- On Friday, dozens of New York civic and business leaders signed an open letter published in The New York Times begging Jeff Bezos to reconsider Amazon's choice to pull its HQ2 project out of New York.
- Gov. Andrew Cuomo has talked directly with Bezos recently, according to The Times.
- There have been no indications that Amazon is reconsidering New York since it announced its decision suddenly in February.
New York isn't giving up on Amazon.
Like a spurned lover, leaders and representatives from the state and the city of New York signed an open letter published in The New York Times on Friday begging CEO Jeff Bezos to reconsider pulling Amazon's HQ2 project out of New York, a decision it announced in mid-February.
The letter rehashed events, reiterated the boon that Amazon was projected to offer the city and the state, and offered reassurances that the second-headquarters project would move forward if Amazon gives the go-ahead.
The letter said Gov. Andrew Cuomo would "take personal responsibility for the project's state approval," while Mayor Bill de Blasio would "work together with the governor to manage the community development process, including the workforce development, public education and infrastructure investments that are necessary."
Here's the full letter, reproduced from The Times:
Dear Mr. Bezos:
New Yorkers do not want to give up on the 25,000 permanent jobs, 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 disappointed by your decision not to proceed. We understand that becoming home to the world's industry leader in e-commerce, logistics and web services would be a tremendous boost for our state's technology industry, which is our fastest growing generator of new jobs. As representatives of a wide range of government, business, labor and community interests, we urge you to reconsider, so that we can move forward together.
We know 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—sometimes strident. We consider it 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 works for everyone.
Governor Cuomo will take personal responsibility for the project's state approval and Mayor de Blasio will work together with the governor to manage the community development process, including the workforce development, public education and infrastructure investments that are necessary to ensure that the Amazon campus will be a tremendous benefit to residents and small businesses in the surrounding communities.
New York attracts the best, most diverse talent from across the globe. We are a dynamic new center of the country's most inclusive tech economy. We all hope you reconsider and join us in building the exciting future of New York.
The letter was signed by dozens of New York civic and business figures, including religious, education, union, political, and tech leaders.
Cuomo has directly spoken with Amazon executives, including Bezos, on multiple occasions over the past two weeks to try to get the company to reconsider, according to The Times.
Amazon has given no indication that it is reconsidering its New York HQ2 decision. Last month, Amazon's head of policy communications, Jodi Seth, told NBC News that the decision was "pretty firm" and not open to renegotiation.