New York City Council announces hearings on Amazon headquarters deal

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Nov 30, 2018

The deal to put Amazon's new headquarters in Long Island City is set to face fierce questioning as the New York City Council says it will hold a trio of hearings with city officials and representatives from the e-commerce giant.

The hearings are scheduled to begin next month, with a first session in mid-December, a second in January, and a third in February. In an interview with WNYC'S Jessica Gould, council speaker Corey Johnson said the three hearings will serve to review the deal, assess the nearly $3 billion in incentives Amazon was promised, and analyze the effect Amazon's arrival could have on the area. 

"Our goal with the Amazon hearings is to provide a public forum and a level of transparency so that we can ask the questions that have been avoided by not having a public process [and] by having government officials sign non-disclosure agreements," Johnson said. 

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio continue to stand behind the deal, which they have said will create 25,000 new jobs and boost the economy. 

The city council has invited Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, Economic Development Corp. President James Patchett and Amazon executives to the hearings.

According to a Bloomberg report, New York City council members Brad Lander, Jumaane Williams and Jimmy Van Bramer have said they plan to introduce legislation meant to prevent city officials from signing non-disclosure agreements like those used with Amazon during discussions concerning its HQ2.