FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 33
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Requiem for a deal
BY ROBERT MUJICA
As just about everyone in this state, if not the country, knows
by now, Amazon has terminated its plans to bring its second
headquarters to New York State. It is a tremendous loss for
New Yorkers and I hope that at a minimum, we understand
the lessons learned.
People have been asking me for the past week what killed the
Amazon deal. Th ere were several factors.
First, some labor unions attempted to exploit Amazon’s New
York entry. Th e RWDSU Union was interested in organizing
the Whole Foods grocery store workers, a subsidiary owned
by Amazon, and they deployed several “community-based
organizations” (which RWDSU funds) to oppose the Amazon
transaction as negotiation leverage. It backfi red. Initially,
Whole Foods grocery stores had nothing to do with this transaction.
It is a separate company.
While Amazon is not a unionized workforce, Amazon had
agreed to union construction and service worker jobs that
would have provided 11,000 union positions.
Second, some Queens politicians catered to minor, but vocal
local political forces in opposition to the Amazon government
incentives as “corporate welfare.” Ironically, much of the visible
“local” opposition, which was happy to appear at press
conferences and protest at City Council hearings during work
hours, were actuality organizers paid by one union: RWDSU.
(If you are wondering if that is even legal, probably not).
Even more ironic is these same elected offi cials all signed a
letter of support for Amazon at the Long Island City location
and in support of the application. Th ey were all for it before
Twitter convinced them to be against it.
While there is always localized opposition, in this case it
was taken to a new level. Th e state Senate transferred decision
making authority to a local senator, who, aft er fi rst supporting
the Amazon project, is now vociferously opposed to
it, and even recommended appointing him to a state panel
charged with approving the project’s fi nancing.
Amazon assumed that the hostile appointment doomed the
project. Of course the governor would never accept a senate
nomination of an opponent to the project and the governor
told that to Amazon directly.
Furthermore, opposing Amazon was not even good politics,
as the politicians have learned since Amazon pulled out. Th ey
are like the dog that caught the car. Th ey are now desperately
and incredibly trying to explain their actions. Th ey cannot.
Th ey are trying to justify their fl ip-fl opping on the issue with
false accusations that it was a “backroom deal.”
In working with New York City, we advanced Long Island
City’s application with the signed support of the area’s local
elected offi cials, including state Senator Mike Gianaris and
New York City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer. Both Gianaris
and Van Bramer fl ip-fl opped on this position aft er Long Island
City was chosen, distorting the facts of the agreement and mischaracterizing
the tax subsidies as ‘a cash giveaway.’
Th ird, in retrospect, the state and the city could have done
more to communicate the facts of the project and more aggressively
correct the distortions. We assumed the benefi ts to be
evident: 25,000-40,000 jobs located in a part of Queens that has
not seen any signifi cant commercial development in decades
and a giant step forward in the tech sector, further diversifying
our economy away from Wall Street and real estate.
Incredibly, I have heard city and state elected offi cials who
were opponents of the project claim that Amazon was getting
$3 billion in government subsidies that could have been better
spent on housing or transportation. Th is is either a blatant
untruth or fundamental ignorance of basic math by a group of
elected offi cials.
Th e city and state “gave” Amazon nothing.
Amazon was to build their headquarters with union jobs and
pay the city and state $27 billion in revenues.
Make no mistake, at the end of the day we lost $27 billion,
25,000-40,000 jobs and a blow to our reputation of being
“open for business.” Nothing was gained and much was lost.
Th is should never happen again.
Mujica is the New York state budget director.
NEED FOR BETTER
CORPORATIONS
With all the news about
Amazon walking away from
building a campus in Long Island
City along with its promise of
25,000 well-paying jobs, it’s given
me an opportunity to refl ect on
corporate responsibility and my
personal experience that began in
June 1971.
Specifi cally, how did a high
school graduate from Astoria
grow up to have a good career,
become a homeowner in the historic
neighborhood of Broadway-
Flushing, and become a community
activist?
Th ere is no doubt that my parents
played the most signifi cant
role in my personal development,
but a very special corporation
played an equally signifi cant
role in my fi nancial wellbeing and
acceptance of social responsibility.
Th at corporation was Citibank
and Citicorp, although when I
started my career it was known as
First National City Bank.
Th e bank as a leading corporation
was tapped by local, state
and federal offi cials to help solve
business problems and support
eff orts to revitalize the city such
as the 42nd Street Redevelopment
Corporation, help the city from
declaring bankruptcy, or purchase
the fi rst bullet-proof vests
for the city’s police force. Again,
way too many other amazing
things at all levels of government
to mention.
In my opinion, corporations
helped build and expand the
middle class of New York City.
Th e fi nancial stability of my early
employment at the bank was
a spring-board to other career
opportunities which not only
helped fi nancially, but demonstrated
by example how to be
socially conscious.
How did corporations go from
helping to build a stable middle
class to demanding billions
of dollars to build a campus with
the promise of high-paying jobs?
When did corporations forget it’s
not just about creating jobs, but
instead helping to build lives and
lend their immeasurable skills
and profi ts to improving New
York City? I am sorry that some
will say that corporations only
respond to their shareholders, are
only in business to make a profi t,
and employees should be grateful
to simply have a job.
I say once upon a time there
was a better way for corporations
who used a bit of their profi ts to
enhance the lives of their employees,
who understood how to
build corporate loyalty, and who
accepted their corporate responsibilities
to make our city better
not worse. I hope another corporation
deserving of setting up
a campus in New York City will
learn there is a better way to do
business in our city.
Maria R. Becce,
Broadway-Flushing
APPLAUDS AMAZON
COLUMN
I applaud your editorial,
“Victoria’s Secrets: Fight to Get
Amazon Back” (Feb. 21).
I, too, was out of the country on
vacation and returned to the devastating
news that the Amazon
deal was gone.
I am 100% with you: we must
fi ght to get this deal back on the
table.
I am only a tiny voice in Middle
Village but this is what I’ve done so
far. I’ve contacted my elected reps
and asked, “What can be done to
fi x this? What positive action can
I take, and your offi ce take, to save
this deal?”(Councilman Robert
Holden, Assemblyman Brian
Barnwell, NY State Senator Joseph
Addabbo, Jr., Congresswoman
Grace Meng, Attorney General
Letitia James, Governor Andrew
Cuomo).
Additionally, I’ve written to
Amazon to let them know that
most of us who live in Queens
were thrilled about them coming
here and we wanted them to feel
welcome here. We wanted this to
be their home, too.
When I made my calls to
my elected reps, some of them
seemed surprised to hear from
anyone.
Th ey need to hear our voices,
the ones who really wanted this
deal and the jobs and the opportunities.
Also, Amazon needs to hear
us. I’m afraid the only ones they
heard were the ones who were so
rude to them.
Th ank you for writing your editorial.
It was spot on.
Candi Chu, Middle Village
THANKING
A FAITHFUL
PROTECTOR
I would like to thank Bishop
Nicholas DiMarzio of the
Brooklyn and Queens diocese in
all he has tried to do in the clergy
sexual abuse crisis.
Bishop DiMarzio has said he
has sought to create a program of
reconciliation under the auspices
of Kenneth Feinberg, a settlement
expert, and in addition, our diocese
continues to take responsibility
for the cost associated with
the pastoral care and the well-being
of victims.
As a Catholic and Grand
Knight of St. Anastasia Knights
of Columbus in Douglaston, I
applaud all these eff orts to help
those who are suff ering from sexual
abuse. Bishop DiMarzio has a
zero-tolerance policy for abuse by
clergy and I hope and pray this will
help end this abuse that has created
this crisis in the church. I myself
have just fi nish a course provided
by the Knights of Columbus,
called “Knights of Columbus Safe
Environment Program.” It enables
myself and others to recognize
abuse and to act in the better interest
of our youth and to protect
them and to keep them safe.
In closing much is being done
to protect our youth by Bishop
DiMarzio and the Knights of
Columbus. We all need to take
action to protect our youth, for
evil thrives when good people do
nothing.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,
Glen Oaks Village
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