WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MARCH 7, 2019 13
LETTERS AND COMMENTS
A FLAWED DEBATE
OVER AMAZON
The manner in which Amazon
withdrew from the agreement
to locate its HQ2 in New York
City illustrates just how bad the
deal was. Amazon was unwilling to
negotiate, compromise, or adapt. Were
it to have moved to New York City, we
would have been held hostage to their
demands. Consider, for example, its
threat to halt construction on a new
facility in Seattle, its home base, if a
tax it opposed was implemented.
Amazon sent several postcards to
Long Island City residents that promised
it would be a good neighbor and listen. It
did not, however, provide a way for us
to contact them and voice our concerns.
Instead, it provided us with phone
numbers for City Councilman Jimmy
Van Bramer and state Senator Michael
Gianaris so we could call and tell
them to support the deal. That sounds
more like telling us to do their bidding
than listening.
The portion of Long Island City where
Amazon planned to locate, Hunters
Point, has a population of approximately
29,000, according to the last census.
Amazon’s HQ2 would have nearly
doubled that. In addition to transit
upgrades, the area would experience
a radical increase in demand for police,
fi re, sanitation, and emergency services,
as well as increased strain on its water
and sewage lines, electrical supply, and
street traffi c. The arteries leading to it
would have crawled to a stop.
Anable Basin, where Amazon
intended to build, lies within a fl ood
plain; serving Amazon during the next
superstorm would divert resources
from the homes and businesses already
in Long Island City. Real estate would
become too expensive for the people
who live and work there, and those
who managed to remain would not
be able to aff ord to buy groceries or
other essentials locally. And let’s not
forget the helipad, further burdening
and endangering Long Island City
beyond the helicopter traffic it
already endures.
Yes, we lost 25,000 jobs. Remember,
however, that Google brought in
50,000 jobs without cloak and dagger
negotiations, without tax incentives,
and without disrupting a community.
Yes, we lost the tax revenue those jobs
would have brought, but the value is not
as high as presented.
Governor Cuomo and Mayor
DeBlasio apparently did little to advise
Amazon on what New York is like. They
couched the debate in terms of tax
incentives vs. new jobs, ignoring the
other questionable aspects of the deal,
as if the people most directly aff ected
would not mind being sacrificed
in its wake.
Is this what we could look forward
to — manipulative politicians and
blindsided media, all in the name
of glitzy proposals? The only real
losers in the collapse of the deal are
Citicorp, which lost the tenants it
hoped would fi ll the Long Island City
building it’s abandoning and the Plaxall
family, which must fi nd a new buyer
for its land.
Marie Gangemi, Long Island City
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OP-ED
A Q&A on the Census
BY JULIE MENIN
What is the Census? The U.S.
Constitution mandates a
population count every
10 years of everyone residing in the
United States, and the fi rst census was
conducted in 1790.
The population totals from the
2020 census determine the number
of Congressional representatives,
and states use these totals to redraw
their legislative districts. The federal
government also allocates more than
$700 billion nationwide based on this
decennial data.
What’s at stake? We are fighting
for our fair share of the $700 billion
allocation. If we don’t get an accurate
headcount, we could lose funding for
our public schools, senior centers,
public housing, Medicaid, roads and
bridges, and much more!
How does New York City compare
to the rest of the country? While
we lead in many issues, we are far
behind when it comes to the Census.
In 2010, the initial response rate for
New York City was 61.9%, compared to
76% nationwide. We know we can do
better than this. We are motivated by
the Washington Heights neighborhood
that reached a remarkable 78.5%. They
made a conscious eff ort to organize
their community around the Census
and achieve a high response rate.
Is there anything new about the
2020 Census compared to 2010? For
the fi rst time ever, the U.S. Census
Bureau is accepting survey responses
online and over the phone. We are
excited that technology is being
incorporated to bring the Census
survey into the 21st century. This is
also the fi rst Census that will recognize
same-sex relationships.
What’s happening with the
citizenship question? For the fi rst time
in 70 years, a question has been added
by the Trump Administration asking
“Are you a U.S. citizen?” The New York
City Law Department, along with the
New York State Attorney General’s
Offi ce and other states and cities, fi led
a lawsuit challenging the citizenship
question as unlawful.
We were very pleased on Jan. 15
that Judge Jesse Furman rendered
an opinion, striking down the
citizenship question as violating the
Administrative Procedures Act. The
case is now going to the U.S. Supreme
Court and oral arguments will be heard
in April. We remain confi dent that the
facts and law are on our side.
What does the Census timeline
look like? In mid-March 2020, every
household will receive a notice in the
mail to fi ll out the Census survey. There
are additional notices aft er that, and
if a household does not respond aft er
several attempts, the Census Bureau
will send doorknockers in May to
visit individual households to collect
the data. Our goal is to encourage selfresponse
as early as possible.
So what’s next? Our role as the
Mayor’s Office for the Census is to
coordinate new and existing eff orts
among civic, community, labor, faithbased,
and all relevant stakeholders to
get every New Yorker counted and make
certain that New York City gets its fair
share. The future of our City depends
on the Census. We’re counting on you
to help us get everyone counted!
Menin is the director of the Mayor’s
Office for the Census and Executive
Assistant Corporation Counsel for
Strategic Advocacy.
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