NY PostAmazon brass kept a “burn book” to memorialize unkind comments made by those who opposed the online retail giant’s headquarters move to New York before pulling the plug on the project, it was revealed Wednesday.
The Microsoft Word document called “NY Negative Statements” was filled with criticism from officials and neighbors, who said the move to Queens would send real estate prices soaring — and that it wasn’t worth the thousands of new jobs Amazon promised.
The book had a specific section for politicians who opposed the project, which by late January appeared to be in jeopardy despite Mayor Bill de Blasio’s and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s support, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, had his own chapter in the document that included him dissing Amazon’s founder while addressing shivering union members in late January: “It’s a cold day in New York, but not as cold as Jeff Bezos ’ heart.”
City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, whose district included Amazon’s new campus, complained that his anti-Amazon campaign appeared to be going nowhere.
“We were punching, and no one was punching back,” Van Bramer told The Journal.
But Amazon was taking notes.
One of the first entries in the book came from state Sen. Mike Gianaris, a Democrat like Van Bramer whose district also included the new campus.
He and Van Bramer had signed a letter in 2017 supporting the project but a year later were having second thoughts about the fat tax breaks.
“We were not elected to serve as Amazon drones,” Gianaris wrote in a joint statement sent with Van Bramer.
Gianaris had the longest section, with 25 entries.
7 comments:
You should see the Venona files for his family
So, since so many locals and politicians opposed it for so long, why is AOC attacked constantly for that position?
This thing was hype 'n bullshit from the beginning.
-No hard metric for how many people would actually ever be employed there. Looking at the facility and given AMZN's aggressive automation campaign, there is little chance one could ever have justified those billions in tax breaks.
The other regular stinkers were landlords -of course. When the deal fell-through some were openly crying about how they'd planned on the higher rents they were going to charge. Not mentioned was the inevitable scheming and harassment to "clear out" the older, lower paying residents.
Note also that Amazon is now quietly planning it's expansion on the Q-T in other areas.
Note also that Google, Facebook and hundreds of small tech Co's are doing massive expansions sans tax breaks.
Cuomo and DiBlasio should be ashamed for having been such obvious cheerleaders for this scam.
Rob in Manhattan
AOC is attacked because it wasn’t her district, and because she so fucking willfully ignorant on every issue from climate change to the Electoral College.
Rob in Manhattan, people are obvious to the fact that NY1 reported Amazon already has a fulfillment center Imthink on Staten Island and they even filmed the inside and interviewed employees. It’s mostly automated and employees if I remember worked 10 hours a day.
https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2019/06/27/ai--robots-and-humans--inside-an-amazon-fulfillment-center-
I think it’s also mentioned in this video or elsewhere that they’re expanding into Maspeth.
Google purchased the 111 8th Ave telecom hotel building and then purchased the building across the street.
It’s pretty sad when the claims that thousands of jobs would be created isn’t even questioned by reporters. $150,000 salary jobs? Are you kidding me? Then you have the poor interviewed Amazon would provide jobs. Well if they can’t get one now Amazon certainly wouldn’t provide them on pr if they came into LIC.
Ron, AOC is disliked for naturally for her political views, use of social media, and the right naturally hate her. It’s pretty sad when they have to dig up her college video of her dancing with her friends.
It doesn’t stop Trump from saying the most idiotic things like he fell in love with North
Korea’s dictator.
Why did people opposed to Amazon, self styled 'environmental' advocates, vote in favor recently for a BJs to be build in Staten Island on tidal marshland which will endanger that borough. Every city councilman voted in favor of that project including our local 'boys'.On opposed by one councilperson from Brooklyn who called it an environmental disaster.
Answer: our 'born again' environmental advocates they had no local real estate donors that were left out of the deal as was the case for Amazon.
Get real people the only reason they opposed Amazon is their local boys were left out of the deal.
I wish we had an option to give a post a thumbs up. Because the above Anon. Is right. The locals opposed it because they couldn’t wet their beak
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