OPPOSITION BLOCKS 25,000 JOBS

 Seward, Salka Regret

NYC’s Loss Of Amazon

ONEONTA – Otsego County’s delegation in the state Legislature today expressed regret on news that Amazon has backed away from locating its second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens.

“This is a lost opportunity for New York State,” said state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford.  “It is extremely unfortunate that a hostile political environment has resulted in the loss of 25,000 good paying jobs.  While I have been critical of the lack of transparency involved in the Amazon deal, I was ultimately supportive of the economic opportunities that were on our horizon.”

He continued, “This project was a net positive for New York and I was working to ensure upstate would benefit – instead the entire state loses out thanks to the shortsightedness of a few.”

Added Assemblyman John Salka, R-Brookfield, “It’s a sad day when we can’t attract a major player in the world economic market to New York. The governor and his circle couldn’t keep Amazon’s interest even with a $3 billion sweetheart deal; it just shows how fostering high taxes and an anti-business mindset can hurt the state as a whole.

“Cuomo’s failure to court Jeff Bezos with special deals and incentives truly highlights how he’s ruined the business reputation of New York,” he said.