/AP PHOTO People stand in the lobby of the Amazon offices Thursday in New York. Amazon will not build a new headquarte­rs in New York City, a stunning reversal to an ambitious plan that would have brought an estimated 25,000 jobs to the city.
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