Queens Politicians Feel the Heat Over Doomed Amazon Deal -- Update
19 Fevereiro 2019 - 10:48PM
Dow Jones News
By Katie Honan
Two Queens politicians who were fierce critics of the deal to
build a new Amazon.com Inc. campus in their districts have faced
blowback from residents and business owners since the company
ditched the plan.
New York City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and state Sen. Mike
Gianaris helped lead a group of politicians, progressive
organizations and unions in opposing the bargain that New York City
and the state struck with Amazon in November. The company agreed to
invest $2.5 billion in a site in Long Island City, Queens, and
bring 25,000 jobs in exchange for $3 billion in tax incentives.
Opponents decried the deal as corporate welfare.
Since Amazon's pullout last week, Messrs. Van Bramer and
Gianaris have been admonished by public-housing tenants who hoped
to land jobs at the campus and supporters who saw the tech giant's
arrival as a boost for Long Island City.
Eric Benaim, the chief operating officer of Queens real-estate
company Modern Spaces, said he had backed Mr. Van Bramer and other
politicians in the past, but they bungled the Amazon deal. He said
he texted Mr. Van Bramer after Thursday's announcement, telling the
councilman, "I warned you. I told you this would happen."
Mr. Benaim said Tuesday that the two politicians made a huge
mistake and face uncertain political futures. "I don't know where
you go from here," he said.
A group representing tenant-association presidents at four
public-housing developments near the proposed campus site also
released a statement criticizing the two politicians, who are both
Democrats, after the deal was dead. "Jimmy Van Bramer and Mike
Gianaris used to be the politicians we came to when we needed
help," the statement said. "This time, they didn't even talk to
us."
Amazon walked away from the deal last week despite recent polls
showing a majority of New Yorkers supported its planned campus. The
decision came after months of criticism, including New York City
Council hearings where company executives were grilled about the
closed-door negotiations over the tax incentives and their
anti-union stance. Mr. Gianaris's nomination to a state board with
sway over the tax incentives also fueled Amazon's decision.
The company said Thursday that some politicians "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."
Mr. Van Bramer, a two-term councilman, said Tuesday that he knew
opposing Amazon could hurt his political future. He is term-limited
out of his council seat in 2021 and is considering a run for Queens
borough president.
"There are people who are angry at me, but I knew that going in,
I had my eyes wide open," he said.
Mr. Van Bramer read the polls showing many Queens residents
backed the deal. But he said he spoke with residents, many of whom
had mixed feelings. He ultimately went with his conscience, he
said. "At some point you have to let the political chips fall where
they may," he said.
Mr. Gianaris, who has been in the state Senate since 2011 and is
up for re-election in 2020, didn't respond to a request for
comment. But after the Amazon deal ended, he said, "New York will
be just fine."
Justin Potter, a 39-year-old Long Island City resident, said he
created the website DefeatGianaris.com on Thursday, hours after
Amazon's announcement. He said the deal wasn't perfect but saw it
as a "tremendous opportunity" for Long Island City.
"I felt that Gianaris was not representing the interests of a
majority of his constituents but the demands of the most strident,"
Mr. Potter said.
Organizers who fought the deal said they did represent the views
of the community. They said they spoke with residents while out
canvassing against the project. "It was because of the work of
community organizers that certain politicians reacted the way they
did," said David Lee, who lives in Elmhurst and was a field
organizer with the Queens Democratic Socialists of America.
Bree Chambers, 40, also a resident of Long Island City, said she
saw Amazon's arrival as a benefit that would improve infrastructure
and schools. She and other parents met with Amazon representatives
and discussed building a high school in Long Island City and
expanding capacity for existing schools. While she was angry at
Amazon for leaving, she put a lot of the blame on the elected
officials opposing the deal, she said.
"If you a representing a district you have to at least
acknowledge different voices," she said.
Write to Katie Honan at Katie.Honan@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 19, 2019 20:33 ET (01:33 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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