Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh on Thursday night outlined details of the “Syracuse Surge” initiative as part of his State of the City address at the Redhouse Peforming Arts Center at 400 S. Salina St. in Syracuse. (Eric Reinhardt / BJNN)
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh (I)
“I am disappointed to see the opportunity lost to bring Amazon to Queens. It’s a blow to all of New York State. I met with business leaders in Syracuse [Thursday] to talk about growth and the New Economy. I am convinced Amazon would have benefited our growing tech industry in Syracuse. While some have the luxury of second guessing job creating strategies, we would have welcomed Amazon to Central New York. And we still would!”
Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon, II (R)
“Downstate politicians have allowed their personal political agendas to continue to drive business out of New York State. Make no mistake, the decision by Amazon is a loss for all of New York and the blame lies solely with the downstate politicians who would rather play politics than actually fight for real, good-paying jobs. The business community should know that Onondaga County and Central New York are open for business and we would gladly welcome any company, big or small, new or established, that is interested in relocating or expanding.”
Robert M. Simpson, president of CenterState CEO, in Syracuse
“Amazon’s decision to cancel its plans to build a new headquarters in New York City is a terrible outcome with negative impacts that ripple across the entire state. Governor Andrew Cuomo should be applauded for his pursuit of this incredible opportunity, and for landing a project this significant on behalf of all New Yorkers. The level of incentives that were being provided to the company paled in comparison to the long-term economic impact that the project would have created, not only for New York City, but upstate as well. The loss of this project is beyond unfortunate, and is yet another example of a self-inflicted wound on the New York state economy. If there is strong opposition to Amazon building its new headquarters downstate, then we hope the company will look to upstate because there isn’t an upstate city, including Syracuse, that wouldn’t welcome Amazon with open arms.”
Brian M. Kolb, New York Assembly Minority Leader (R–Canandaigua)
“Amazon’s rejection of New York needs to be a wake-up call that Albany needs to dramatically change its economic-development approach.
“Our system isn’t working when New York has to provide $3 billion in tax incentives to reach the same agreement Virginia received at a fraction of the price. Operating behind closed doors without public input, legislative review or community participation is a recipe for disaster – and we witnessed that [Thursday].
“The pattern of overpromising and underperforming on job-creation programs must stop now. START-UP NY wasn’t transformative. The Buffalo Billion cost taxpayers $750 million to create 750 jobs – with a few officials going to jail along the way. It’s time to replace the gimmicks with sustained, comprehensive policies that lower taxes, improve affordability and create an environment that eliminates the need to offer subsidies in the first place.
“[This] turn of events send a disturbing message to the rest of the business community. The extreme left wing of the Democratic Party made it abundantly clear to Amazon that it — and its potential 25,000 jobs — was not welcome here. Liberal politicians and special interests made every effort to dictate labor demands, hiring practices and wage requirements. While the misguided fringe may celebrate a short-term ‘victory,’ they’ve probably done long-term, irreversible damage to our state’s future prospects.
“There is no cause for celebration. When faced with an exciting opportunity, New York State snatched defeat from the jaws of victory — leaving only cause for concern.”
Assemblyman Will Barclay (R–Pulaski)
“I am disappointed with [Thursday’s] news that Amazon is not going to locate in New York State. It is a reflection of the poor business climate in New York State. Even $3 billion of economic development incentives isn’t enough. Time to rethink our economic development policies.”
Contact the Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com
Updated 2/15/19 at 10:30 a.m.
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