In bid to move to city, Walmart hosts invitation-only meetings for Brooklyn leaders

Walmart is hosting an invitation-only breakfast for East New York, Brooklyn local leaders this week as part of its efforts to gather community support for a Walmart store in the neighborhood, the New York Daily News reported. Most of the several dozen invitees, such as clergy or community board members, either support the project or are undecided, while those who have been openly critical of the proposal were not invited, according to the News. While Walmart has declined to speak at public forums such as City Council hearings or community board meetings, it has already held several other such private meetings with community leaders in other neighborhoods, Walmart spokesperson Steve Restivo said. City Council member Charles Barron criticized the closed-door meeting, and said that he and other critics of the proposal planned to show up anyway, without an invitation. [NYDN]