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The agreement to bring Amazon to Long Island City, at a cost of over $ 2 billion in government incentives, has caused outrage in many New York neighborhoods, particularly in Queens, where residents and elected officials have devoted themselves to resistance.
The anger is real: more than 100 people gathered Wednesday at a rally near the proposed site for the new offices of Amazon, where the company has promised to employ more than 25,000 people in exchange for tax credits direct state subsidies and tax incentives.
"Stay on the outside of the helipad," reads a sign, referring to Amazon getting the right to a helipad for its general manager, Jeff Bezos.
But the opponents' challenge is significant: the agreement reached between Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Amazon has been concluded. explicitly constructed to minimize the ability of local politicians to block it. The company would not agree to come to New York, said de Blasio, unless it can be assured of not having to go through the long approval process that would give the board a veto power. municipal.
The in-camera agreement to avoid local scrutiny has angered many members of the Council and state legislators, some of whom participated in Wednesday's rally.
"Why did they usurp the Council's ability to do its job?" Asked Catalina Cruz, a newly elected member of the newly elected Assembly, who represents the neighboring neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Corona and Elmhurst in Queens. "Because it's not good for our community."
But what can the opponents really do to stop it?
Hope is limited at the city level
New York State has essentially resumed the process using what is called a general project plan. The approach is not unique to the Amazon agreement and has been used in other major developments, such as Atlantic Yards, a former rail yard yard in Brooklyn.
The city council could try to change or eliminate tax breaks promised by the city to Amazon, said public policy experts, but these are not unique to Amazon, and any change would affect similarly the programs other companies.
Carl Heastie, the president of the assembly, said in a statement that, if the state's economic forecasts were correct, "this deal has the potential to pay for itself." The Bronx Democrat added, "We of course assume our role of approving aspects of this agreement very seriously and we will be looking at it closely."
Expect. Are there not people who review this kind of thing?
There will likely be a state-run environmental study to examine the impact of Amazon's development. But the contribution of local officials is only an advisory value. Opponents could not block the agreement – which they could have done if the agreement was passed in front of the city council.
One or more boards of directors must also review elements of the plan and incentives prior to implementation. One of them, the Empire State Development Board, is controlled by the executive power of Mr. Cuomo and is an unlikely avenue for opponents.
Critics may find that they have the most weight in the dark, the five-member Public Supervisory Board, which examines and approves some funding agreements concluded by the authorities of the country. l & # 39; State. Some aspects of the deal with Amazon, such as a $ 500 million grant, are likely to be reviewed by this board, experts said.
"The Commission of Control of Public Authorities will probably have to approve the agreement," said David J. Friedfel, director of state studies at the non-partisan Citizens Budget Commission.
The council is headed by a person appointed by the governor, but grants a veto to the Speaker of the House and the Leader of the Senate, through their representatives, said EJ McMahon, director of research for the Empire Center for Public Policy, a research organization based in Albany.
"This is the main point of suffocation," he said.
In 2005, the council rejected Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's plans for a stadium for the Manhattan Wild West Side as part of the failed bid for the city at the 2012 Olympics.
But some critics think it could also be a difficult battle.
Chairman of the Board Robert F. Mujica Jr. said he would not necessarily review the state incentive program.
"The capital subsidy does not have to go through a license in law," said Mr. Cuomo on Wednesday.
But what if I like uphill battles?
The main option is to continue to publicly pressure Amazon.
Hearings, even if they are not binding, could attract negative attention to society, just like a court battle. Opponents of Atlantic Yards have spent years in the courts and have been able to draw negative attention to this project. But they eventually failed to stop the project, which includes the Barclays Center Arena.
"The best strategy is to fight this scourge by making Amazon uncomfortable coming to New York," said Dan Branda, policy director at Reclaim New York, a government rights group. who received support from some prominent curators.
"All these battles are tough battles."
Some opponents may be content to win some concessions from the company, said James Parrott, New School's Director of Economic and Fiscal Policy. "It is certainly worthwhile to arouse the community's concern and the refoulement of taxpayers, with the aim of trying to get Amazon's commitments strengthened," he said.
Others just want Amazon to stay out of New York.
"The point of leverage, I think we saw today: the wave of opposition to this proposal," said Stuart Appelbaum, whose union, the union of retailers, wholesalers and department stores, took part at Wednesday's protest in Queens. He spoke by phone at a meeting in Geneva of international unions opposed to Amazon.
"Their economic model is based on low taxes, low wages and a reduction in workers' rights," he said. "Is this the behavior that New York wants to reward?"
On Wednesday, at least one potential presidential candidate began to criticize the agreement: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
Nate Schweber contributed to the report.
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