Thompson pledges space for garment biz, reinforcement of zoning laws, if elected

Democratic mayoral candidate and current city Comptroller William Thompson told the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce today that, if elected, he would reinforce existing zoning laws for manufacturers, protecting them from “real estate speculators who offer only short-term leases,” as a means of encouraging financial recovery. Noting that the securities industry accounted for 25 percent of city wages in 2007, Thompson emphasized the need for New York to diversify the types of businesses it houses and encourage the growth of smaller commercial outlets in the city. Thompson also pledged to help the fashion industry, saying that he would work with labor unions to dedicate one million square feet of space in non-profit buildings for garment manufacturing. “Imagine if we had used the millions of dollars we spent on Yankees Stadium on efforts like this,” Thompson said. “Instead of creating part-time jobs like ushers and concession workers, we would have created many more full-time, good-paying jobs.”