The deal to lure Amazon to New York is turning out to be far less of a win than Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio expected.
That was painfully clear at Wednesday’s City Council hearing, where scores of protesters screamed, “G-T-F-O! Amazon has got to go!” and unfurled a ginormous “No To Amazon” banner.
Lawmakers blasted bits of the deal: With the planned helipad, CEO Jeff Bezos’ commute “is all set,” huffed Speaker Corey Johnson. “What about the rest of the New Yorkers?”
Much blowback is coming from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fans, some of whom have been knocking on doors to drum up opposition, reports The New York Times. An Astoria church was so packed with protesters Monday, many couldn’t even get in.
No wonder de Blasio (as Times reporter J. David Goodman tweeted) wound up sputtering non-sequiturs: “I totally feel solidarity” with the critics, though “It doesn’t mean I agree them.” And: “Where you stand [on the deal] is where you sit.” Got that?
De Blasio and Cuomo also belatedly set up a 45-member “advisory board” for the project. The gov looks forward “to working with” residents and local officials “to ensure their voices are heard” — knowing full well they have little power to kill the deal.
Fact is, beyond their $3 billion in bribes to Amazon, their ham-handed approach has been to block public input all along. Yes, it was the retailer that required the contest to host it be kept secret. But the deal bypasses the city’s normal review process and even obliges public officials to notify Amazon of any Freedom of Information requests — so it can fight them.
Of course, most New Yorkers welcome Amazon and its jobs, though the Quinnipiac poll shows very mixed feelings about the bribes. Indeed, the company took a hit to its national reputation with its unseemly competition, nondisclosure agreements and all.
Cuomo and de Blasio did themselves no good by playing along, likely offering Amazon more than necessary to win — and seeming to confirm the most fevered fears of the anti-corporate left.
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