Open Letter to Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos
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Open Letter to Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos Dear Mr. Bezos: New Yorkers do not want to give up on the 25,000 permanentjobs, 11,000 union construction and maintenance jobs, and $28 billion in new tax revenues that Amazon was prepared to bring to our state. A clear majority of New Yorkers support this project and were disappointedby yourdecision not to proceed. We understand that becoming hometo the world’s industry leader in e-commerce, logistics and web services would be a tremendousboostforourstate’s technology industry, whichis our fastest growing generator of newjobs. As representatives of a wide range of government, business, labor and community interests, we urge you to reconsider, so that we can move forwardtogether. Weknow 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—sometimesstrident. Weconsiderit part of the New York charm! But when we commit to a project as important as this, we figure out how to get it done in a way that worksfor everyone. Governor Cuomowill take personal responsibility for the project’s state approval and MayordeBlasio will work together with the governor to manage the community developmentprocess, including the workforce development, public education and infrastructure investments that are necessary to ensure that the Amazon campuswill bea tremendousbenefit to residents and small businesses in the surrounding communities. NewYorkattracts the best, mostdiverse talent from across the globe. We are a dynamic new centerof the country’s most inclusive tech economy. Weall hope you reconsider and join us in building the exciting future of New York. Sincerely, Plinio Ayala Hector J. Figueroa Hon. Carolyn Maloney William C. Rudin President & CEO, President, 32BJ SEIU Congresswoman, Co-Chairman & CEO, Rudin Per Scholas, Inc. William E. Ford U.S. House of Representative Management Company,Inc. Ajay Banga Chief Executive Officer, Rev. Corwin Mason Kevin P. Ryan President & CEO, Mastercard General Atlantic LLC Community Church of Chairman & Founder, Zola, Rob Basch James P. Gorman Astoria CAC Workframe, Nomad Health, President, Hunters Point Chairman & CEO, Felix Matos Rodriguez MongoDB,Inc. Parks Conservancy Morgan Stanley Chancellor Designee, The Kris Schrey Eric Benaim Thomas Grech City University of New York President, Long Island City CEO, ModernSpaces President & CEO, Queens Bill McDermott Parents Group Neil Blumenthal Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer, SAP Carlo Scissura Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Rev. Dr. Johnnie Green Hon. Gregory Meeks President & CEO, Warby Parker Mount Neboh Baptist Congressman, NewYork Building Congress Seth Bornstein Church & President of MPAC U.S. House of Representatives April Simpson Executive Director, (Mobilizing Pastors Gail Mellow Tenant Association President, Queens Economic & Communities) President, LaGuardia Queensbridge Houses Development Corporation George Gresham Community College David M. Solomon Josh Bowen President, 1199 SEIU Heidi Messer Chairman & CEO, Owner, John Brown Andrew Hamilton Co-Founder & Chairman, Goldman Sachs & Co. Smokehouse President, New York Collective|[i] Rob Speyer Charles Boyce University Marc Morial President & CEO, President and CEO, Christopher Hanway Chief Executive Officer, Tishman Speyer Boyce Technologies, Inc. Executive Director, National Urban League Douglas C. Steiner Mary Cunningham Boyce Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Anne Cotton Morris Chairman, Steiner Studios Dean of Engineering and Settlement Citywide President and Alan Suna Applied Science, Columbia Robin Hayes Tenant Association President, Chief Executive Officer, University President & CEO, Woodside Houses Silvercup Studios Gianna P. Cerbone JetBlue Airways Corporation Michael Mulgrew Steven R. Swartz Owner & Chef, Manducatis Jukay Hsu President, United Federation President & CEO, Hearst Rustica VIG; President, Founder & CEO, Pursuit of Teachers Bishop Mitchell Taylor Queens Council on the Hon. Hakeem Jeffries Deanna M.Mulligan Senior Pastor, Center of Hope Arts and Board Member, Congressman, President & CEO, International & Co-Founder, LIC YMCA U.S. House of Representatives The Guardian Life Insurance Urban Upbound Kenneth I. Chenault MarionJeffries Company of America Dennis Walcott Chairman & Managing President , NAACPAstoria/ Hon. Catherine Nolan President & CEO, Director, General Catalyst LIC Branch Assemblywoman, Queens Library Partners Kristina Johnson New York State Assembly George H. Walker Mark A.Christie Chancellor, Jon Oringer Chairman & CEO, Neuberger President, Hunters Point State University of New York Founder & CEO, Shutterstock, Berman Group LLC Community Development Jelena Kovacevic Inc. Peter T. Ward Corporation Dean, Tandon Schoolof CharlesE.Phillips, Jr. President, New York Hotel Mario Cilento Engineering, New York Chief Executive Officer, Infor Trades Council President, NYS, AFL-CIO University Rev. Gilbert Pickett Carol Wilkins Claudia Coger Gary LaBarbera Mount Horeb Baptist Church Tenant Association President, Tenant Association President, President, Building & Martha Pollack Ravenswood Houses Astoria Houses Construction Trades Council President, Cornell University Fred Wilson Michael L. Corbat of Greater New York Miriam Porto Managing Partner & Chief Executive Officer, Mary Beth Labate Owner, Madera Cuban Chairman, CSNYC; Co-Chair, CitigroupInc. President, Commission Grill & Steakhouse and R40 Tech:NYC; & Partner, Union Hon. David Dinkins on Independent Colleges Argentinian Restaurant Square Ventures Former Mayor, and Universities Frank “Turtle” Raffaele Tom Wright City of New York Kevin S. Law Founder, COFFEED President, Regional Plan Danny Donohue President & CEO, Association Hon. Max Rose President, Civil Service Long Island Association Congressman, Kathryn S. Wylde Employees Association Joey Levin U.S. House of Representatives President & CEO, Donna Drimer Chief Executive Officer, IAC Partnership for New York Steven Rubenstein President, Matted LIC City Anthony Lopez Chairman, Association fora Hazel Dukes Executive Director, Zone 126 Better New York Rev. Patrick Henry Young President, NAACP New York First Baptist Church of East Elizabeth Lusskin Robert Rubin State Conference Elmhurst CAC President, Long Island City FormerSecretary, Catherine Engelbert Partnership U.S. Treasury Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte Paid for by the Partnership for New York City. For further information, contact us at One Battery Park Plaza, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004, pfnyc.org.