On Thursday, Amazon announced it would no longer be building its new headquarters in New York. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was excited about the announcement, saying people have the power to organize and the results are incredible.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) didn't share Ocasio-Cortez's sentiments though.
"Amazon chose to come to New York because we are the capital of the world and the best place to do business. We compete in and won the most hotly contested national economic development competition in the United States, resulting in at least 25,000-40,000 good paying jobs for our state and nearly $30 billion dollars in new revenue to fund transit improvements, new housing, schools and countless other quality of life improvements," Cuomo said in a statement. "Bringing Amazon to New York diversified our economy away from real estate and Wall Street, further cementing our status as an emerging center for tech and was an extraordinary economic win not just for Queens and New York City, but for the entire region, from Long Island to Albany's nanotech center."
The governor, however, blames a handful of politicians for the deal falling through.
"However, a small group [of] politicians put their own political interests above their community – which poll after poll showed overwhelmingly supported bringing Amazon to Long Island City – the state's economic future and the best interests of the people of this state. The New York State Senate has done tremendous damage. They should be held accountable for this lost economic opportunity," Cuomo said.
"The fundamentals of New York's business climate and community that attracted amazon to be here – our talent pool, world-class education system, commitment to diversity and progressivism – remain and we won't be deterred as we continue to attract world class business to communities across New York State," the governor concluded.
Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio were the ones who worked tirelessly to get the tech giant to come to the Big Apple. Now, people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez get to explain to their constituents why a new, diversified industry isn't coming to their city. Apparently her own political gratification comes before her constituents' financial well-being.
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