It’s a fitting day for Mayor Bill de Blasio to cast himself as the scorned lover in his torrid affair with Amazon, which drew to a very public close today when the company announced it won’t build a second headquarters in New York City after all.
While the company characterized its decision not to move forward with building an HQ2 in Long Island City, Queens as “disappointing,” the corporation also thanked both de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo by name for rolling over and showing their bellies in its statement about the news. But the mayor took it a step further, saying in his own statement:
You have to be tough to make it in New York City. We gave Amazon the opportunity to be a good neighbor and do business in the greatest city in the world. Instead of working with the community, Amazon threw away that opportunity. We have the best talent in the world and every day we are growing a stronger and fairer economy for everyone. If Amazon can’t recognize what that’s worth, its competitors will.
Instead of “working with the community,” de Blasio says, even though the community made it crystal clear they didn’t want Amazon coming to town. (Plans for the company to build another HQ outside of DC are still moving forward.)
And even though the company said it won’t seek an alternate location, shameless local officials across the country were re-upping their sweet high-ticket tax deals when news of the deal being on the rocks was first reported, just like during the nationally depressing first sweepstakes to bring in Amazon.
Cuomo, who hopefully didn’t file any legally binding documents to change his name, has yet to comment publicly on the deal falling apart.
Update, 2:56 p.m. ET: In a statement, Cuomo blamed the New York Senate for “this lost economic opportunity” for New York, which he called “the capital of the world.” OK!