A group of New York businesses, political and community leaders have invited Amazon to reconsider their plan to scrap Amazon corporate headquarters.
In an open letter to chief executive officer of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, the group said: “A clear majority of New Yorkers support this project and were disappointed by your decision not to proceed. We all hope you will reconsider.” It said that New Yorkers don’t want to give up on the 25,000 permanent jobs, 11 union construction and maintenance jobs, $28bn in next tax revenues that Amazon was prepared to bring to the state.
“We know the public debate that followed the announcement of the Long Island City project was rough and not very welcoming. Opinions are strong in New York – sometimes strident. We consider it part of the New York charm! But when we commit to the project as important as this, we figure out how to get it done in a way that works for everyone.”
– open letter to Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos
Signatories to the letter included Hon. David Dinkins, former Mayor of New York city, Hazel Dukes, president of NAACP New York State Conference and heads of Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard and JetBlue Airways.
This news raises the question of whether this letter would influence Amazon’s decisions. Would they reconsider their plans to build the new headquarters in New York or stick to their word of abandoning the deal? From my point of view, I can’t see why Amazon should reconsider their decision after the political storm they’ve experienced.
