FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 20, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 27
oped letters & comments
HEARTS, HEARTS, HEARTS // PHOTO BY JEFFREY PFLAUM
Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! To submit
them to us, tag @qnsgram on Instagram, visit our Facebook page, tweet @QNS or email
editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps).
Moving on from Amazon:
Queens one year after HQ2
BY DONOVAN RICHARDS
AND JULIE SAMUELS
A full year has passed since Amazon
decided not to locate its HQ2 in Queens,
and in the days around the anniversary
there has been no shortage of postmortems.
From the state of our tech sector to
the role of subsidies in economic development,
New Yorkers have heard a deluge
of hot takes about issues impacted
by HQ2’s demise. But lost in the noise
has been any mention of the area most
aff ected by the last 365 days - Queens -
which warrants a brief recap of the facts.
While there’s no doubt that HQ2
would’ve been game-changing, Queens
is still thriving. A macro view paints
an encouraging picture. Unemployment
rates are steady at 3.6 percent, best of all
the boroughs, while we also saw notable
increases in hiring and weekly wages
during 2019. Equally relevant is the
steady stream of development throughout
the area, including a 12,000 square
foot coworking space for entrepreneurs
and a new industrial center that’ll off er
$51,000 average salaries. It’s no surprise
state comptroller Th omas DiNapoli said
“the Queens economy is booming” in
2018. Unsurprisingly, that boom continues
in 2020.
At a more granular level, we’ve also
seen the Queens tech ecosystem take
promising steps forward. A variety of
local tech leaders have been hosting the
Queens Tech Night series, which helps
connect entrepreneurs, workers, and
tech companies in order to build a more
robust (and socially benefi cial) ecosystem.
Industry leaders like Google have
also joined the action, putting on regular
local tech training events for students,
seniors, and the public (something
they’ve been doing for multiple
years).
Milestones like these shouldn’t suggest
things are perfect, nor should they
leave Queens leaders content. We still
have a lot of progress to make, including
on the tech front. Right now, the
tech industry’s growth remains far too
concentrated in Manhattan, oft en leaving
behind several neighborhoods that
could benefi t from the advent of new
industries, developments, and jobs.
Th is is generally true of the outer
boroughs, which outside of Downtown
Brooklyn remain largely untapped by
the tech sector. Yes, companies like
Netfl ix have plunged into Williamsburg,
while places like Staten Island have
more distribution center jobs coming
their way, but the gap between
Manhattan and the rest remains far
too big.
It’s nonetheless also true that success
can’t be defi ned by investment
alone. It’s great that two Queens
neighborhoods are projected to be
among the hottest on the market
this year, and there’s no doubt that’s
related to the uptick in economic activity
in those places. But business leaders
and elected offi cials must work together
to make sure these trends benefi t all residents.
Here the HQ2 debacle is a telling
example.
While there’s no question 40,000 jobs
and $28 billion in tax revenue would’ve
been unprecedented - and we both certainly
felt the benefi ts outweigh the
costs - there were absolutely valid concerns
about the project’s impact on the
cost of living and gentrifi cation. More
investment is a good thing, but it must
be done in a way that doesn’t exclude
everyday people.
Regardless of successes and shortcomings,
one thing is clear: tech is the
future, and Queens must be prepared.
Jobs and development will continue to
come by virtue of everything the borough
off ers, but it is imperative that
everyone is equipped to thrive when
that happens.
Companies, leaders, and communities
must therefore work together, to
ensure anyone in Queens can get the
education, training, and skills needed to
succeed. It is also essential that we prioritize
more access to opportunities for
public housing residents across Queens.
By working with the right organizations,
we can collaborate to ensure residents
have a path to meaningful paid
internships, career opportunities, and
programs with sustainable wages and
benefi ts. It is no coincidence that the
highest paying jobs in Queens are in
engineering, computers, and science,
and there is no reason to assume that is
going to change.
It’s been a year since the HQ2 debacle,
and a retrospect off ers a lot of insight for
Queens. Th e numbers look good and
tech is growing, while many of the challenges
evident then are still the same. If
stakeholders can embrace our momentum
while working together on key
issues, we will offi cially make a borough
that’s built for everyone to succeed.
Julie Samuels is the Executive Director
of Tech:NYC, an organization representing
over 800 New York tech companies
to foster a more dynamic, diverse, and
creative New York.
Councilman Donovan Richards is the
chair of the Council’s Committee on
Public Safety and represents District
31 in Queens, which encompasses
Laurelton, Rosedale, Springfi eld
Gardens and Far Rockaway.
REMEMBER THAT
INFLUENZA VIRUS IS
MORE DANGEROUS
THAN CORONAVIRUS
Th e coronavirus is traveling the world,
causing several people to become ill and
even killing some, too.
Th is scare has led to many people feeling
the need to buy face masks in an eff ort
to protect themselves from coming down
with the virus.
These masks are relatively cheap, usually,
but there are those seeking to make
a profit off this disease at the expense
of those who are worried. Some places
are charging as much as $120 for a
box of 20 masks, when they usually are
sold for around $15.I find this most
appalling.
Added to all this is the fact that various
local American-Asian eateries and businesses
are being avoided because of the
coronavirus scare, which I fi nd sad and
unfounded.
Let me also add the fact that the infl uenza
virus is proven to be more dangerous;
news reports say that this year, 26
million people have come down with the
fl u and 14,000 have died as a result nationwide.
Th at should be a far greater concern
for many.
It is not too late to get a fl u shot, which
can help prevent the spread of the illness
to others.
My wife and myself are senior citizens
and got our fl u shots back in September
at Walgreens in Glen Oaks Village and we
are glad we did.
More people should get the fl u shot
now; let’s use common sense over these
dangerous diseases.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,
Glen Oaks Village
WHY PROPOSED AIRTRAIN
LGA IS GOOD FOR QUEENS
Any suggestion that funding for the
construction of a proposed AirTrain to
LaGuardia Airport comes at the expense
of any other transportation project in
Queens is not only without merit, it is fl at
out wrong.
AirTrain LGA would cost $2.05 billion
to construct – and not a penny of that
comes from taxpayer dollars or has been
“funneled” from state infrastructure funding,
as some elected offi cials have recently
suggested.
For AirTrain LGA, the primary source
of funding comes from the Port Authority
from revenues that must as a matter of
law be spent on Port Authority owned or
operated facilities with only minor exceptions.
In particular, any revenues generated
from airport operations can only be used
for airport purposes. AirTrain LGA meets
that requirement. Rebuilding the BQE, for
example, does not.
Without AirTrain, we would lose the
opportunity to create a valuable rail link
to LaGuardia and Queens would get
nothing else in return.
AirTrain LGA is good for the environment,
it will reduce congestion on local
roads and highways and it will provide
a reliable 30-minute trip to LaGuardia
Airport from Midtown Manahttan. It is a
project that is long overdue and one that
deserves support.
Rick Cotton, Executive Director, the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
